The best James Bond movies have become part of cinema history and introduced a multitude of quotes into our everyday lives. Bond is one of the most iconic characters of all time (regardless of who happens to be playing him), but some of his adventures shake us a bit more than others. We’ve put together a list of our favorite James Bond movies, which will help you dive into the franchise’s extensive history before the next James Bond makes his debut.
Best James Bond movies as of 2025
James Bond creator Ian Fleming may have passed away, but his character has lived on, and there are 25 films to date. The quintessential spy has been a perennial favorite, and a 26th movie is in the works. However, Bond has come in a few different flavors. Depending on who portrays him, Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, or Craig, he can be whimsical, brooding, or aggressive. The argument over which Bond is best has been going on for decades, so we tried to give you a chance to pick a side with our choices for the best James Bond movies below.
Goldfinger (1964)
There may not be a James Bond movie or even a 007 theme song more well-remembered than Goldfinger. With Sean Connery as our star Bond, this film is dripping with karats of both semi-literal (thanks, art department!) and metaphorical gold. In this 1964 classic directed by Guy Hamilton, ultra-rich, über-baddie Auric Goldfinger is our villain, whose name aptly means “of gold.” Played by German actor Gert Fröbe, Auric Goldfinger plans to raid Fort Knox, blow up the gold reserves, make the dollar useless, and thereby completely destabilize the world economy. And in addition to taking aim at Fort Knox, Goldfinger also lasers in on Bond’s personal jewels in an iconic scene that’s both titillating and terrifying. Although we’re not playing with crypto in 1964, Goldfinger is well-timed for a modern rewatch.
Not only is this one of the best James Bond movies, but it might also be the gold standard of Bond films — pun fully intended. We also get the first appearance of the Aston Martin DB5 (ejector seat included), a 24-karat-covered corpse (later homaged by the oil-covered body of FBI Agent Fields in Quantum of Solace), Oddjob’s razor-rimmed hat, and, of course, Pussy Galore.
Dr. No (1962)
Dr. No is the film that launched the 60-plus-year saga and deified the deadly, debonair MI6 agent. Our first formal introduction to him takes place across from a beautiful woman at a card table, where he lights up a cigarette to Monty Norman’s swanky theme song.
“I admire your courage, Miss—”
“Trench. Sylvia Trench. And you are?”
“Bond. James Bond.”
And behold, we’re already cemented in silver screen history.
After a fellow British agent is murdered at a country club in Jamaica, MI6 sends James Bond (Sean Connery, of course) to investigate. The disappearance may be connected to the CIA, NASA, and a moon rocket. The already escalating sequence of events on arrival leads us to Crab Key island, where Bond discovers the lair of Dr. Julius No. Soon enough, we determine that our chaos agent, Dr. No, is a deranged scientist working with the organization SPECTRE, who wants to sabotage the U.S. Space program by disrupting a rocket launch. Starting with this film, it seems that everyone wants to start World War III.
Being the first Bond, this one is also the least Bond-like, as we’ve come to know it by today’s standards. Given that the movie was released in 1962, the film often feels more Hitchcockian than Bondian. The mid-century aesthetic is notable; there’s much more danger masquerading behind proper conversation, and we save the biggest explosions for the end. Though it’s a spy movie without the blockbuster bang, it’s chock-full of charm.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
The Spy Who Loved Me, directed by Lewis Gilbert with a screenplay by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum, marks the third and arguably best appearance of Roger Moore as 007. In this gloriously 1970s Bond movie, the stakes escalate to complete Cold War chaos when British and Soviet submarines start mysteriously disappearing. MI6 sends their best to investigate, pulling James away from the arms of a blonde-bobbed beauty in a cozy cabin by the fire. Duty calls, unfortunately. But off we go, through the first chase scene. Down the slopes, pursued by some very determined, very sinister skiers, and then straight off a cliff as Bond’s Union Jack parachute unfurls. It’s spectacular.
Alongside MI6, the KGB sends Agent XXX, a brilliant Soviet spy named Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach). She and Bond are forced to team up, despite Bond having killed her lover, one of those aforementioned sinister skiers. Their investigation leads them to shipping magnate Karl Stromberg (played by Curd Jürgens), a megalomaniac with a fascination for the sea and a plan to initiate a nuclear war that would wipe out humanity on land, giving him the ability to establish a new underwater civilization. Along the way, Bond also faces off with Jaws (Richard Kiel), the steel-toothed goliath who would go on to become a fan favorite.
I’ll just come right out and say it — The Spy Who Loved Me is a bizarre watch. From the Scooby-Doo-reminiscent soundtrack to the fish-man villain obsessed with life under the sea, it’s all strange in the best way. This is the goofy Roger Moore era, just before things get too silly. And that fine line between ’70s trippy and spy-thriller cool is precisely what makes this one of the best James Bond movies.
Goldeneye (1995)
Pierce Brosnan‘s debut as 007 didn’t just give us a new Bond; it also marked a complete reboot after a six-year hiatus and the end of the Cold War. Goldeneye was also one of the first times we could really feel the weight of a backstory, as well as the consequences that come with a career of killing on command. Those martinis and women are less about charm and more about the guilt.
In Goldeneye, Bond is played brilliantly by Brosnan, who possesses the charm of Sean Connery, the humor of Roger Moore, and the grit of the yet-to-come Daniel Craig. This time, he faces a villain in the form of a fellow ex-MI6 colleague still bitter over a failed Russian mission from nine years earlier. It was assumed that 006, Alec Trevelyan (played by Sean Bean), was killed in action. But now he’s back, and he’s not only a physical match, he’s a psychological one. He calls Bond out on everything: his flaws, his facade, even the witty comebacks.
“Did you ever ask why? Why we toppled all those dictators, undermined all those regimes, only to come home to, ‘Well done, good job, but sorry, old boy, everything you risked your life and limb for has changed’?”
“It was the job we were chosen for.”
“Of course you’d say that. James Bond. Her Majesty’s loyal terrier. Defender of the so-called faith.”
Alongside our main villain, who has every intention of destroying the world, we get a new M in the indomitable Judi Dench, a ruthless femme fatale of a killer with legs of steel in Xenia Onatopp (played by Famke Janssen), and a sharp, capable Bond girl in Russian programmer Natalia Simonova (Izabella Scorupco).
Casino Royale (2006)
When Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond, people actually threatened to boycott the film. He wasn’t so clean-cut; he was a little too rough around the edges. He looked more blue-collar than someone who could afford to wear a $40,000 suit. In a clever parking lot scene, Craig’s Bond is mistaken for a valet. Intentional or not, the scene plays to the metatheatricality of many anti-Craig threads in fan forums, while also providing the reasoning exactly why Craig is the perfect 007. We get to watch this Bond quickly turn the moment to his advantage, making any misstep the next win using charm, wit, and stone-cold grit. Craig’s performance is so outstanding that he earned a BAFTA nomination for the role — the only actor in the James Bond franchise to do so.
What we get is a Bond who thrives on resourcefulness and quick thinking, leading us to one of the best poker games ever put on screen. Plus, a fantastic near-death scene between hands. The first film in Craig’s run introduced us to a Bond who is hyper-intelligent and ruthless, hardened by experience, yet surprisingly tender beneath all that armor.
But it’s not all bluffs and bullets. What also makes the movie one of the best James Bond movies are the sweetly vulnerable moments with the tragic love interest, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). On the other side of that, we get a genuinely savage villain in Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre, a terrorist financier with a bleeding eye. I’d put this one at the top of any best James Bond movie list for the perfect amount of thrill, fights, romance, car chases, parkour sequences, explosions, stunning locations, cinematography, acting, and directing. Casino Royale is a 10/10 for this writer.
How we chose the best James Bond movies
Choosing the best James Bond movies is not an easy task. I could rearrange this list and switch some items out on any particular day if I felt like it. As an avid Bond fan who grew up with the movies and spent every New Year’s Day glued to the marathon, I’m not too critical of any 007 film. So even the ones that weren’t entirely up to snuff, I still enjoy.
So, of course, like every Bond ranking you’ll find on the internet, this list is entirely subjective. However, we selected our favorites based on Bond characterization, era-defining impact, overall film quality, and which movies had just the right mix of the quintessential Bond elements.
Okay, fine. We’ll give them all a rewatch. Martini, anyone?
