Bond Movies

Much maligned but rather unfairly in my view. Great score, great villain (Christopher Walken is of course immense as Max Zorin), memorable theme song, some terrific action sequences including the climactic Golden Gate bridge scene. Roger at his tongue and cheek best and even Dolph Lundgren thrown in as a KGB agent. What's not to like?

Moore's first and one of his best. A menacing, sinister tone is set with some gritty scenes (gotta love the Harlem setting). Mr Big and his henchmen are without question among the best villains of the series. The crocodile farm scene is just one of many unusual highlights of this 70s bond classic.

Arguably, the most 'epic' of the Sean Connery films; brilliant opening scene, world-to-ransom plot, some terrific action (though the underwater scenes are not to everyone's taste) and Connery at his engaging best. Not to mention a great Bond girl and sinister villain (Spectre No.2) complete with eye-patch and shark obsession.

Sometimes regarded as Connery's weakest entry due to its camp humour, but one of my favourites. Includes some of the most memorable scenes of any of the films (the Moon Buggy sequence, the two Blofelds, the funeral parlour). The oil rig battle is an anti-climax, the special effects towards the end are ghastly but overall a thoroughly entertaining romp.

I have a soft-spot for this under-rated Bond film. Like its predecessor Live and Let Die, it's a tight thriller, a relatively low-key affair without too much of an outlandish plot and a nice twist about half-way through. Christopher Lee is as brilliant as you'd expect as the coldly ruthless Scaramanga.

The more you re-visit OHMSS, the more there is to like. Lazenby does an admirable job of filling Connery's shoes; particularly given the off-beat nature of Bond's mission. Another Bond where the rather ridiculous plot plays very much secondary importance to the great alpine sequences. 'He's branched off!' has got to be one of the lamest yet funniest one-line deliveries of the series.

The first half of the film set in India is fun if a little silly; the second half in Germany is one big chase sequence with some outstanding train-top action on the East/West German border. Another big plus is the brilliant score which happens to be Roger Moore's favourite. Bond as a clown and in a gorilla costume I can take or leave but overall a great thrill-ride!

An impressive debut from Daniel Craig; classy, well-made and intriguing throughout. A return to the grittier, edgier Bonds of pre-Brosnan and all the better for it. Casino Royale is an undeniably stylish thriller that is sure to please fans of the series.

Rightly regarded as a Bond classic; fine opening sequence and the Istanbul scenes capture the Cold War atmosphere brilliantly. Given the brilliance of the train sequence, though, I can't help feeling the helicopter and boat chase pale by comparison. And don't mention the awful gypsy camp scene!

For many, Roger Moore's best Bond outing. The film that introduced Jaws and the (briefly) iconic Lotus Esprit. There are many outlandish elements in this film but it is at its best as a taught thriller in the 'pyramids by night' sequence. Good but slightly over-rated in my view.

Moonraker is much better than some would have you believe. One of the best opening sequences of any Bond film; wonderful locations, terrific action sequences. Bond in space may seem very dated to some nowadays but in the context of when it was made, this is thoroughly entertaining Bond fare.

Many good things about this Brosnan entry in the series, particularly the extended pre-credit sequence with its thrilling Thames boat chase. Some nice plot twists and turns, a fine Bond girl (and a not so fine one) and 'M' gets in on the action too. Perhaps Brosnan's best performance as Bond.

"Skyfall is an action-packed, adrenalin-fuelled movie that cleverly combines elements of classic Bond with a contemporary 21st century tale of computer-hacking, terror and revenge. Craig's third outing as Bond, his most confident performance, is occasionally contrived and at times flawed but nonetheless an entertaining 50th anniversary entry in the series.

Bond comes back down to earth in what is often regarded as one of Moore's best; the tongue-in-cheek opening sequence and the even more tongue-in-cheek finale is in stark contrast to the sombre tone of the rest of the film. A tale of revenge set against the last throes of the Cold War. 'That's detente, comrade.'

Used to be a favourite, still an entertaining film which suffers somewhat from the notorious 'Bond becomes Japanese' sequence and some truly awful 'exploding volcano' special effects. Donald Pleasance has lots of fun as Blofeld. Overall, a fun movie.

Goldeneye is a straightforward post-Cold War thriller with great sets and terrific action-packed sequences. Brosnan makes an excellent first impression as Bond. I still maintain the computer game is marginally better than the film though!

Goldfinger is great in many ways; Connery is in fine form, there are so many iconic scenes and characters that it is hard to argue against this being one of the series' very best. Undoubtedly, a very good thriller however, Goldfinger hasn't aged quite as well as some of the other classic Bonds.

Not everyone's favourite, in fact for many one of the weaker Bonds but this one definitely benefits from several viewings. Quantum is fast-pace, action-packed and one of the leanest Bond movies of the series. For me, a more than decent sequel to Casino Royale. The opera scene is up there with the very best.

An exciting opening sequence and great title song from A-ha gets the all too brief Timothy Dalton era off to a good start. Dalton is an inspired choice as Bond with great screen presence; some fun action sequences help this one along though the plot sags somewhere along the way and suffers for lack of a strong villain.

Much as I like Dr No and appreciate its early 60s charm, it hasn't aged particularly well compared to From Russia with Love made just two years later and which is a far superior film in many respects. Dr No is a good thriller for its time and of course a great debut from Sean Connery but the fire-breathing 'dragon' and damp squib of a finale are a little bit of a disappointment.

Tomorrow Never Dies has one of the better conceived plots of the series and is more of a satire than your typical Bond outing. There are a few good action scenes but not enough; the relationship between Bond and Hatcher seems too contrived and the climactic ending on Carver's stealth ship is horribly overblown and one of the reasons why this is not one of my favourites.

Again, not a favourite Bond for many people, being too much of a departure from the usual winning formula for some people's tastes. This is a dark revenge thriller. Once more, Timothy Dalton is fine as Bond and would like to have seen him making a few more to fully establish himself in the role. This one is difficult to warm to though.

One of the best opening scenes, a tremendous premise set against the backdrop of North Korea. Time for a tense, intriguing espionage thriller? Sadly, not. Die Another Day steadfastly undoes all the good work of its early stages by descending into comic-book farce with silly, overblown action sequences and terrible CGI that threaten to make a mockery of the series.