10. Die Another Day
Year: 2002
Synopsis: James Bond is sent to investigate the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul who is funding the development of an international space weapon. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 1
The credits and post-credits scenes are an interesting twist for 007, who usually manages to make a miraculous escape in a plane that just happens to be sitting there (or the like). For Bond to be captured, held for months, tortured, and traded for a POW is so un-Bond-like that the plot line adds a new dimension to the collective 007 character. No longer just a playboy spy, we see the depth of Bond’s patriotism and understanding of the greater good. His life is an acceptable price to pay for Britain’s (or the world’s) safety. – Sarah Katz
09. The Spy Who Loved Me
Year: 1977
Synopsis: James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 5
‘Nobody Does It Better’ is the theme song to this 1977 outing and it accurately reflects Roger Moore’s performance as 007. When it comes to sheer razzle-dazzle he was second to none in The Spy Who Loved Me. It borders on being a cartoon at times with farfetched action and clownish dialogue, but that’s part of the film’s charm. It’s big, loud, sexy and utterly brainless fun. – Daniel Sarath
08. You Only Live Twice
Year: 1967
Synopsis: Agent 007 and the Japanese secret service ninja force must find and stop the true culprit of a series of spacejackings before nuclear war is provoked. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 6
This is one of my favorites because the notion of Bond dying is so antithetical to the 007 ethos that the opening scene just stunned me the first time I saw it. That Bond could be a mere mortal was not a possibility I’d considered before. Then, to see Bond use death to his advantage, in a sense, made it seem like he was conquering it, thus restoring my faith in Bond’s omnipotence and immortality. – Sarah Katz
07. Dr. No
Year: 1962
Synopsis: James Bond’s investigation of a missing colleague in Jamaica leads him to the island of the mysterious Dr. No and a scheme to end the US space program. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 6
How could you not include the Bond film that started them all? Sometimes franchises get off to a rocky start, but Dr. No still holds up as one of the best Bond flicks ever made. It’s amazing how many classic Bond elements are set up in this film from the get-go, from abstract title design, exotic locales, babes (Ursula Andress is still one of the hottest ever), the Walther PPK, to SPECTRE. Dr. No set the formula that has worked for decades. Plus it’s Sean Connery, still the best Bond ever. I still find the tarantula assassination scene is a bit silly though. – Daniel Johnson
06. Live And Let Die
Year: 1973
Synopsis: 007 is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organization and a reliable psychic tarot card reader. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 7
Though the Roger Moore era was spotty in general, Live and Let Die epitomizes the wry charm that would replace brute force as Bond’s hallmark for the next decade or so. Sequences that find Bond hopping across crocodiles and dueling the creepy voodoo priest Baron Samedi are admittedly silly, but they’re lovably ludicrous, and represent a welcome change of pace from the conservative formula of the Connery years. Toss in a fresh-faced Jane Seymour as Bond girl Solitare, villain Yaphet Kotto’s colorful coterie of henchmen, and a car/boat chase that oddly anticipates The Dukes of Hazzard, and you’ve got the recipe for one of Bond’s more interesting adventures. – Eric Ambler
