No secret service could estimate the number of James Bond fans around the world. However, there’s a hint: a poll from 2012 in the US showed that 60% of respondents declared themselves as 007 fans. Ian Fleming wrote only 14 adventures for the legendary MI6 agent, but his legacy lives on. The latest release, No Time To Die, came out in 2021, becoming the 27th title of the franchise to hit the big screen.
James Bond was born in a Cold War world, a world that no longer exists. Still, the most loved agent in the history of cinema rolled with the times, updating his enemies and discourse. Here are the Top 7 James Bond movies ever.
Goldfinger – Year: 1964
Sean Connery (arguably the most iconic 007 ever) is after a gold magnate with the suggestive name of Auric Goldfinger. Goldfinger is suspected of planning an atomic attack on Fort Knox to contaminate its gold reserve, with devastating global consequences. Now, it’s up to 007 to stop him while dealing with an army of henchmen with the most creative (and deadly) gadgets.
As one would expect from a 007 movie from Cold War times, there are communists involved. Goldfinger plots with the Chinese physicist Dr Ling to build the dirty bomb for the Fort Know attack. James Bond manages to save the day, though it was a really close call (surprise, surprise).
Casino Royale – Year: 2006
It’s hard to imagine a James Bond movie without a casino game. Truth be told, only slots like Mystery Joker seem to be missing from his gaming habits; poker, baccarat, blackjack, roulette, it’s all there. Dr No may be the first Ian Fleming novel to be made into a movie, but the story actually begins with Casino Royale, written in 1953.
Here, a young James Bond fresh out of the academy departs for his first mission with a license to kill. The target is a man called Le Chiffre, who’s about to make a fortune in a rigged poker game in a casino in Montenegro. The first Hollywood version came out in 1967. However, the title was brilliantly revisited in 2006, with Daniel Craig as the main character. It’s also Craig’s first time as the legendary spy.
From Russia With Love – Year: 1963
From Russia With Love is actually a sequel to Dr No, which came out the year before. Unlike most sequels, this one surpassed its first episode by a mile. The movie came out soon after the Missile Crisis in Cuba, and the political connotations are impossible to ignore, even though the mastermind behind the Russians’ plans is a chess player, not a communist official.
It could be the global moment that made this film so memorable. Nevertheless, some critics claim this level of teeth-grinding danger and adrenaline would only be recovered in Daniel Craig’s era. Over 60 years later, it remains one of the franchise’s most important titles and an unforgettable performance by Sean Connery.
Dr. No – Year: 1962
Dr No is the first title of one of the longest franchises in Hollywood history. In his first-ever adventure on the big screen, 007 is sent to Jamaica to investigate the assassination of one of his colleagues, Agent Strangeways. He’s also requested an investigation into the interference that is throwing US space rockets off course.
Once in the Caribbean island, 007’s investigation led him to Crab Key, a mysterious island far away from the mainland, where fishermen have reportedly disappeared. It shouldn’t count as a spoiler at this point to say that’s Dr No’s island, from which the strange interference emanates. Dr No is part of a global organisation called SPECTRE, against which Mr Bond will repeatedly fight over the next episodes.
Skyfall – Year: 2012
Skyfall is one of the main titles of Daniel Craig’s tenure as the famed British agent. This adventure starts with a mission gone wrong, exposing the identity of not only 007 but all other secret agents. Then, a former agent named Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) resurfaces to take revenge on M.
The bold revenge attempt includes the bombing of MI6 headquarters. That’s when Bond decides to take M to his childhood home (Skyfall, in Scotland) in a failed attempt to protect her. Silva ultimately kills M, though 007 kills him in the end, just like in any good James Bond movie. The plot strongly appeals to themes such as long-standing loyalty and how espionage has changed since the hero’s early days.
Thunderball – Year: 1965
There’s another atomic threat impending in Thunderball, where Sean Connery saves the day once again, to nobody’s surprise. The plot takes 007 to the Bahamas to recover two atomic warheads stolen from NATO by SPECTRE. The organisation demands a ransom of GBP 100 million in diamonds to return the warheads, threatening to detonate them over American cities otherwise.
James Bond counts on the help of the CIA agent, Felix Leiter, who had also helped him out with Dr No. As usual, there are a lot of crazy gadgets and unreal fighting scenes, like 007 engages in an underwater battle against a yacht. Thunderball is the fourth movie in the franchise for those planning to watch them in chronological order.
The Spy Who Loved Me – Year: 1977
Arguably, The Spy Who Loved Me is one of the most fantastic adventures in the agent’s career. It has nuclear warheads (of course), a city under the sea named Atlantis, and a wildly megalomaniac villain, Karl Stromberg, who wants to build a new civilisation underwater. As if it all wasn’t enough, 007 also has to face one of his weirdest enemies, Jaws, a steel-toothed henchman with nearly otherworldly powers.
Additionally, there’s an unlikely alliance between Bond and a KGB agent, Anya Amasova, to recover the warheads stolen by Stromberg. As the mission unfolds, Bond and Amasova fall deeply in love, mostly to their suffering. The Spy Who Loved Me is the third title of Roger Moore’s tenure, and an excellent option for those who appreciate the fantastic side of James Bond stories.