%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
23. Octopussy (1983)
Roger Moore jumps the cephalopod in this low point of the Bond franchise. Maybe he thought he was shooting Cannonball Run 2? On the way to defusing nuclear armageddon, 007 mugs in a gorilla costume, kicks a cop in the crotch, Tarzan-yells while swinging on a vine, and capers in clown makeup.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
22. A View to a Kill (1985)
Poor Roger Moore. In his seventh and final outing, he battles a convoluted narrative in which Christopher Walken acts crazy and plots to destroy Silicon Valley by microchip. The Duran Duran theme song ain't half bad, though.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
21. Moonraker (1979)
It's the summer of '79, and what's hot? Luke Spacewalker, that's what! And the space shuttlebus! And those disco sparkleballs! Get Bond into outer space, ASAP! And slap a disco song over the end titles. It's time to moonrake box-office gold!
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
20. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist: Suspension of disbelief, UNSUSPEND! Pierce Brosnan's a credible Bond, despite the poofy hairdo, but he's undermined by a weak script and weaker villain. Boring. James Boring.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
19. Die Another Day (2002)
Pierce Brosnan's fourth and final film as 007 starts strong, with a novel title sequence depicting Bond's torture at the hands of North Koreans (and Madonna's vocals). But the goofy gadgets start to pile up, and not even Halle Berry can save the day.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
18. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Even Sean Connery made a bad Bond film or two. After his retirement from the franchise for exactly one film, the producers lured him back with a then-record $1.25 million paycheck, and he's happy to phone it in.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
17. Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Any movie with Christopher Lee as the villain can't be all bad. Roger Moore's second effort as 007 continues the '70s-era Bond films' theme of desperate pop-trend exploitation (see Moonraker, above, and Live and Let Die, below). This time it's the energy crisis and Kung Fu movies.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
16. Quantum of Solace (2008)
A letdown after the stellar Casino Royale introduced Daniel Craig as a leaner, meaner Bond. Too much shaky cam give it the feel of a Bourne knockoff. No interesting villains and lovely but personality-deficient Bond girls seal the sour deal.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
15. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Pierce Brosnan's second time in the tux is a mixed bag. The good: Brosnan's restrained Bond (light on the Remington Steel mugging) and Michelle Yeoh's high-kicking Chinese spy. The bad: They didn't let Yeoh do her own stunts. And Teri Hatcher.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
14. You Only Live Twice (1967)
Connery's penultimate outing as 007 is epic in scope, though sometimes convoluted and cringe-worthy, featuring spacecraft-swallowing spacecraft and a ninja assault on an island volcano base. Mitigating retro-coolness: Title song by Nancy Sinatra, and screenplay by Roald "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Dahl.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
13. Live and Let Die (1973)
So over-the-top in its ham-fisted exploitation of '70s pop culture trends (here it's blacksploitation films), you can't not embrace the cheese. Roger Moore, in his first mission as 007, is a bit reserved, perhaps unsure what kind of movie he's signed onto. Also introduces Sheriff J.W. Pepper, the Jar-Jar Binks of the Bond franchise.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
12. Licence to Kill (1989)
Let's try something new: A harder, more violent revenge fantasy. Timothy Dalton, back for his second and final outing as an exceptionally dour Bond, loses his "licence" (British spelling, please) to kill and goes rogue, hunting down the rapist and murderer of his CIA pal Felix Leiter's wife. Not exactly happy lasers in space.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
11. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Roger Moore's fifth turn as 007 loses the gadgets (but not the puns) in favor of action stunt work, mostly in the snow. The plot is restrained and semi-plausible (by Bond standards): a race to recover a sunken missile defense controller. And that's its problem: It lacks that epic Bondian scope.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
10. GoldenEye (1995)
Pierce Brosnan dons the Omega Seamaster Quartz Professional watch and steps into the BMW Z3 roadster as the new, product-placement-friendly Bond. He brings back the charm that Dalton's grim Bond put into escrow for two films, but the real innovation is the introduction of Judi Dench as M, Bond's MI6 boss.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
9. The Living Daylights (1987)
Placeholder Bond Timothy Dalton debuts as the most earnest 007 ever. And after the bloated camp of late-Roger Moore era, Dalton's straight-ahead Bond is just what the franchise needs (although he looks mighty uncomfortable in the tux).
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
8. Thunderball (1965)
Sean Connery hits his stride as Bond in the fourth of the series, one-quarter of which takes place underwater. All of the classic Bond series elements are in place: tech gadgets, evil organization SPECTRE precipitating a global crisis, exotic locales. What's not to like?
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
7. Dr. No (1962)
The first film in the series is a solid spy adventure, and sets up Sean Connery as a Bond with a streak of mischief. Dr. No also introduces the iconic gun-barrel opening, as well as the tradition of the ridiculously named Bond Girl, Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder paving the way for Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, and Holly Goodhead.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
6. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
The best of the Roger Moore-era films reconfigures the best of the Bond traditions into an eye-popping spectacle that fires on all cylinders. The special effects are spectacular, particularly the submersible Lotus Esprit, and Barbara Bach is a sexy and smart Bond Girl. Features the best henchman since Goldfinger's Oddjob: "Jaws," a human giant with metal teeth.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
5. From Russia with Love (1963)
The second film in the series is another semi-realistic spy thriller with none of the improbable gadgetry of future entries. Introduces a number of Bond traditions, including multiple locations (Istanbul, Venice, and Switzerland), a lush John Barry score, and an interesting villain.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
4. Goldfinger (1964)
The third 007 film is the prototypical Bond: Outlandish gadgetry? Check. Ambitious villain with megalomaniacal plot? Check. Aston Martin? An opening action scene unrelated to the main story line? Oddball henchman? Check, check and check. All future Bond films would follow the formula set out in Goldfinger, usually with lesser results.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Sticking closely to the plot of the Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it's more realistic and character-centric than most 007 epics. The problem is George Lazenby, a then-unknown Australian actor. Perhaps someday, they'll CG Sean Connery's face over Lazenby, and we'll get the perfect Bond flick.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
2. Casino Royale (2006)
Daniel Craig's 007 takes the franchise back to its roots, resetting the timeline and finally giving Bond an origin story. He's ruthless and calculating, and far from perfect. Everything else about Casino Royale is on the money, too: Strong script, excellent acting and phenomenal stunts.
%20from%2023%20Best%20(and%20Worst)%20James%20Bond%20Movies%20on%20E!%20Online)
1. Skyfall (2012)
Daniel Craig's third outing as 007 bounces back from Quantum of Solace in a big way. The lush photography, grounded script and soulful Bond all elevate the spy caper to operatic heights. Villain Silva (Oscar-worthy Javier Bardem) aims to break down the world-weary Bond and his "mother" M (Judi Dench). Revenge solves everything. Even the problem of a 50-year-old franchise.