007 in Action: Ranking the Bond Films

The once-moribund franchise gets a fantastic reboot for the 21st Century. A smashing debut by Daniel Craig.

More espionage than action in this one, but that's a good thing... a Fleming thing. The fight to the death between Sean Connery and Robert Shaw in the Orient Express car is a series highlight.

Classic Bond. The Template.

An epic, satisfying conclusion to the "Craig-Bond Saga", offering snappy, gritty action. Loved the use of elements from John Barry's OHMSS score by composer Hans Zimmer.

Timothy Dalton is the 007 of Ian Fleming's original novels in this, Bond's final adventure of the Cold War. Great action and locations, with more emphasis on romance. Dalton was the "Craig-Bond" nearly 20 years before CASINO ROYALE.

Easily the most character-driven Bond film, action takes a back seat to the drama here. Craig is superb; Bardem's psychotic, sexually ambiguous villain is one of the series' strangest. Loved the reversal of a classic Bond trope during the climax... Instead of 007 assaulting the villain's secret fortress/lair, it's the bad guys who must storm Bond's hideout.

In the 1960s every guy wanted to be Sean Connery's James Bond. This film and GOLDFINGER are the reasons why. Should be watched via Blu-ray on the largest hi-def TV possible. Features the biggest frogman battle ever filmed, and possibly the hottest bevy of Bond Girls.

The "One-Shot" Bond. Aussie George Lazenby definitely has the action chops for the part but just seems awkward in some of the dialog scenes... Despite this, it's a pretty good performance for a novice actor in a lead role. Telly Savalas makes a great Blofeld, too, and Diana Rigg a superlative Bond Girl. Probably the best music score of the entire franchise, courtesy of maestro John Barry.

Best of the epic-scale "comic book" Bonds. Roger Moore's light comedy approach to 007 is just right for the material. Graced by some of the hottest Bond Girls ever.

In his debut, Pierce Brosnan easily holds his own. He might be a "stiff-assed Brit" some of the time, perhaps still not fully comfortable in the part, but he's able to play humor better than Dalton could and is certainly more believable in the action scenes than Moore. Famke Janssen is a sizzlin' hot villainess; Sean Bean's traitorous 006 a worthy opponent.

The "Die Hard" Bond. Dalton's 007 is pissed off and grimly determined, on a quest for revenge against a South American drug lord (Robert Davi, essaying one of the strongest main villains in years). Audiences accustomed to the campier Moore films were turned off by this darker entry — it's the most violent Bond pic — but it has since grown to be appreciated. Dalton should've gotten a third Bond film.

Craig's 4th turn at bat successfully pulls off a very tricky feat -- maintaining the grittier feel of 21st Century Bond while at the same time injecting a bit of Roger Moore-style humor. The pre-titles sequence in Mexico City is dynamite. And Blofeld is back!

The one that started it all. Yes, it's a very dated film, but Connery gets one of the most memorable introductions ("Bond... James Bond") in cinema history — not to mention Ursula Andress.

Chapter 1 of the Grandpa Bond Trilogy. A welcome return to earth for 007, nonetheless, after the outer space silliness of MOONRAKER. The aging Moore gives a good performance in this more serious espionage/action yarn; this should've been his last turn at bat. Unfortunately marred by goofy comic "bookend" sequences and a terrible score by Bill Conti (which already sounded dated when the film premiered). Sheena Easton's title song was a big radio hit but it's still schmaltzy pop poo.

The first direct sequel in the franchise's history. If you haven't seen CASINO ROYALE a lot of it won't make any sense or resonate in the slightest. The rooftop chase/scaffold battle is ruined by much too frantic editing. Otherwise this is a tight, lightning-paced action flick with an art-house sensibility. In terms of visuals this is one of the best looking of the Bonds. Love the quick, brutal car chase that opens the film.

Bond as brainless action flick... but it at least succeeds as such. Nearly wall-to-wall gunplay, vehicle chases and explosions, some of it quite thrilling, paper over a very thin plot — although the idea of a Rupert Murdoch-like media mogul becoming a criminal supervillain (willing to start a war for profits) is kind of intriguing.

Yes, the plot is ridiculous. Connery looks bored half the time. Donald Pleasence's Blofeld comes off like some sort of malevolent gnome. But the sets are absolutely incredible; Barry's lush score is one of the series' all-time best. And it's got ninjas.

Bond films just don't get any more "Seventies" than this. Moore's debut is a nearly plotless chase caper flavored with Blaxploitation elements, including a groovy, funkadelic score. The very young Jane Seymour is stunningly beautiful.

Christopher Lee's portrayal of Scaramanga, the title villain, totally makes this movie. He's the "dark side" of Bond, a sort of anti-007, with even cooler gadgets than Bond has! This guy isn't plotting to take over the world or destroy London; he just enjoys the good life... and killing people for fun and profit. Too bad the rest of the movie isn't as good as Lee is. (Although Brit Ekland and Maud Adams make for some delicious eye candy, it must be said.) The reappearance of Sheriff Pepper (from LIVE AND LET DIE) is especially stupid, one of the most boneheaded decisions of the entire franchise.

Bond in Vegas, baby! The serious tone of OHMSS is tossed out the window as Connery returns to go through the motions — and pick up a hefty check. The world-threatening Blofeld is reduced to a fey quipster (although he is pretty funny) who even appears in drag during one scene. Feels a lot like the Moore films that followed instead of the Connery pics that preceded it. Another nice John Barry score.

Tries to play things a bit more seriously while simultaneously undermining itself with fumbling attempts at Roger Moore-style humor. Some of the action scenes are curiously flat or feel like pure padding. And while she does, indeed, have a glorious posterior, Denise Richards is disastrously miscast as a nuclear physicist.

Chapter 3 of the Grandpa Bond Trilogy. The nearly 60-year old Roger Moore is totally unbelievable as an action hero in this flabby GOLDFINGER retread. The love scene between him and "amazon" Grace Jones is more horrifying than anything in CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. The Good Stuff: John Barry's score, a cackling, psychotic Christopher Walken and the thrilling old school combat atop the Golden Gate Bridge.

Chapter 2 of the Grandpa Bond Trilogy. Setting a 007 adventure in India is pretty cool (locations don't get more "exotic" than that) but Moore is really looking long-in-the-tooth here... His (obvious) stuntman gets almost as much screen time as he does. Louis Jourdan makes a fine villain, balancing Steven Berkoff's over the top scenery chewing as the power-mad Soviet general. Unfortunately things just get too campy and a tad convoluted.

What seemed like good, silly fun some four decades ago now just comes off as ludicrous cheese. Riddled with humongous plot holes, it alternately plays like a Dean Martin/Matt Helm movie (albeit one with vastly superior production values) and a Roadrunner cartoon. Bond in... space? Really?

The "Video Game" Bond... A bitter disappointment for the franchise's 40th anniversary. Poorest dialog of the entire series. Weak and/or silly villains. Halle Berry is absolutely gorgeous but just not a very good actress in this. The unnecessary Madonna cameo is positively cringeworthy. (My least-watched Bond.)

The "rogue" Bond film that needn't ever have been made, a pointless remake of THUNDERBALL. The action is flat and Connery looks like a wax mannequin of himself. Michel Legrande's score is dreadful.