The Best of Bond, James Bond – Sixty years of martinis, Machiavellian villains and masterful action. All titles are available to stream, rent or buy.
The name’s Bond… James Bond. For over sixty years, that name has stood for action, espionage, adventure, fast cars, arch villains, vodka martinis and sex appeal, as Ian Fleming’s British spy took the silver screen by storm.
Fleming wrote only fourteen original James Bond books before he died in 1964, so his creation has had to adapt and change on screen over six action-packed decades. It’s also true that times have changed, and Bond too has moved with those times, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse, but always to ensure James Bond survived changing cinematic tastes. Not all Bond outings have worked, and not all of the actors who have played the famous spy have earned the same levels of adoration. So join me as I explore my top films from the past sixty years, and where better to start than the cinematic beginning of it all in 1962, Dr No.
Daring, bold, sexy and violent, Dr No gave birth to a cinematic icon and a voice to Fleming’s complex super spy. Many would argue Sean Connery’s inspired casting cemented Bond’s place in cinematic history, but Dr No isn’t just about Connery; every part of this movie is designed to perfection. From Cubby Broccoli’s vision to Terrance Young’s direction, Monty Norman’s score, and Ted Moore’s visual landscape, Dr No is a movie unlike anything seen or heard before. While it may feel dated now, the first Bond outing on the big screen still packs a mighty punch and remains a masterclass in filmmaking. And when you add Connery’s gritty yet suave performance, the magic was born in Dr No, and the ingredients were set for sixty years of filmmaking.
Of course, a movie franchise lives or dies based on its second outing, and that brings me to the outstanding follow-up, From Russia with Love. Not only did Terrance Young’s sequel carry the future of Bond on its shoulders, but it also carried the expectations of an audience keen for a bigger, better, and more spectacular outing. Thankfully, From Russia with Love was not about to disappoint; in fact, Dr No is a mere tasty starter by comparison. This is Connery at his best: a gritty, dark Bond outing that redefined the action film with fight scenes in tight places, a woman with deadly spiked shoes, and the arrival of Spectre.
Even the best film franchises often dip with their third outing, but Bond bucked that trend. By the time 007 reached his third screen outing, many of the ingredients that made the James Bond franchise tick were already in place; however, Goldfinger would cement them, making it one of the most fun, creative, and engaging films in the series. Goldfinger is the movie where the Bond franchise was born, and it set the template in stone for everything to come, from Bond’s Aston Martin to the big opening song and the Machiavellian villain. Interestingly, the dip came with the fourth film, Thunderball.
Many of you reading this will be amazed that Thunderball isnt one of my recommendations; after all, it’s a kaleidoscope of everything that makes Bond brilliant, from high-octane action to sun-drenched beaches and scuba gear. There is, however, a but. Thunderball’s pacing is woeful, its reliance on gadgets is lazy, and its story takes too long to kick in. Similar problems haunted the fifth entry, You Only Live Twice, where relationships frayed, and on-location filming became a nightmare for everyone involved. Roald Dahl felt it was the worst of Ian Fleming’s Bond books to adapt, and Connery wanted out, leading me to my next recommendation, and possibly the best Bond film of the early years, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
By the late 1960s, Connery’s love of Bond had turned sour, as had his relationship with the production team. As Connery announced his departure, Bond faced its biggest challenge yet: recasting the spy for a new generation. But were audiences ready to move on from Connery?
George Lazenby may have been a surprise casting choice, but he made Bond his own in one of the best Bond films ever. However, Lazenby faced backlash in 1969, and his movie was unfairly criticised for years after its release because he walked away from the role. Thankfully, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service has since earned its rightful place as one of the best 007 movies; from its style to its action sequences and sublime score, this is Bond at his best.
With Lazenby gone, Broccoli turned back to Connery, which was ultimately a mistake, before casting Roger Moore to take Bond into the 1970’s. Moore was a very different actor from either Connery or Lazenby, and despite how long he held the James Bond crown, his tenure tends to be polarising among fans. But that doesnt mean he didn’t offer us some memorable Bond outings, and some of the biggest box office figures from the past sixty years. I will focus on three of Moore’s outings, one of which may surprise many of you.
Roger Moore’s Bond debut has never received the praise it deserved; after all, following Connery’s costly return in Diamonds Are Forever, it was clear that Bond desperately needed a new sense of direction as the 70s came into view. While it may not be perfect, Live and Let Die pushes the reset button, as Moore reinvents the character for a new generation.
Live and Let Die would embrace the Blaxploitation movement in 70s cinema, adopting a far more American tone that ultimately divided audiences and critics. But it’s Moore’s sophisticated, humorous and sharply dressed 007 who transforms the movie into something unique as James Bond steps out of the 1960s and into the 1970s. But his magnum opus would come in 1977 with The Spy Who Loved Me. This 1977 Bond outing promised audiences an unparalleled action epic, and my god, did it deliver. One word summarises this mash-up of Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice. Fun! The Spy Who Loved Me was Bond off the leash in an action-packed rollercoaster ride that is addictive viewing. From a Lotus that turns into a submarine to a henchman who rivals Oddjob, The Spy Who Loved Me is Moore at his best, and it’s a wonder to behold.
My final Moore recommendation will raise a few eyebrows. By 1983, Moore was clearly tired as Octopussy (based on a short story) went into production. Yet, despite the franchise falling into a series of gags, lazy clichés, and even lazier stunts, Octopussy was extremely fun, fast-paced, and a rather enjoyable guilty pleasure. It really should have been Moore’s swansong before Broccoli firmly pressed the reset button.
By the time Moore bowed out in A View to a Kill, Bond desperately needed a makeover. Many argued that the films had become parodies, and others felt that James Bond was firmly stuck in the 1970s. We all needed a return to the gritty, action-packed spy drama, and that’s exactly what Timothy Dalton offered in The Living Daylights.
Dalton stripped Bond’s character back to its literary roots. However, was the audience ready for a more serious Bond? Unfortunately, despite critical praise, audiences didn’t warm to Dalton straight away because of the shift in tone from Moore. Additionally, legal wrangling over the rights to Bond meant they never had time to fully embrace the new 007 before the franchise went into a lengthy hiatus. Now viewed as one of the most underrated Bond outings, The Living Daylights is a sharp, action-packed spy thriller that deserves far more praise.
While The Living Daylights tentatively allowed Bond to explore new ground, it also firmly rooted itself in Bond’s classical past. But Dalton’s second outing, Licence to Kill, would shed that past with glee, letting Timothy Dalton reinvent 007 by fully embracing Fleming’s character. Licence to Kill tore up the Bond rulebook we all knew and offered us something delightfully different. In his second outing, Dalton fully embraced Fleming’s literary Bond while modernising the core elements that made Bond tick, and the result was nothing short of transformative in 007 history.
We will never know where Dalton would have taken Bond next, as legal battles kept the famous spy out of action for years, but one thing is sure: License to Kill is one of the best Bond outings and the template for much of the Craig era to come.
By the time Bond returned from hiatus, the world had changed, and Dalton had sadly decided to pass the torch on. The Cold War was over, and many of the sexist attitudes in Bond’s earlier outings felt deeply problematic, leaving the Bond production team scratching their heads for the right direction.
The solution was to return to a Moore-inspired action adventure with Pierce Brosnan, who had been offered the role before Dalton. GoldenEye attempts to press the reset button; however, it also returns to a more tongue-in-cheek style that forgoes the transformation led by Dalton, a mistake that wouldn’t be rectified until Daniel Craig took the reins. GoldenEye is the only Brosnan movie in this article, but that’s no reflection on Brosnan, who brought gravitas and energy to the role just when it was needed. It’s a pity the writing was so weak after GoldenEye, as Bond once again opted for one-liners and slightly ridiculous gadgets to pull in audiences.
When Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond in 2005, many Bond fans mistakenly staged a revolt. But Craig was about to prove them all wrong in a big way. Casino Royale is far more than a significant reset of James Bond on screen; it’s a love letter to Ian Fleming’s character and the first novel to carry his name. Daniel Craig’s Bond completes the metamorphosis Dalton began by stripping him back to his literary roots. However, Craig also takes this opportunity to modernise. As a result, we are offered a 21st-century Bond that pays homage to Fleming’s creation.
As a first outing, Casino Royale is as close to perfection as possible; it’s audacious, stunning, and full of heart-pounding action, but it’s also classically constructed. Casino Royale is new and old, a reinvention and celebration that understands Bond’s important place in cinematic history. And for anyone who thought Casino Royale was a ‘one-off’ success, Craig and Co. were about to prove them wrong.
Skyfall marked the 50th Anniversary of Bond onscreen and is undoubtedly one of the best movies of the modern era. Following the slightly lacklustre Quantum of Solace, this is the movie where Craig hits his stride as a world-weary agent who sleeps with one eye open.
In its golden jubilee year, Sam Mendes took the directorial reins and offered a far more introspective exploration of 007’s character. Skyfall has so much to love that it’s not easy to know where to start, so let’s say this: Mendes, Craig, Fiennes, Whishaw and Dench are a match made in heaven, and when you add Roger Deakin’s cinematography and Thomas Newman’s score, Skyfall becomes something extraordinary in the history of Bond on screen. And that brings me to my final (for now, at least) recommendation.
The Bond franchise is full of hellos and goodbyes, but Daniel Craig’s final outing as Bond felt different to all those before him; after all, this was the man who reinvented Bond for the modern era, defied the critics and brought the character back to life; therefore, saying goodbye was never going to be easy. Little did we know that this would be a Bond exit like no other!
An emotional rollercoaster that would leave us feeling numb, No Time to Die has much in common with Lazenby’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and the result is an emotional powerhouse that bravely and boldly does the unthinkable. I never thought I would leave a Bond movie in stunned silence until No Time to Die; the question now is, where next?
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