James Bond: Best to worst

This movie was the benchmark for Bond films for so long. Bond is so cool in this movie he even converts a lesbian. This is the only Connery Bond movie that doesn't deal with the SPECTRE organisation and so many of the elements we connect with Bond were started in this movie. The intro theme with naked women, the theme song, the slightly outlandish henchman it all came from here and many of these exact elements were never done better than in this movie.

It may be hype and it may go down on the list but so far I have seen Skyfall a few times already and aside from being the most beautifully shot Bond film ever (thank you Roger Deakins) it walks an almost impossible balance between the harder style laid down in the Craig movies and at the same time being completely faithful and respectful of the older movies. The last 10 minutes in particular oozed of classic Bond charm. This movie is the perfect modern Bond film.

If Dr. No started it all, then From Russia with Love cemented it. Bond was here and he was cool as hell. The story is more engaging, the acting is top notch and the action is simply spectacular. In particular one scene is to this day one of the best most intense brawls ever caught on film. Many Bond purists consider this the best and I can definitely see why.

After the ridiculous Die Another Day the Bond franchise had become so convoluted and unrelatable that a change was needed and that change came with Casino Royale. Daniel Craig nearly matched the suave intensity of Sean Connery and the story was much more relatable and cool. After seeing this I wanted to be Bond again, a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time. Tense, exciting and irresistible.

Considering that this was the one that started it all, it has taken me a long time and repeated viewings to truly appreciate this movie. I think it is because it is so dramatically different from many of it following movies of which I had seen many before I saw this but Connery is just so raw and charming and the tension in some scenes are palpable that it has become one of my favorite Bond movies of all time.

For some reason people seem to dislike this Connery Bond movie the most and while I can see that it has some plot holes and is the goofiest of Connery's movies, it is also the most fun. From gay hitmen to Blofeld clones, I have to admit that I love all of it.

A fitting end to the Craig era of Bond films. It packs a surprising emotional punch, which alone might be a reason for a rewatch. It leaves the Bond franchise in weird uncharted waters and I am a little excited to see where they might take the franchise going forward.

Pierce Brosnan's first outing in the tux is also by far his best and critics of the Craig movies consider this to be the best modern Bond movie. Even though I don't agree I can understand where they come from as GoldenEye is a terrific Bond movie with probably the most interesting relationship between Bond and the villain. And who can resist Famke Janssen's killer thighs - simply fantastic.

After the increasingly goofy antics of Roger Moore Timothy Dalton came along and gave us a much more human Bond. It could even be argued that his version is the most relatable and The Living Daylights is his best performance as Bond. Aside from being a good Bond movie The Living Daylights is also just a really good cold war thriller.

Returning after the phenomenal Goldfinger, Connery and co. continued in much of the same style as its predecessor and director Terrence Young, who also directed the first two Bond movies, gave us the most epic Bond yet. Our hero comes closer than ever before to the organisation known as SPECTRE and it is a terrific ride all the way through.

After the abysmal Moonraker, the producers had a bit of a realisation, albeit brief, that Bond needed to be more grounded (pun intended) and the result is this thriller that, in spite of a somewhat unceremonious dealing with Blofeld, is a much more realistic and therefore much more relatable Bond.

Repeated viewings have increased my appreciation for this film. Despite taking far too many liberties with the Bond licence, there were some moments of genuine brilliance in this movie. For instance, Daniel Craig has probably never been better as the main character and the action scenes were truly engaging. You could argue that too many things lack for this to truly be called a Bond film but as a movie in its own right I really like it.

Aside from having to suspend my disbelief that Denise Richards could be a scientist this was actually a really entertaining Bond movie and far superior to others Brosnan ventures. The story was engaging and cool and Brosnan even showed some hitherto unseen edge as the character.

Moore's second time in the tux turned out to be even better than his first, mainly due to the rivalry between Bond and Scaramanga (played aptly by film legend, Christopher Lee). The scenes were crisp and full of good humour and it still maintained enough of a serious tone to actually be engaging and tense when it needed to be.

Roger Moore's first movie as 007 is one of his best because the director and the actor realised that he was NOT Sean Connery (something they would forget in subsequent movies). For instance, his delivery of the "Bond, James Bond." line was drastically different from Connery's and he also never ordered his signature drink. Overall it works quite well and Live and Let Die is an entertaining and well thought out Bond movie.

In my opinion, this is the weakest Connery Bond movie. The whole changing into a Japanese person was just completely unnecessary and the female lead was just so obviously not an actress. On the positive side, this movie finally let the audience see Blofeld (and in his best guise I might add) and Connery was still a terrific Bond.

I am in shock, the director behind one of the best Bond films, the best Bond actor since Connery and the actor who played Hans Landa as the villain couldn't deliver a movie that was better than just plain average.

Dalton is really underrated as Bond. He actually tried to bring the character back to its roots and his second film has some of the darkest scenes ever in a Bond film. It actually seemed a little too dark at times almost like it forgot to have fun. Benicio del Toro was superb, however.

Brosnan's second time in the tux is a mixed bag. There were some really cool action scenes (especially the motorcycle chase), Brosnan was still really charming and it actually had a pretty good story. But the villain was just so completely un-threatening and it was just too goofy at times.

Some consider this Moore's best outing as Bond. I actually find it a little ridiculous. The villain's scheme is, even by Bond standards, ridiculous. On the more positive side, this movie introduced Jaws as a secondary villain, the female lead was really cool and Moore actually seemed to have found his own style as Bond.

I know that this is a favorite of the critics but I have seen it several times now and I just can't get into it. It is overly long, bloated and unengaging. In fact I keep falling asleep when I try to see it. George Lazenby does his best but he is just doesn't fit the tux nearly as well as Connery. It does have some pretty cool action scenes and the ending is surprisingly emotional for a Bond flick.

I know that Moore's movies are already too represented in the bottom five but Octopussy really wasn't that engaging. It is way better than both Moonraker and A View to a Kill but it drags a lot at times and some blatant continuity errors detract from this otherwise decent Bond venture.

By the time this movie came out Moore had been to old to play the character for years and when he bedded young women it seemed more creepy than cool. Moreover, Moore seemed more concerned with spouting unfunny jokes than propel the story forward. Christopher Walken was weirdly cool but he couldn't save the film from itself.

Far and wide considered to be one of the worst Bond films and it is deserving of its reputation. Moore had by this time done 3 movies as Bond and he seemed really complacent by the time this movie came out. Sure it has some impressive effects considering its age but it feels rushed and unengaging.

It's a shame to have to put this movie here because I actually like Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Sure he doesn't have the same edge as some of the other actors who played the character but he has all the charm. Die Another Day, however, is an inconsistent, overblown mess of a movie. From exploding ice castles to invisible cars, this movie exemplified everything that had gone wrong with the Bond franchise and why it was necessary to reboot.