05. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Year: 1969
Synopsis: James Bond woos a mob boss’s daughter and goes undercover to uncover the true reason for Blofeld’s allergy research in the Swiss Alps that involves beautiful women from around the world. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 8
I have always been a huge fan of James Bond. Maybe it’s because my first name is James, or I love the cars and gadgets. Regardless, there is no denying that James Bond is one of the coolest action stars to ever grace movie theater screens. Growing up I loved watching the James Bond Marathons on TV. As a result, I have literally seen every single James Bond movie. One of my favorite Bond films is On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. I used to have the accompanying comic book for this, and remember seeing this at a drive-in theater. – Jim Napier
04. From Russia With Love
Year: 1963
Synopsis: James Bond willingly falls into an assassination ploy involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by SPECTRE. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 13
If Dr. No set most of the pieces up, From Russia With Love finished the job. The character of “Q” makes his first appearance here, so it’s also the first movie where Bond starts making use of all his gadgets (though it would take another movie for all the cool cars to really come into play). I also really like this movie for all the Soviet intrigue and a much more interesting relationship between Romanova and Bond. Finally, the climax fight on the train has a really exciting gritty brutality that is rarely seen in the early Bond films, which preferred to keep it pretty slick and stylized until Daniel Craig came along. – Daniel Johnson
03. GoldenEye
Year: 1995
Synopsis: James Bond teams up with the lone survivor of a destroyed Russian research center to stop the hijacking of a nuclear space weapon by a fellow agent believed to be dead. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 18
When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, Eon Productions faced the challenge of making Bond relevant in a post-Cold War world. Their solution was GoldenEye, a taut techno-thriller that explores the character’s darker side (his de-facto sibling rivalry with the villainous 006 played by a pre-LOTR Sean Bean) without sacrificing the over-the-top action elements that define the series (Bond piloting a tank through St. Petersburg, anyone?). A smashing debut for new lead Pierce Brosnan, GoldenEye completely re-imagined Bond for a new generation. Particularly the generation that also grew up playing the wildly addictive GoldenEye video game on Nintendo 64. – Eric Ambler
02. Goldfinger
Year: 1964
Synopsis: Investigating a gold magnate’s smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 20
When polling a group for their selection of the best James Bond movies ever, everyone is, of course, entitled to their own opinion. But as far as I’m concerned, if you don’t choose Goldfinger, you’re choosing the wrong movie. Goldfinger is the archetype for which all Bond films are, and should be, measured against. Seedy “foreign-ish” villain bent on world domination? Check. Imposingly-awesome henchman? Check. Sassy and classy Bond girl matching James quip for quip? Check. Sean Connery at his peak? Check. The most iconic Bond car ever, complete with built-in Q gadgets? Check. Incredible soundtrack and epic theme song? Check. There have been a few Bonds that have come close, but nothing will ever eclipse Goldfinger. – Gabriel Ruzin
01. Casino Royale
Year: 2006
Synopsis: In his first mission, James Bond must stop Le Chiffre, a banker to the world’s terrorist organizations, from winning a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro. (via IMDb)
Number of votes: 21
Casino Royale is one of my favorites because it was actually the first Bond. I enjoy it because we actually get to see Bond find and invent himself in this one, which really makes you appreciate the movies and books. – Ryan Mailley
