Determining the best James Bond movie often depends on which actor you like playing 007: tough rascal Sean Connery, unruffled gentlemen Roger Moore, blow-dried Pierce Brosnan, or battered brute Daniel Craig - or even dimple-chinned George Lazenby or Shakespearean Timothy Dalton.
Despite their star and historical lack of political-correctness, some Bond movies still live up to the hype, such as Goldfinger, For Your Eyes Only, and Tomorrow Never Dies (i.e. the one with Michelle Yeoh). On the other hand, poor showings like The Man with the Golden Gun and A View to a Kill will never get better. That being said, some Bond films are massively underrated, and others are the complete opposite.
Overrated: License to Kill
By no stretch of the imagination were either of Dalton’s films successful, financially or critically, but License to Kill is now viewed under a different light. After all, it would be the last Bond film for Dalton, longtime screenwriter Richard Maibaum, title designer Maurice Binder, and original producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, who would hand the reins to his daughter Barbara.
Most significantly, it was director John Glen’s fifth Bond in a row, and after the confident For Your Eyes Only in 1981, it was obvious Glen had overstayed his welcome. From the fictional setting of “Isthmus City” to the cultish lair of the villain to the wasted agent-gone-rogue plot, no amount of forgiving nostalgia will make License to Kill a better film.
Underrated: From Russia With Love
The first James Bond film Dr. No helped set the groundwork for the famous secret agent, but it was the second, From Russia With Love that cemented the template: exotic locales, a bombastic theme song, and a decidedly cold-hearted 007.
In some ways, From Russia with Love is not a great film - the 3rd act wanes, and the cabal of supervillains seems cliched now. But key moments spying with his Turkish accomplice, his seduction by a Russian double-agent, and the best fight scene on a train, ever, highlight an impressive story of a spy on the run.
Overrated: Casino Royale
Daniel Craig made his ostentatious debut with Casino Royale, and fans and critics loved the gritty storytelling and no-nonsense portrayal of the 21st-century secret agent. The movie reclaimed one of author Ian Fleming’s oldest novels, and the film reinvigorated the franchise.
But as spy thriller Casino Royale doesn’t hold together well - the chief antagonist changes in the 3rd act, a sequence where Bond is induced to a heart attack is entirely superfluous, and we spent too much time with him in a hospital convalescing. As a love story - which would be unique but not unprecedented in Bond films - the 2nd romantic lead doesn’t appear until a half-hour in, and (spoiler) dies a Dramatic Cinematic Death for reasons that are still not clear. It would take a whole other movie (Quantum of Solace, below), the first direct sequel in the franchise, to clean up the mess.
Underrated: Die Another Day
Die Another Day may seem like an odd choice here, given its unloved theme song and forgettable, whiny villain. But it’s full of great MTV moments, like the opening theme song as plot-forwarding montage, or Bond foil Gustav Graves skydiving into London to the strains of the Clash’s “London Calling”. Die Another Day is also a call-back to classic themes, including a villain out for world domination, a car-chase on a frozen lake, and a rogue, planet roasting satellite.
It also introduces the beguiling Jinx (Halle Berry) as Bond’s equal and gives her some key scenes, including a rare women v woman fight. Try to think of Die Another Day less like a spy thriller and more like an adult cartoon, with an ice palace and a vengeful god striking down mortals from the sky.
Overrated: GoldenEye
Another reintroduction on James Bond with a new 007 (Brosnan), Goldeneye is filled with fantastic stunts and a meandering plot that chafes as much as it scores. The pedestrian direction from Martin Campbell would resonate throughout Brosnan’s films, and in this case wastes the interesting character of Alex Treveylan, a former 00 agent who’s Bonds nemesis (Sean Bean, who dies a spectacular death).
For a film made in 1995, the main women characters are stereotypical and two-dimensional, despite the introduction of a female M (Judi Dench). Overall, GoldenEye seems to drag compared to subsequent Brosnan movies - and that’s not a compliment.
Underrated: You Only Live Twice
Connery seemed to be coasting in his fifth Bond film, where 007 fakes his death to galavant around Hong Kong and Japan in search of missing astronauts. Unfortunately, many of the action sequences look dated, and any romantic moments are jammed into the plot.
But You Only Live Twice runs at a breakneck pace, and by the time Bond and an army of ninjas attacks the hidden volcano lair, trying to stop a rocket launch by the disfigured and evil Blofeld, with Bond battling his henchmen atop a pool of piranhas - who wasn’t having fun?
Overrated: Diamonds are Forever
Sorry Sean, but even though you established the character and made him a household name, your movies weren’t all martinis and roses, as producers Broccoli and Harry Saltzman offered Connery a king’s ransom to return to the role he had forsaken in Diamonds Are Forever.
And Connery is in fine form (if a bit older) - but the plot wanders unnecessarily from London to Amsterdam to Las Vegas, in an apparent attempt to return to the successful American hijinks of Goldfinger. In a moment too contrived for even the spoofs of Austin Powers, the evil henchmen attempt to kill-off Bond by merely stranding him in a vacant pipeline in the Nevada desert.
Underrated: On Her Majesty’s Service Service
The quintessential underrated Bond film. There have been many articles as to why On Her Majesty’s Secret Service failed as the box office, and why the producers felt compelled to return to Sean Connery in Diamonds are Forever (above). This belies the fact that OHMSS is a great Bond film, with exciting chases, ferocious fist-fights, and a memorable ending.
Other than the sense that Australian model Lazenby was at best adequate as Bond, OHMSS compares very well to modern spy adventures, particularly in terms of depth and intrigue. Some of the special effects are dated (like most movies filmed in the 60s), but the excitement and characters hold up - particularly countess/adventurer Tracey (Diane Rigg), who became an inspiration for stronger female characters later in the series. The 22-minute ski/snow/car chase alone is worth the ticket.
Overrated: Skyfall
The problem with Skyfall includes trying to summarize the nefarious plot of mastermind Silva (Javier Bardem) to seek revenge on M. Ex-agent Silva allows himself to be captured by MI6 near Shanghai, so he can reveal his pain in a glassy London prison, escape to a crowded Underground station, arrange for a train to collapse on his pursuer (Bond), and sneak into a security hearing dressed as a bobby so he can shoot M dead. Dr. Evil would be impressed.
A brilliant opening chase, highlighting a new Miss Moneypenny (Naomi Harris) and an engaging song from Adele, can’t save Skyfall from some uncomfortable questions about character motivation, the dismissive death of Bond’s lover, and an ending copied from Home Alone.
Underrated: Quantum of Solace
There’s a strong story, cracking dialogue, and interesting characterizations to be appreciated throughout Quantum of Solace - if you can weed through the editing whiplash to enjoy it. Quantum of Solace discards some of Bond’s usual elements, such as a lingering romance but asks compelling questions about vengeance, retirement, colonialism, and the banality of evil.
In terms of quality, there’s a throwaway line during a break in the action where Bolivian secret agent Camille (Olga Kurylenko) explains that she is looking for revenge in the death of her father, a military strongman; although he was a “brutal man… he was my father.” When the audience realizes no-one has the moral high-ground - even Bond is out for revenge - it makes his merciless pursuit and final redemption far more compelling.
