James Bond: A Review - Conclusions & Rankings
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 007 franchise based on and inspired by the novels by Ian Fleming. Fleming wrote 14 books starring the character Commander James Bond of Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Two of those are short story collections. There are 25 films in the franchise, 17 of them are based on Fleming’s stories and novels. Seven men have portrayed the character since 1962.
I reviewed and ranked each of the films in a series of articles. We looked at the Connery and Lazenby films, the Roger Moore era, the films starring Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan and the Daniel Craig years. Now it is time to conclude this series. In this article we will break down and rank all of the elements of the James Bond movie: the pre-title sequence, the opening title sequence, the theme song, the Bond girl, the villain, and the henchmen. I hope to determine the best and the worst of these elements in this final article.
But first some concluding thoughts on the series.
The 007 series is the longest-running film franchise in film history. It has transcended generations and generations over the past 60 years with the Baby Boomers being the first to grow up with the series and now Generation Z has their own era they’ve grown up with. It has officially outlived the original creators and stars. Because of this the series has gone through a lot of changes just as society has. As a result, some films don’t hold up as tastefully as others. But just about every era of the series has had its stinker or two, regardless of societal changes.
Watching all 25 movies is quite the endeavor - and it isn’t necessarily recommended. However, doing so provides a better understanding and context of every era in the franchise. Connery’s era built the franchise, establishing its lead character and all of the core elements that made it what we know it to be, but was a mixed bag with highs and lows. Lazenby wasn’t given much opportunity to shine. Moore took the silliness of Diamonds Are Forever and ran with it, creating an era with a distinct identity - and lots of stinkers. Dalton introduced Bond into the modern age of action films. Brosnan started out strong, but with diminishing returns, stretching the limits of suspension of disbelief. Craig reset the franchise with a serialized saga that elevated the series.
What’s also interesting is to see how attitudes towards women didn’t exactly have a linear, upward trajectory towards progress. Goldfinger perfectly exemplifies the history of the franchise with misogyny and feminism co-existing together. Throughout the ‘60s and the ‘70s there would be just about as many well-written women as poorly-written ones. However, it wasn’t until 1999 that the series saw its first true female villain. There were henchwomen occasionally before - Bambi, Thumper, Pussy Galore, May Day, Xenia Onatopp - but never a primary female villain. Unfortunately, Elektra King is the only one in the franchise. On the other hand, the Bond girls have a reputation of being sexy damsels waiting to be seduced by and submit to Bond. That often isn’t the case, also, especially as the series entered the Modern Era in the ‘80s. Women became agents, scientists, fighters, etc. And many would actively shut down Bond’s misogyny or prove themselves as equals.
As I mentioned in my Craig article, the next logical step for the franchise would be to have the women take over the principle roles. Bond and Felix are the past. Nomi and Paloma are the future. To not do so would not only waste a perfect opportunity, but two characters with a lot of potential. It would also be rewarding, because the Bond franchise has a poor history of black female characters. Rosie of Live and Let Die was the first black Bond girl and she was completely incompetent. Jinx in Die Another Day was capable, but lacked the substance, charisma, and weight needed to be Bond’s equal. Nomi (and Moneypenny before her to a lesser degree) is the first to be every bit the agent Bond was - and could carry a film on her own. The signs are indicating this won’t happen unless producer Barbara Broccoli decides to surprise fans with a bold decision. We shall learn soon enough. Because, as we’ve seen, this franchise is never away for very long.
The Rankings
Now it is time to break down the franchise by its core components and establish the best and worst of each. We will focus on 1) the pre-title sequences, 2) the title sequences, 3) theme songs, 4) Bond girls, 5) Henchmen, 6) Villains, and 7) the Bonds.
Best Pre-Title Sequences
Skyfall (Istanbul chase)
GoldenEye (006 & 007 mission)
No Time to Die (Madeleine Swann’s childhood, Vesper’s grave)
Casino Royale (Bond earns 00 status)
You Only Live Twice (Bond dies)
The pre-title sequence began with Grant’s training to kill James Bond in From Russia With Love. It was a tradition that began with a spontaneous decision made in the editing room. It has since served to get audiences settled into the film either through action sequences or events that kick off the main plot. There are two occasions where James Bond has been shot and presumed dead (three if you count the faker in From Russia With Love). Skyfall is one of them and the best pre-title sequence of all, featuring a thrilling chase through Istanbul that may not be as daring or jaw-dropping as those in the likes of GoldenEye. But it packs a lot in including a foot chase, a motorcycle chase, an excavator on a train, and a struggle on a train - all ending with a decision by M that lets the bad guy get away. Bond is shot and plummets off the top of a train on a bridge into the river below and the film’s title sequence.
Worst Pre-Title Sequence
A View to a Kill
Roger Moore’s final Bond film kicked off with Bond being sent to Siberia, skiing mountainsides while being pursued by Russians, which is all fine and good. But somehow he snowboards up a wall from a stopped position to the sounds of The Beach Boys. The sequence ends with a rather comfy looking sub disguised as an iceberg that looks designed for love making. There were others that were off-putting or ridiculous, but A View to a Kill certainly had the worst start to any Bond film.
Best Title Sequences
GoldenEye
Skyfall
The World Is Not Enough
Tomorrow Never Dies
Casino Royale
No disrespect to Maurice Binder, the original title sequence designer. I would say his work for The Spy Who Loved Me, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, A View to a Kill, and You Only Live Twice would be among the 10 best in the series. But they just don’t compare to what Daniel Kleinman was able to do when he took over. And Kleinman’s first piece, GoldenEye, remains the best. It was a perfect marriage of traditional elements (female silhouettes), thematic imagery (Soviet symbols being destroyed), and stunning new visuals. It is also one of the few great title sequences that isn’t hurt by an inferior song (Die Another Day got edged out due to its song). As you can see by the list, Kleinman created some of the best title sequences in the series. His work is hard to beat.
Worst Title Sequence
Spectre
Worse than the generic titles of The Living Daylights, License to Kill, and Quantum of Solace. Worse than From Russia With Love’s jiggly body parts and Moonraker’s Earth imagery. Spectre utilizes a bunch of octopi imagery that occasionally verges on tentacle porn while also including the film’s attempts to tie all the Craig films together. To further dullen the sequence it is married with one of the worst themes in franchise history, ‘The Writing’s On the Wall’.
Best Theme Song
GoldenEye
Skyfall
The World Is Not Enough
Goldfinger
James Bond Theme
Shirley Bassey’s ‘Goldfinger’ set the standard for the James Bond theme song. It was the first song with vocals used in the title sequence and it would be a long time before any theme would come close to matching it. There are very few that have exceeded it in the 50+ years since. Three to be exact. Pierce Brosnan didn’t have many great films. But he did have two great theme songs, including the best theme song of all: ‘GoldenEye’ performed by Tina Turner and written by Turner, Bono, and The Edge. This song followed a pre-title sequence with death-defying stunts - some of the most daring in the series up to that point. It was the first Bond theme the world had heard in over 5 years. It needed to maintain the audience’s excitement and thrills. And it did. The opening staccato strings and explosive horns immediately call back to ‘Goldfinger’ and assured people, “Yes. You are in good hands right now.”. Adele’s theme for ‘Skyfall’ is the only one that comes close to edging ‘GoldenEye’ out. Because, while having a much slower build and lacking the explosive horns, it too recalls ‘Goldfinger’ with its chorus and re-establishes the mould of the James Bond theme. It is easily the best of the Craig era. Only Garbage’s ‘The World is Not Enough’ exceeds that 1964 theme. And then we have the iconic ‘James Bond Theme’ composed by Monty Norman and conducted by John Barry from Dr. No. One would be crazy not to consider that among the greatest in the series. There are several other really good themes in the franchise. But none top these.
Worst Theme Song
No Time to Die
On the other hand there are a few themes that are really bad. Now, ‘Goldfinger’ set the expectation for what a James Bond theme song should be. It’s not enough for a song to be good on its own. It has to be a really good JAMES BOND theme! That means it has to be a song that gets audiences in the mood for the film or continues the vibe from the pre-title sequence. It should be easy to remember. It should feel like a theme to a spy movie. Just about every era struggled with this - especially the Roger Moore era. The Spy Who Loved Me’s ‘Nobody Does It Better’ is a perfect example of a song being really good on its own terms, but being really bad as a spy movie theme. Moonraker’s theme and Octopussy’s ‘All Time High’ - two of the absolute worst in the franchise - are songs that are extremely dated in composition and production and are more like love themes to movies of that era than spy movie themes. Daniel Craig’s era also has two of the worst, including Sam Smith’s ‘The Writing’s On the Wall’. But Billie Eilish’s ‘No Time to Die’ barely takes the cake even above Moonraker and Octopussy’s themes as the worst theme song to a James Bond movie ever. The song has no rise, no fall. It features a sedate performance by Eilish (which may be part of her thing). It is a song to play if you either a) want to go to sleep or b) are hooked on heroine. It is not the kind of song you put at the beginning of a James Bond film - especially one that sends off the longest-tenured lead in franchise history. It is that film’s one glaring issue.
Best Bond Girl
Vesper Lynd (Casino Royale)
Wai Lin (Tomorrow Never Dies)
Pussy Galore (Goldfinger)
Pam Bouviere (License to Kill)
Natalya Simonova (GoldenEye)
There were over 40 Bond girls in 25 movies to consider. Female henchmen were not considered Bond girls largely as the role usually refers to love interests or allies of Bond. Women who appeared in only one scene and didn’t have a name were also not considered. The best Bond girls are those who didn’t get weak in the knees over Bond and had their own agency and objectives. In a way, Michelle Yeoh’s Wai Lin is the best example of this. She also kicked ass and brought more to the action table than even James Bond, which very few women in the series can claim. But the title of Best Bond Girl has to go to Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd, because not since Tracy from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service has any one woman been so significant to Bond and the franchise. Lynd isn’t just a tragedy that is referenced every once in a while in two or three films. She is a character that haunts the Craig films, a woman Bond was willing to give everything up for and felt betrayed by. She seemed to teach Bond a lesson in allowing people to get close to him. Also, she may not be much of a fighter, but she’s able to match wits with Bond and is never subservient to him. She is the most significant Bond girl in the entire franchise - and one of the most beautiful.
Worst Bond Girl
Rosie Carver (Live and Let Die)
There are some terrible Bond girls in the franchise - Tiffany Case (Diamonds Are Forever), Dr. Christmas Jones (The World is Not Enough), Stacey Sutton (A View to a Kill) - and each make their respective films worse. But the one that edges them all out is Rosie from Live and Let Die. Rosie is a new CIA agent and is jumpy and incompetent from the very first moment. She’s also supposedly a double agent, but Gloria Hendry’s performance is so bad it’s difficult to believe her incompetence was a ruse. That incompetence also leads to her death. Add on top of this that Rosie is the first significant black female character in the franchise and she becomes little more than salt on the painful wound that the film Live and Let Die is.
Best Henchman
Jaws (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker)
Oddjob (Goldfinger)
Xenia Onatopp (GoldenEye)
Grant (From Russia with Love)
Colonel Klebb (From Russia with Love)
When it comes to a villain’s henchman in the James Bond series the best are the ones with an unforgettable characteristic or weapon that makes them formidable against Bond. They are the ones who require Bond to use his wits the most in order to defeat. There are several henchmen in the series that are bland or forgettable. This is something that largely went away in the more recent films with Spectre’s Mr. Nix (Dave Bautista) being the only exception. But the best really did come from the Sean Connery and Roger Moore eras. The best of the Moore henchmen is truly the best of all: Jaws (Richard Kiel). When one is watching The Spy Who Loved Me or Moonraker (mostly best not watch that one), one is compelled to ask how can any henchman ever be as great and formidable as Jaws? This is a skyscraper of a man whose hands can eclipse most adult faces, who can take nearly any punch, who can tear cars apart and survive 100+ foot drops. Jaws is darn near a super villain. But Kiel sells it. Even when things get hokey. And you never forget him. Oddjob, Onatopp, Grant, Klebb - even Mr. Nix, May Day, and Kidd and Wint - are all memorable and interesting henchmen. But none can quite best Jaws.
Worst Henchman
Tang Ling Zao (Die Another Day)
There are several forgettable and bland henchmen in the series. But the absolute worst of the worst is Zao, a North Korean terrorist working for the main villain who gets diamonds embedded in his head. At the start of the film he is traded for James Bond by England and North Korea for reasons that are inexplicable and his appearance turns paler and paler as the film goes on. He ultimately undergoes a gene therapy that will alter his appearance on a genetic level to look more white. He doesn’t complete that process before he’s killed. Maybe this character is a deliberate reference to You Only Live Twice wherein Bond himself underwent a transformation to look Asian. But the entire character is appalling in concept. Even if one were to set that aside, he’s a bland henchman who doesn’t offer much else outside of having diamonds in his face and looking more white. Sometimes it’s better to be forgettable.
Best Villain
Raoul Silva (Skyfall)
Alec Trevelyan: 006 (GoldenEye)
Auric Goldfinger (Goldfinger)
Francisco Scaramanga (The Man With the Golden Gun)
Ernst Stavro Blofeld (From Russia with Love, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Spectre)
So, what makes a Bond villain a great Bond villain? They have to be distinct, which makes them memorable. It helps to have a scheme that is personally-motivated, but not necessary. But their objective or motivation has to be coherent and easy to explain. Then the actor has a lot to do with a villain’s greatness. Are they stiff as a board or are they having fun? Do they inject much personality into the character? In 25 movies there’s around 20 primary villains in the series. There are a few whom if I listed their names you wouldn’t be able to match to their correct films. Blofeld makes the list for being the head of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. (later Spectre), his place in the iconography of film history, and for being the primary villain in 5 films (he appears in 8). But a different actor plays him in each of those five films and none really steal the role from any others. The other hitch to a good villain is they have to be believable as an adversary against Bond if not physically then intellectually. That eliminates many of Bond’s villains. But Raoul Silva and Alec Trevelyan are probably the most formidable of all of Bond’s villains. And they’re the most interesting and memorable. Interestingly enough, they have similar motivations: both were MI6 agents who were left for dead in missions. There’s differences, of course (Alec was scheming before his mission with Bond in GoldenEye while Silva is out for revenge). But they are among the most interesting and greatest villains Bond ever faced played by excellent actors (Javier Bardem and Sean Bean, respectively).
Worst Villain
Colonel Tan-Sun Moon (Die Another Day)
The only thing worse than a character who almost undergoes a transformative process to wipe away his Asian-ness (Zao, see above) is a character who completes that process. And turns himself into a white British aristocrat. Not only is Moon fundamentally offensive, but his plot - to transform himself to mine diamonds in Iceland so he can create a satellite that can use solar energy to cut a laser path through the Korean Demilitarized Zone in order to allow North Korea to invade South Korea and unite the country - is extremely convoluted and ridiculous. Possibly more than any other villain plot in the series. Even Blofeld would roll his eyes at the sheer absurdity of the scheme.
Best Bond
Daniel Craig
Sean Connery
Pierce Brosnan
Timothy Dalton
Roger Moore
George Lazenby
Technically, there is no bad Bond. Each Bond had at least one good film. But you can’t just go by who had the most good films, because Roger Moore did 7 films, Connery did 6, and Craig did 5. Lazenby and Dalton are at a disadvantage because they only starred in one or two films - and Lazenby just wasn’t given enough to really shine in his film aside from a tragic ending. There is a certain justice that Lazenby’s film ended up becoming the most significant in the series for the following 20-30 years. But Roger Moore only escapes being the worst Bond because he had 3 fairly solid films that mostly fall just outside of the 10 best films in the entire series. His era was so distinct that it was almost not a James Bond era: it was goofy, over the top, often offensive or of poor quality, and Moore just never felt like a real threat to anyone. He always seemed lucky to survive his missions. He was a cheeky gentleman with a cocktail. Not a man with a license to kill. At the risk of falling victim to recency bias the best Bond is Daniel Craig’s Bond. Not only are all but two of his films good, giving him the highest record of creative success out of all of the Bonds, but his performances exceeded expectations and offered different sides of the agent we hadn’t quite seen before - while still managing to feel not too dissimilar to the character Connery introduced the world to decades before. His Bond also is the first to really deliver dramatic and emotional depth that developed an emotional resonance. While every Bond had at least one good film during their tenure and most of the actors played Bond well, it is Craig who did the most with the role.
Best Bond Movie
Skyfall
GoldenEye
Casino Royale
Goldfinger
From Russia With Love
No Time to Die
The Living Daylights
Tomorrow Never Dies
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
For Your Eyes Only
There are very few Bond films that are great and lack any significant shortcomings. Maybe there’s an entire third of the film that is weaker than the rest or maybe the villain isn’t that great. Out of 25 films I can confidently assert that there are 6 films in the series that are actually great. Those are the films with barely any flaws at all. Each one is notable for its place in the series in some way. No Time to Die offers the best send-off of anyone who took on the role of Bond. From Russia With Love amped up the pace and action compared to Dr. No. Goldfinger crystalized the Bond movie into what we came to know and expect it to be. Casino Royale rebooted the series and gave us an early Bond who has yet to become the agent we’ve known him to be. GoldenEye reignited the series and gave it new life and energy. Skyfall, which barely tops GoldenEye, completed the arc of Bond becoming James fricken Bond. If anyone is ever to recommend a short list of Bond films for the casual viewer these would be the cream of the crop. As for the full list of 10, every Bond has an entry included. That’s not intentional, but does say something about the series. Roger Moore squeaked onto the list with For Your Eyes Only, which barely pushed The Spy Who Loved Me out of the list. Both have their issues, particularly with their villains. But For Your Eyes Only is able to overcome its failings better than Spy, so it makes the list.
Speaking of short-comings…
Worst Bond Movie
Live and Let Die
Die Another Day
Moonraker
Diamonds Are Forever
A View to a Kill
Aside from a handful of strengths in a couple of them, these films were rough watches. These are the films that had the least amount of redeeming value in the series. Maybe there was a notable henchman. Maybe there’s a good theme song. But there’s very little else worth defending in any of these films - most especially Die Another Day and Live and Let Die, which may be the most offensive and terrible of all of the films in the series. Yes, You Only Live Twice features the race-bent Bond. But there are just as many good things in that film as bad. Yes, Spectre, which was barely edged off the list, blew its opportunity with Blofeld and the organization Spectre and strained to connect all of its preceding films. But A View to a Kill squanders Christopher Walken as a villain and was full of so many awful elements that Moore regretted doing the film. Live and Let Die takes the cake by being the first film in the series to feature black characters, yet not hold up at all. The black characters mostly speak jive. The plot involves drugs in Harlem and the Caribbean. The first female agent is incredibly incompetent. Plus, Live and Let Die introduces a racist Southern sheriff as comedic relief. Let us all preserve the excellent theme by Paul and Linda McCartney and burn the rest of this film.
For the record GoldenEye made 7 of the Best lists. Goldfinger made 5 of the Best lists. Skyfall made it to 5 of the Best lists. Casino Royale made 4 of the Best lists. Tomorrow Never Dies made 4 of the Best lists.
Meanwhile, Die Another Day made 3 of the Worst lists. A View to a Kill made 2 of the Worst lists. And Live and Let Die made 2 of the Worst lists.
No Time to Die made 2 of the Best lists and 1 Worst list.
There you have it. That completes the journey through the highs and lows of the James Bond series. I hope this has been informative and interesting for you. I hope it served as a great way to evaluate the series and encouraged you to seek out those you’ve yet to see. If you haven’t already, definitely read all previous articles in the series. You can find them by clicking here.
Leave your thoughts in the comments below.