10th Place: You Only Live Twice (1967)
You Only Live Twice clinches the 10th place with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 68%. When an unknown spacecraft hijacks the American NASA spacecraft Jupiter 16, the United States suspects the Soviets are behind it. However, the British suspect Japanese involvement and dispatch James Bond to Tokyo to dig deeper.
As Bond navigates his way through a dangerous maze of treachery and seduction, he faces multiple challenges, including an intense encounter with the fiery Helga Brandt and a deadly confrontation inside a volcano. It soon comes to light that the notorious Ernst Stavro Blofeld, leader of SPECTRE, is orchestrating a scheme to ignite a nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union.
Joining forces with Kissy Suzuki, Bond thwarts Blofeld’s sinister plan and eliminates the enemy spacecraft, Bird One, thereby averting a potential nuclear conflict. An iconic scene from the movie is the dramatic introduction of Blofeld: ‘My name is Ernst Stavro Blofeld.’ This marks the first visual appearance of Blofeld, with actor Donald Pleasance‘s portrayal becoming synonymous with the character in popular culture.
9th Place: Thunderball (1965)
Securing the 9th place with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 73% is Thunderball. In this installment, James Bond uncovers a devious plot hatched by the criminal organization SPECTRE to ransom NATO for £100 million in diamonds in return for two purloined atomic bombs.
Bond is dispatched to Nassau, where he learns that the mistress of Emilio Largo, SPECTRE’s Number 2, is Domino, the sister of a murdered French NATO pilot. With the aid of his sophisticated gadgetry supplied by Q, Bond thwarts Largo’s catastrophic plan to obliterate Miami Beach with the stolen bombs.
Thunderball is notable for several iconic scenes, including Bond’s daring jet-pack escape, an underwater skirmish between Bond, felix Leiter, the coast guards, and Largo’s minions, as well as the explosive final showdown aboard Largo’s yacht, the Disco Volante.
8th Place: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Earning the 8th place with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 77% is The Spy Who Loved Me. This movie is often regarded as Roger Moore’s finest, and it sees James Bond and KGB agent Anya Amasova commissioned to locate two vanished nuclear submarines.
Their mission leads them to the wealthy businessman Karl Stromberg, who harbors plans to establish an underwater civilization. As Bond and Amasova join forces, they traverse from Cairo to Sardinia, coming up against Jaws and his metal teeth. Ultimately, they thwart Stromberg’s scheme to bombard New York and Moscow with nuclear weapons and obliterate his underwater city, Atlantis.
Throughout their adventure, Bond rescues Amasova several times, which culminates in her falling in love with him and forgiving him for previously killing her lover. The movie boasts many memorable moments, such as Bond’s Union Jack parachute jump, the transformation of the Lotus Esprit S1 into a submarine, and every encounter Bond has with Jaws.
7th Place: Dr. No (1962)
Securing the 7th place with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 82% is the first-ever James Bond movie, Dr. No. This trailblazing movie sees Agent 007, portrayed by Sean Connery, delving into the enigmatic disappearance of a British operative in Jamaica.
In his pursuit, Bond uncovers the ominous presence of a criminal genius, Dr. Julius No, harboring ambitions of world domination. Bond collaborates with CIA Agent Felix Leiter, local fisherman Quarrel, and the iconic Honey Ryder, whose father was murdered by Dr. No.
Together, they dismantle Dr. No’s malevolent plans and topple his empire in a climactic finale. The movie concludes with Bond and Honey, alone on a fishing boat, drifting away from Dr. No’s island. The movie is renowned for its iconic moments, including Bond’s debut with the unforgettable “Bond, James Bond” scene, and Honey Ryder’s striking emergence from the sea clad in a bikini.
6th Place: GoldenEye (1995)
Ranking 6th with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 83%, GoldenEye begins with James Bond and fellow Agent 006, Alec Trevelyan, both on a mission to infiltrate a Soviet chemical weapons facility. However, Trevelyan is seemingly killed in action, forcing Bond to make a daring escape using a motorbike and a glider.
Fast forward nine years, Bond encounters Xenia Onatopp, a femme fatale on MI6’s watchlist, leading him to investigate the obliteration of a Siberian radar station by the GoldenEye satellite weapon. It’s here that he discovers that the GoldenEye is in the possession of the Janus Crime Syndicate, led by none other than a vindictive Trevelyan.
After a narrow escape from a hijacked military chopper, Bond and Natalya Simonova follow the trail to Cuba to locate the second GoldenEye satellite. Together, they discover Trevelyan’s hideout and set out to disable the satellite system.
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In the climactic finale, Bond and Trevelyan battle it out on the satellite, culminating in Bond sending Trevelyan plummeting to his death. Following the destruction of the satellite base, Bond and Natalya are rescued.
GoldenEye was Pierce Brosnan’s first Bond movie, and certainly his best. The movie is etched in memory with iconic scenes like Bond’s audacious escape via the motorbike and glider, the exhilarating tank pursuit through the streets of St. Petersburg, and the thrilling final confrontation between Bond and Trevelyan on the satellite.