The Best James Bond Films of All Time, According to Rotten Tomatoes

The Best James Bond Films of All Time, According to Rotten Tomatoes
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If you’ve got 007 on the brain right now, you wouldn’t be the only one. With the next instalment in the film franchise, No Time To Die, capturing the attention of the masses, you could say right now is the perfect time for a binge session featuring the best James Bond movies.

But which films should you watch? Sure, you could smash through every film on the list, but what about if you want to be more selective?

We went through and compared the rankings of each of the James Bond films on Rotten Tomatoes and pulled together a list of the top ten Bond movies for your viewing pleasure.

Now, onto the list.

The 10 best James Bond films in history (according to reviews)

All synopses are via film distributor/Rotten Tomatoes.

10. Licence To Kill

License to Kill
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 77%
Year: 1989
Bond: Timothy Dalton

James Bond (Timothy Dalton) takes on his most-daring adventure after he turns renegade and tracks down one of the international drug cartel’s most-brutal and powerful leaders. After the murder of his just-married friend, he is fighting not only for country and justice, but for personal revenge!

9. Goldeneye

Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 78%
Year: 1995
Bond: Pierce Brosnan

When a powerful satellite system falls into the hands of Alec Trevelyan, AKA Agent 006 (Sean Bean), a former ally-turned-enemy, only James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) can save the world from an awesome space weapon that — in one short pulse — could destroy the earth! As Bond squares off against his former compatriot, he also battles Trevelyan’s stunning ally, Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), an assassin who uses pleasure as her ultimate weapon.

8. The Spy Who Loved Me

Spy who loved me
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal.

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 80%
Year: 1977
Bond: Roger Moore

In a globe-trotting assignment that has him skiing off the edges of cliffs and driving a car deep underwater, British super-spy James Bond (Roger Moore) unites with sexy Russian agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) to defeat megalomaniac shipping magnate Karl Stromberg (Curt Jurgens), who is threatening to destroy New York City with nuclear weapons. Bond’s most deadly adversary on the case is Stromberg’s henchman, Jaws (Richard Kiel), a seven-foot giant with terrifying steel teeth.

7. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 81%
Year: 1969
Bond: George Lazenby

Agent 007 (George Lazenby) and the adventurous Tracy Di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) join forces to battle the evil SPECTRE organization in the treacherous Swiss Alps. But the group’s powerful leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas), is launching his most calamitous scheme yet: a germ warfare plot that could kill millions!

6. No Time To Die

no time to die
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 84%
Year: 2021
Bond: Daniel Craig

In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

5. Thunderball

Thunderball
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 86%
Year: 1965
Bond: Sean Connery

Led by one-eyed evil mastermind Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), the terrorist group SPECTRE hijacks two warheads from a NATO plane and threatens widespread nuclear destruction to extort 100 million pounds. The dashing Agent 007, James Bond (Sean Connery), is sent to recover the warheads from the heart of Largo’s lair in the Bahamas, facing underwater attacks from sharks and men alike. He must also convince the enchanting Domino (Claudine Auger), Largo’s mistress, to become a key ally.

4. Skyfall

Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 92%
Year: 2012
Bond: Daniel Craig

When James Bond’s (Daniel Craig) latest assignment goes terribly wrong, it leads to a calamitous turn of events: Undercover agents around the world are exposed, and MI6 is attacked, forcing M (Judi Dench) to relocate the agency. With MI6 now compromised inside and out, M turns to the one man she can trust: Bond. Aided only by a field agent (Naomie Harris), Bond takes to the shadows and follows a trail to Silva (Javier Bardem), a man from M’s past who wants to settle an old score.

3. Casino Royale

Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 94%
Year: 2006
Bond: Daniel Craig

After receiving a license to kill, British Secret Service agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) heads to Madagascar, where he uncovers a link to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a man who finances terrorist organizations. Learning that Le Chiffre plans to raise money in a high-stakes poker game, MI6 sends Bond to play against him, gambling that their newest “00” operative will topple the man’s organization.

2 (Tied). From Russia With Love

From russia with love
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 95%
Year: 1964
Bond: Sean Connery

Agent 007 (Sean Connery) is back in the second installment of the James Bond series, this time battling a secret crime organization known as SPECTRE. Russians Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) and Kronsteen are out to snatch a decoding device known as the Lektor, using the ravishing Tatiana (Daniela Bianchi) to lure Bond into helping them. Bond willingly travels to meet Tatiana in Istanbul, where he must rely on his wits to escape with his life in a series of deadly encounters with the enemy.

2 (Tied). Dr. No

Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 95%
Year: 1962
Bond: Sean Connery

In the film that launched the James Bond saga, Agent 007 (Sean Connery) battles mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space program. As the countdown to disaster begins, Bond must go to Jamaica, where he encounters beautiful Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), to confront a megalomaniacal villain in his massive island headquarters.

1. Goldfinger

Goldfinger
Best James Bond movies. Credit: MGM/Universal

Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 99%
Year: 1964
Bond: Sean Connery

Special agent 007 (Sean Connery) comes face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time, and now he must outwit and outgun the powerful tycoon to prevent him from cashing in on a devious scheme to raid Fort Knox — and obliterate the world’s economy.

I guess the only question left to ask is: do you agree with the critics? We all know that’s not always the case.

This article has been updated to include the rating of No Time To Die.


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At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

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