TheJames Bondfranchise may have had its roots in the more grounded spy novels from Ian Fleming, but many ofthe best entries within the serieshave succeeded by being widely over-the-top. There is certainly room for the grounded, serious approach to the material that made films likeCasino Royale, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,andThe Living Daylightsso compelling, but that doesn’t mean that their style is one that the rest of the series is required to conform to.
The Bond franchise is quite diverse, and evensome of the more convoluted adventureshave a place within its history. Given that the franchise itself has existed for over six decades, there is certainly room for more than one interpretation of what an action-packed Bond adventure should look like. Here are ten James Bond movies that are deleriously entertaining.
10‘Spectre’ (2015)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Spectrewas saddled with a lot of responsibilities, as the previous filmSkyfallhad essentially reset theDaniel Craigera of the franchise so that it felt like a more classical version of the character. Although Craig’s inherent charisma had always drawn comparisons between him andSean Connery,Spectregoes forward with a very silly conspiracy storyline that would have felt more appropriate in aRoger Moorefilm.
Between a secret underground lair, afrantic fight on “The Day of the Dead,”and a shocking reveal about Bond’s lineage,Spectremakes no apologies for just being silly. Perhaps the biggest revelation of the film is the greatChristoph Waltzin the role of the classic Bond villain Blofeld, who properly the evil organization known as “SPECTRE” into this iteration of the series in order to tie everything full circle on the past.
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9‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997)
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Tomorrow Never Diesembraced theabsurdity of action cinema in the 1990sby givingPierce Brosnan’s version of 007 some of his strongest supporting characters ever. While generally the “Bond girls” that appeared in previous films were not very well developed, future Academy Award winnerMichelle Yeohdelivered a terrific performance as a Chinese spy who teams up with 007 to prevent their two nations from falling into conflict with one another.
The most campy aspect ofTomorrow Never Diesis the performance by Jonathan Pryce, who appears as the maniacal news mogul Elliot Carver,who uses his influence to start political feuds that he can end up covering on his various broadcast stations. While Carver was clearly created to satirize far-right media pundits, his interpretation of the character feels much more plausible in 2024 given the current media climate.
Tomorrow Never Dies
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8‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999)
Directed by Michael Apted
The World Is Not Enoughis one of the more unique entries in the Bond series,as it strives to balance some darker themes with some of the greatest camp within the franchise. On a narrative level,The World Is Not Enoughtells a more grounded story about a ruthless oil baroness (Sophie Marceau) on apersonal mission to exact revengeon M (Judi Dench), who serves as the head of MI6.
However,The World Is Not Enoughalso has one of the saga’s strangest romantic subplotsinvolving the dynamic between Bond and Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards). Although the line “Christmas only comes once a year” has not exactly aged very well, the chemistry between Brosnan and Richards is so unexpectedly charming that it becomes far easier to overlook some of the more problematic aspects that haven’t aged as well.
The World is Not Enough
7‘You Only Live Twice’ (1967)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
You Only Live Twiceserved as a climactic point within Connery’s run as 007, as for a brief moment it appeared that it would be the last time that he would ever be portraying the character. Connery’s Bond certainly gets the epic sendoff he deserved, as the film takes the character on an adventure to Japan where he is tasked with leading an attack on the headquarters of SPECTRE.
While some of the interpretation of Japanese culture has sadly not aged very well,the increased stakes led to some of the greatest action in the entire franchise, as it showed that Bond had leadership skills that he wasn’t always able to utilize during his solo missions. That being said, the complete absurdity of the film may have inadvertently served asthe basis of inspiration for spoof franchiseslikeAustin PowersandKingsman.
You Only Live Twice
6‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971)
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Diamonds Are Foreveroffered a surprise return for Connery, as he had previously left the series so thatGeorge Lazenbycould appear as Bond inOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service.On Her Majesty’s Secret Serviceis generally regarded as being one of the best installments in the series, but audiences were a little skeptical about the darker, more artistic flair of the film.
Getting Connery to return to the Bond franchise made for a “back to basics” approach,asDiamonds Are Forevertook the camp up to a new level, with more than enough quirky villains to spare. While it marked a rather disappointing conclusion to Connery’s run at EON (as he would later appear in the non-official filmNever Say Never Again), a terrific sequence involving a lunar rover marks one of the most clever, self-aware gags in the entire franchise.
Diamonds Are Forever
James Bond infiltrates a diamond smuggling ring, uncovering a plot by his arch-nemesis Blofeld to build a space-based laser weapon. From Amsterdam to Las Vegas, Bond faces off against Blofeld’s henchmen and foils the plan, ensuring the diamonds return to their rightful owners.
5‘Casino Royale’ (1967)
Directed by Joseph McGrath, Robert Parrish, John Huston, Ken Hughes, and Val Guest
Casino Royalewas the first of two non-official Bond filmsproduced by Warner Brothers due to a lapse in the contract for Fleming’s books. WhileCasino Royaleserved as the first installment of Fleming’s series of novels, and was eventuallyturned into a more violent reboot in 2006from directorMartin Campbell,the 1967 version of the film was an outright parody that featured various actors cast as Bond.
Casino Royaleis packed with niche references to the history of the Bond franchise, and may have created the “spoof” genre that would become so popular in the following decade withThe Naked Gun, Airplane!,andTop Secret!Although some purists might disregard the film entirely because it does not fit within the continuity of the series, any Bond film that featuresDavid Nivenin the role of 007 is worth watching at least once.
Casino Royale
4‘Die Another Day’ (2002)
Directed by Lee Tamahori
Die Another Daymarked the conclusion to Brosnan’s run as Bond, and it’s actually a shame that he wasn’t given more opportunities to appear as the character. Brosnan was often let down by the writing of the series, andDie Another Dayis no exception; the film involves Bond surfing on to the coast of North Korea, and later includes such ridiculous gadgets like an invisible car and a powerful laser that felt likethey were taken out of a science fiction film.
The saving grace ofDie Another Dayis Halle Berry, who appears as Bond’s new partner Jinx. Jinx was one of the few female characters who was able to hold her own against Bond, and became so popular on her own that the Broccoli family briefly considered developing a spinoff series in which Berry could take center stage.
Die Another Day
James Bond is sent to investigate the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul, who is funding the development of an international space weapon.
3‘Octopussy’ (1983)
Directed by John Glen
Octopussyis mocked relentlessly because of its title, but it’s a far more entertaining film than its more toxic reputation might suggest. It would be silly to try to compare Moore as an action star to someone more intensive like Craig orTimothy Dalton, butas a force of comedic nature,he clearly knew what he was doing.
Octopussyallowed Moore to take center stage in a film that really embraced the espionage aspects of spycraft, as Bond even disguises himself as a clown at one point to infiltrate a circus. Despite the attempts at little bit more broad comedy,Octopussycertainly does not skimp on action, as an opening sequence involving Bond escaping with a plane is enough to induce a strong sense of vertigo from any audience member who has even the slightest of skepticisms about flying.
A jewel-encrusted Fabergé egg surfaces at a London auction, catching the attention of MI6. James Bond is dispatched to investigate its origins, leading him to the mysterious and opulent world of exiled Afghan prince, Kamal Khan, and his accomplice, the enigmatic and resourceful circus leader, Octopussy.
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2‘A View to a Kill’ (1985)
A View to a Killmarked the conclusion of Moore’s tenure as Bond, as at 57 it was evident that he was far too old to play the character. The good thing is that Bond isn’t even the most entertaining aspect of the film; much ofA View To A Killis stolen byChristopher Walken, who appears as the eccentric criminal mastermind Max Zorin, who wants to reign devastation upon the United States from the comfort of his blimp.
Walken appears to be having the time of his life chewing the scenery,as Zorin uses all sorts of off-color jokes when ejecting his own minions. While it may not be the best introduction for new Bond films to watch if they are discovering the series for the first time,A View To A Killis more than worthy of reconsideration as one of the saga’s greatest guilty pleasures.
A View to a Kill
1‘Moonraker’ (1979)
Moonrakeris one of the more blatant examples of business moves in the entire Bond franchise, as it was clear that EON wanted to capitalize on the blockbuster success ofStar Warsin 1977 by creating a film in which Bond could go to space. Although the original novel that it is based on is actually one of the more grounded,seriously-minded Cold War thrillersof the series, the film sent Bond on a mission to the stars to stop an eccentric fascist from trying to exterminate a significant portion of the world.
The fact that the visual effects inMoonrakerhave not aged well somehow make it more charming,as it is clearly rushed out to make a quick release date. When looking at the many cheap sci-fi films made in the aftermath ofStar Wars, there’s certainly a lot worse out there thanMoonraker.
