The Definitive Ranking of James Bond Movies From Worst to Best
25. Octopussy
Hehe… Octopussy.
Now that we got that out of the way, we can talk about just how bizarre this 007 film is. Not only does it have a cult leader who thought that the name “Octopussy” was the way to go, but she’s also a cult leader and circus owner. That’s right, British Intelligence Operative James Bond has to infiltrate a Cold War era circus in order to protect the fate of the free world. Bond villains are never strangers to absurdly complicated plots, but even by their standards, this movie is pretty out there.
24. Die Another Day
Remember how I mentioned you might see some patterns emerging as the rankings went on? Well, 90s kids might find themselves forced to face reality when it comes to Pierce Brosnan’s tenure as 007, the last of which has him facing off against a North Korean General weaponizing renewable energy. Now, Bond movies have never really concerned themselves with trivial things like what is and is not scientifically possible, and unlike some astrophysicists, joy kills out there, I subscribe to a suspension of disbelief when it comes to cinema, but even for me, this film is less science-fiction and more science-stupid.
23. The World is Not Enough
Brosnan makes another appearance in the bottom five Bond movies with another film offering some 90s energy commentary. This time he’s not facing renewable energy turned evil, but a potential oil crisis brought on by a nuclear attack. Good thing he’s got nuclear physicists Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards) to help save the day. Wait, did I say “good thing”? Because I meant, he’s got one of the worst Bond Girls supplying him with the most unforgivable Bond puns of all time. Then again, Richards is just the tip of the iceberg with this one.
22. Moonraker
It pains me to admit that Moonraker was one of the lesser Bond movies out there because it stars my favorite Bond henchman of all time, Jaws (Richard Kiel, RIP). It even features 007 once again showing just how much he hates Nazis as he travels to space to prevent Hugo Drax (dumb name, right?) from wiping out humanity in order to repopulate the planet with his chosen master race. It’s a plan that would have made Adolf proud, but Bond put the kibosh on it just in time. As cool as the concept is, Moonraker is just too absurd to take seriously.
21. Tomorrow Never Dies
Hey look, it’s Brosnan again! Oddly enough, the plot of Tomorrow Never Dies is strangely relevant to the world today as James Bond takes on a media tycoon who has resorted to creating the news in order to get a leg up on the competition. Causing international incidents and mass tragedies seems like a lot of work considering that these days diabolical media outlets can simply get away with flat-out lying. I have to give this film some credit though since it features the terminator of Bond henchmen and Michelle Yeoh as a kick-ass Bond Girl.