What is the best order to watch the James Bond movies?
- Shaken, not stirred
(Pocket-lint) - It's Sean Connery's 90th birthday this year. Plus, the 25th James Bond movie - the fifth and final time we'll see Daniel Craig as 007 - is due in November. There's no better way to celebrate these leading action stars than by watching all the official and unofficial Bond films.
If you want to re-watch the entire franchise in preparation, or if you've never watched before and are finally ready to, we've compiled this handy guide of all the installments - even the ones not part of the official Eon/MGM canon. The first list is in order of release, starting with the Connery era, right up to Craig. (Don't worry: We've appended a spoiler-free version of our entire guide at the bottom.)
Those of you who want to mix things up a bit more can check out our alternative viewing orders, also available below. For instance, we made a list based on the order of Ian Flemings' novels (he created the character). There's also speed-run viewing orders with distinct narrative tie-ins. All the lists, apart from the first, are free of spoilers. So, peruse them, and figure out which one sounds best.
Either way, you'll be good to go for Bond 25, aka No Time to Die, this autumn.
| James Bond movies: Best viewing orders | |
| Bond movies in order of release (spoilers) | Bond movies in order of release (spoiler free) |
| The novel order (spoiler free) | Spectre storyline order (spoiler free) |
| Cold War and Post-Cold War era order (spoiler free) | The reboot order (spoiler free) |
James Bond movies in order of release
NOTE: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW.
Dr. No (1962)
Starring: Sean Connery
The very first James Bond film sees Scottish actor Sean Connery bring the British character to life on the big screen. Agent 007 goes to Jamaica to investigate the death of a British intelligence chief. There, he meets Honey Ryder, the first Bond girl, played by Ursula Andress. Bond also discovers the existence of an evil organization known as Spectre (or Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion).
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From Russia with Love (1963)
Starring: Sean Connery
The second Bond film fleshes out the Spectre organisation, by showing its numerical hierarchy. Number 5 in Spectre, a chess grandmaster named Kronsteen, devises a plan to obtain a Lektor cryptographic device from the Soviets while also planning revenge on Bond for killing Spectre operative Dr. No. The leader of the organization, the unseen Number 1, dispatches Rosa Klebb, aka Number 3, to make Kronsteen’s plan a reality.
Goldfinger (1964)
Starring: Sean Connery
James Bond is up against one of the greatest villains of all time, the gold-obsessed Auric Goldfinger. Goldfinger hatches a plan to steal all the gold from Fort Knox in the US - and only 007 can stop him, of course. The film also has two of the more famous characters in the franchise: Oddjob, Goldfinger’s Korean manservant; and Pussy Galore (giggles), a Bond girl played by Honor Blackman.
Thunderball (1965)
Starring: Sean Connery
Spectre has hijacked a plane loaded with two atomic bombs and is demanding a ransom of £100 million in diamonds. Bond is on the case to find the two bombs, and he tracks a lead to the Bahamas. There, he meets CIA agent Felix Leiter and discovers the identity of Spectre’s Number 2.
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Starring: Sean Connery
A spacecraft is stolen and lands in the Sea of Japan, and James Bond heads there to investigate. Once he arrives, he discovers the identity of Number 1, the leader of Spectre: Ernst Stavro Blofeld. He also uncovers Blofeld's plan to deceive the nations of the world into starting WWIII.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Starring: George Lazenby
Sean Connery retires from the franchise at this point. So, an Australian actor, George Lazenby, steps in to take over the role for a single film. We see him hunt for Blofeld. He also falls in love with and - for the first (and only time) - marries a Bond girl, Contessa Tracy di Vicenzo. This movie is thought to follow Ian Fleming's novel plot the most, and it's also more of an drama than any of the other films in the franchise.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Starring: Sean Connery
Sean Connery briefly returns to foil a diamond-smuggling ring. He travels all over the world, before making it to the Whyte House casino in Las Vegas, where he learns Blofeld is behind the diamond-smuggling operation. Blofled wants to use a laser-armed satellite to destroy all the nuclear weapons in the US, Soviet Union, and China, and thus force the countries into a bidding war. We also meet Bond girl Plenty O'Toole, perhaps the silliest name in the franchise after Pussy Galore.
Live and Let Die (1973)
Starring: Roger Moore
This is British actor Roger Moore's first film as Bond. We see him try to stop Mr. Big, a drug lord who has a plan to monopolise heroin by giving away two tons of it for free, all in an effort to push other dealers out of business. In this film, Bond goes from Harlem to New Orleans, and finally, to the fictional island of San Monique. This is also the first film to feature a black woman as a Bond girl, with Rosie Carver played by Gloria Hendry.
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Starring: Roger Moore
Bond is relieved from duty after a golden bullet with "007" etched on it is received by MI6. The bullet is believed to be from the famed assassin Francisco Scaramanga, who uses a golden gun to kill his targets. Bond sets off to find Scaramanga and tracks down the location of a small device, called the Solex Agitator, which can harness the power of the Sun.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Starring: Roger Moore
After British and Soviet Union submarines are captured, Bond joins forces with KGB agent Major Anya Amasova. The two of them work together to identify the person behind the thefts: Karl Stromberg, a shipping tycoon and scientist, who has a plan to destroy both New York and Moscow in order to trigger a nuclear war that will allow him to create his own civilization.
Moonraker (1979)
Starring: Roger Moore
Following the hijacking of the Moonraker space shuttle, Bond must find the location of the stolen ship. He learns that Hugo Drax, the owner of the company producing the space shuttles, is behind it all, and Drax is working on a plan to wipe out a large portion of the human race with a deadly nerve gas. Eventually, Bond must venture to space to defeat Drax on his space station.
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For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Starring: Roger Moore
After a spy boat carrying a device that’s capable of ordering the launch of ballistic missiles is sunk, Bond is ordered to help a marine archaeologist, named Timothy Havelock, recover the device. When the archaeologist is murdered, Bond not only has to find the launch device, but also figure out who killed Havelock and why. Dun, dun, dun, duuuun...
Octopussy (1983)
Starring: Roger Moore
Bond investigates the murder of Agent 009, who was killed in East Berlin while carrying a fake Faberge egg. This leads to 007 uncovering a nuclear weapon plot in West Germany. Octopussy has an ensemble of memorable villains, including knife-throwing identical twins. Meanwhile, the title Octopussy comes from the film's main antagonist and Bond girl - an international jewel-smuggler residing on an island populated by women.
A View To A Kill (1985)
Starring: Roger Moore
The seventh and final film to star Roger Moore sees James Bond pitted against Christopher Walken’s Max Zorin, an industrialist who’s attempting to corner the market in microchips by destroying Silicon Valley. His plan revolves around bombs underneath lakes and fault lines that will trigger the whole of San Francisco Bay Area to be destroyed by floods.
The Living Daylights (1987)
Starring: Timothy Dalton
In his first film as the MI6 agent, British actor Timothy Dalton helps KGB Officer General Georgi Koskov defect from the Soviet Union. Once he’s in allied hands, he tells them General Leonid Pushkin reinstated the policy of smiert spionam ("death to spies"). Bond is ordered to get Pushkin before he can kill more agents and harm relations between the Soviet Union and the West.
License to Kill (1989)
Starring: Timothy Dalton
After Bond helps his old friend Felix Leiter in capturing a drug lord, named Franz Sanchez, the criminal ends up escaping and grievously injuring Leiter and killing his wife. When M, the head of the MI6, orders Bond to return to regular duty, he refuses, causing M to revoke his license to kill. That means Bond must embark on his mission of vengeance as a rogue agent.
GoldenEye (1995)
Starring: Pierce Brosnan
This is Irish-American actor Pierce Brosnan's debut film as Bond. His fellow MI6 agent, Alec Trevelyan, is murdered. But, 10 years later, following an attack on a bunker in Siberia and the theft of the control disk for a satellite weapon known as Goldeneye, Bond learns he's actually alive.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Starring: Pierce Brosnan
Bond finds himself investigating the sinking of a British warship in Chinese waters and discovers a connection to media mogul Elliot Carver. With the help of a Chinese special agent, Bond uncovers Carver’s plan to start a conflict between the British and Chinese, with the promise from a rogue Chinese general that Carver will receive exclusive broadcasting rights in China.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Starring: Pierce Brosnan
Bond is sent to retrieve money for Sir Robert King, a friend of M, the head of MI6, only to have the money turn out to include a hidden bomb that kills King. Agent 007 soon realises a former KGB agent-turned-terrorist named Renard set the trap. M dispatches Bond to stop Renard and protect King’s daughter.
Die Another Day (2002)
Starring: Pierce Brosnan
Bond’s mission is to investigate a North Korean general involved in trading African conflict diamonds, but 007 is captured and subjected to torture for 14 months before he is released. He is suspended upon his return, but continues on his mission, and uncovers a plot to use a mirror satellite that harnesses solar energy to cut through the militarized border between North and South Korea, allowing the North Koreans to invade.
Casino Royale (2006)
Starring: Daniel Craig
Casino Royale is technically a remake of an unofficial Bond film, and it reboots the entire franchise, with British actor Daniel Craig. It shows him earning his 00 status by disrupting terrorist money manager Le Chiffre. After Bond foils his plan to blow up a plane, Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes poker game, with the hopes of recouping his lost money. Bond is sent to defeat Le Chiffre and bankrupt any organization who trusted him.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Starring: Daniel Craig
Bond learns exiled Bolivian General Medrano is working with Dominic Greene, who's part of an organization known as Quantum, so that he can be installed as president of the country - all in exchange for a small patch of desert. What seems like a great deal for Medrano turns south, as it’s revealed Quantum will control the entire water supply of Bolivia. But Bond does all he can to stop him.
Skyfall (2012)
Starring: Daniel Craig
After a botched mission, Bond is presumed dead, and M is put under review amid questions about her leadership of MI6. When the intelligence agency’s headquarters in London are attacked, Bond comes out of hiding to uncover the people behind the attack, which leads him to Raoul Silva, a former MI6 agent, who was captured and brutally tortured by the Chinese government. Silva blames M and is trying to kill her and her reputation.
Spectre (2015)
Starring: Daniel Craig
Bond receives a message from M, the head of MI6, following her death, which leads to him stopping a terrorist attack. For taking part in an unauthorized mission, Bond is suspended by the new M. He continues on, of course, and ends up uncovering the evil organization known as Spectre as well as its leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who is now played by German-Austrian actor Christoph Waltz.
No Time to Die (2020)
Starring: Daniel Craig
The latest Bond entry will see a retired 007 forced back into action - to stop a plot from a villain, known as Satin, who is threatening millions of lives. Bond is again played by Daniel Craig, but he will have help this time from a woman, named Nomi, who took his place as 007, as well as his old friends Miss Moneypenny, Q, and M. Trailers for the film also tease the return of Christoph Waltz's Blofeld.
The film is slated to hit theatres on 20 November 2020.
Bonus: 'Unofficial' James Bond movies
Casino Royale (non canon-1967)
Starring: David Nivens
This is a so-called "unofficial" Bond film, because it wasn't produced by Eon and distributed by MGM, but rather Famous Artists and Columbia. It stars British actor David Nivens coming out of retirement to deal with the evil organization SMIRSH. It also has Orson Welles as the main antagonist, Le Chiffre. While still being a spy film, it’s far more of a satirical comedy, which makes it slightly different from the official Bond films.
Never Say Never Again (non canon-1983)
Starring: Sean Connery
Sean Connery returns as James Bond - 12 years after he last played the role. Again, this isn't an official Eon/MGM film. Instead, it was made by Taliafilm and distributed by Warner Bros. The film’s title is a reference to Connery, who once said he would never play James Bond again. And it's actually a remake of Thunderball. (One of Ian Flemings’ writing partners won the film rights to the novel, so that's where this version comes from.)
James Bond movie order at a glance
This is the same list as above, only spoiler-free and much quicker to read:
- Dr. No (1962)
- From Russia with Love (1963)
- Goldfinger (1964)
- Thunderball (1965)
- You Only Live Twice (1967)
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
- Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
- Live and Let Die (1973)
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
- Moonraker (1979)
- For Your Eyes Only (1981)
- Octopussy (1983)
- A View to A Kill (1985)
- The Living Daylights (1987)
- License to Kill (1989)
- GoldenEye (1995)
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
- The World Is Not Enough (1999)
- Die Another Day (2002)
- Casino Royale (2006)
- Quantum of Solace (2008)
- Skyfall (2012)
- Spectre (2015)
Unofficial Bond films:
- Casino Royale (1967)
- Never Say Never Again (1983)
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The novel order
James Bond, the character, was created by author Ian Fleming. The entire Jame Bond franchise is based on his 14 novels, although the movies were made in a different order. If you'd like to watch the films directly inspired by the novels, in the order that Fleming wrote them, here ya go:
- Casino Royale (2006)
- Live and Let Die (1973)
- Moonraker (1979)
- Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
- From Russia With Love (1963)
- Dr. No (1962)
- Goldfinger (1964)
- Thunderball (1965)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
- You Only Live Twice (1967)
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Spectre storyline order
Six of the first Bond films feature 007 squaring off against foes from the evil organization Spectre, and they all build toward the big reveal that Blofeld is its leader. So, here is an order that follows the early days of Spectre:
- Dr.No (1962)
- From Russia With Love (1963)
- Thunderball (1965)
- You Only Live Twice (1967)
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
- Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
- For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Optional: Add Spectre (2015) to this order. You could also follow the Spectre storyline list with the reboot order, which has many Spectre ties.
Cold War and Post-Cold War era order
Beginning with The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond is forced to play a key factor in diffusing confrontations throughout the Cold War and during the fall of the Soviet Union. While these films aren’t as neat of a storyline as the Spectre series or the reboot series, it does have overarching themes and introduces some recurring characters. Here's an order featuring Cold War-era storylines:
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
- Moonraker (1979)
- For Your Eyes Only (1981)
- Octopussy (1983)
- A View To A Kill (1985)
- The Living Daylights (1987)
- GoldenEye (1995)
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The reboot order
In 2006, the character of James Bond was rebooted, with Daniel Craig’s debut as 007. The four films (soon to be five) that star Craig are all part of an interconnected narrative that becomes clear as the films move forward. They also serve as an origin story for Spectre. Here's the reboot order:
- Casino Royale (2006)
- Quantum of Solace (2008)
- Skyfall (2012)
- Spectre (2015)
- No Time to Die (2020)
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