007: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) James Bond Movies (According To Metacritic) – Screen Rant

Suave secret agent James Bond has been a silver-screen star for decades, but, for every great movie he's featured in, there's been an equally-bad dud.

With over fifty years and twenty-four official movies, James Bond has had a truly fascinating history when it comes to his franchise on the big screen. Being portrayed by six different actors with an expansive amount of directors, James Bond films have gone through many different styles and qualities, as well.

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Bond films have become a staple for movie-goers, if the 007 logo appears onor in some cases withina title, audiences are going to fill seats, much like they would were the subjectBatman or Star Wars. So, what is considered the best of Bond's adventures, and which are worthy of an overly-complicated death trap?

We're starting off with the cinematic debut of Roger Moore's incarnation of 007, which also began what many consider to be the campiest era of Bond films. Though not awful, Live And Let Die was not the best starter film for Moore, as the plot was considered too bizarre with all the voodoo and black magic stuff. It also featured one of the worst special effects for the villain's death.

However, Moore himself delivered as James Bond, Yaphet Kotto was a great villain, and it had some fun action scenes for Bond fans to enjoy, making for a mixed bag of film for this Bond era.

How fitting that the first of the best also happens to be the first James Bond movie ever made, which saw the debut of legendary actor Sean Connery in the role. Casinos, car chases, one-liners, diabolical villains, and a darker, more mature version of James Bond made for a great start for the series.

Despite some dodgy editing choices and story elements that would be improved upon in sequels, Dr. No still is and always will be a must-watch for any newcomers and long-time fans of the series.

Another mixed bag for Roger Moore, this movie goes all out with more fantastical elements than most Bond movies: cars that turn into submersibles, giant villain lairs that rise from the ocean, henchmen with metal teeth, a villain's scheme that makes little to no sense, and tons of logic thrown out the window.

However, some of these elements are what lead to this being a more divisive film that people seem to love or hate. Roger Moore once again is a delight, probably at his best here, the scenes featuring the new Bond car are loads of fun, and it is a visually stunning movie to watch.

It was a bold decision to set aside every Bond movie prior and reboot the franchise with a new timeline featuring a very different actor than those prior. A bold decision that paid off, asCasino Royale was a smash hit that gave a perfect origin story to everyone's favorite British super spy.

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Daniel Craig fills the shoes of Bond both emotionally and physically as he performs some dangerous stunts that are mind-blowing, and the movie is so well-directed that, even when it focuses mainly on a card game, it is still an intense ride. Mads Mikkelsen is a great Bond villain, and Eva Green's Vesper is without a doubt the best Bond girl in the series.

Usually, the Roger Moore movies are either so campy and over-the-top that they are ridiculously enjoyable or ridiculously facepalm worthy, but, in the case of For Your Eyes Only, the movie takes a step back from all the craziness and tries for a more grounded approach, which would be great in theory.

However, For Your Eyes Only is another mixed bag with Roger Moore and some decent action sequences coming out on top, but it suffers from a very forgettable set of villains and a boring story in between the action.

After Quantum Of Solace was considered a massive disappointment to Bond fans, for the third entry in the series, Sam Mendes was brought on board to direct, which led to a sequel that seemed to perfectly balance the gritty and realistic style of the new films while paying homage to the things that fans love about classic Bond films.

Daniel Craig is at his best here, Javier Bardem is one of the best Bond villains, the new Q, played by Ben Whishaw, was a delight, and, of course, Judy Dench was absolutely stunning as M. This is often called The Dark Knight of Bond movies and it definitely earns that title.

There's no denying that GoldenEye from 1995 was an explosive start for Pierce Brosnan's tenure as James Bond, which is why it disappointed fans that the follow up to such a good movie would be one of the worst Bond films. This was likely a result of the very troubled production that the film had.

Brosnan returns and shines once again, Michelle Yeoh was a refreshing take on a Bond girl, and Jonathan Pryce was a charismatic villain, and David Arnold's score was one of the best in the series. However, the rest of the movie is so forgettable compared to GoldenEye and the superior sequel,The World Is Not Enough.

While Dr. No was a great start for Bond, From Russia With Love is often considered leagues better due to its more rich and immersive direction and atmosphere from director Terrence Young. Sean Connery was even better in this movie, adding more layers to the character than what was seen in Dr. No.

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This sequel also helped establish many things that would recur throughout the series such as the villainous Blofeld, the organization SPECTRE, the first appearance of Q, and the gadgets that would be further expanded upon in sequels.

Roger Moore is great, the movie is gorgeous, Mary Goodnight is one of the better Bond girls, and Christopher Lee steals the entire movie as the most expensive hitman in the world:Francisco Scaramanga. There are even some great action scenes to behold but even the best cast in the world couldn't save this movie.

The biggest issue here is the tone-deafness: at times it wants to be a dark thriller about assassinations, but then it will suddenly turn into a comedy for children, andSheriff J.W. Pepper is often considered to be one of the worst characters of the series for his humor that does not fit James Bond.

Sean Connery at his best, the perfect balance of camp and grittiness, one of the most memorable villains, death traps, fancy gadgets, amazing action, plenty of intrigue and mystery, and a terrific score all lead to Goldfinger being the Empire Strikes Back of the classic James Bond series.

Usually, the third film in the series is when a franchise starts to dwindle, but, in both timelines, the third ends up being the most well-crafted and paced spy adventure. Goldfinger is without a doubt the gold standard that cemented the definitive James Bond experience and recurring elements.

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007: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) James Bond Movies (According To Metacritic) - Screen Rant