The Best & Worst Bond Movie From Each 007 Actor, According To IMDb

With No Time to Die came an end to the Daniel Craig era of James Bond films, marking the sixth time an actor has retired from the role since Sean Connery first took up the big-screen character in 1962’s Dr. No. Thanks to IMDb, audiences can give their own ratings for each film and let the world know how they feel about each entry.

So, in honor of the franchise’s 60th anniversary, what are the highs as well as lows of each actor’s run, according to viewers? Of note, since On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (6.7/10) is George Lazenby’s only film, he won’t be counted among the rest.

Sean Connery

Best: Goldfinger (1964) – 7.7 (Rent on Vudu)

Connery’s third appearance as the character has garnered not only the highest score, but also the most ratings on IMDb of his outings as the character. There are several reasons it’s Connery’s best Bond movie, among them being the villains and the iconic moments.

Auric Goldfinger and his sidekick, Oddjob, are among the most memorable villains of the Bond franchise, setting a high bar for the future. The scene of Ursula Andress emerging from the water was a groundbreaking, iconic moment in cinema history, as was the scene where Bond is threatened by the laser.

Worst: Never Say Never Again (1983) – 6.6 (Rent On Vudu)

While Connery stated that Diamonds Are Forever (6.8) would be his last film, he returned to the role well into the Roger Moore era. Because Never Say Never Again wasn’t made by Eon Productions, this film actually came out the same year as Roger Moore’s official Bond film Octopussy.

Seeing Connery reprise the role almost a decade later does save the film in some ways, but with Connery having grown older, it also created certain limitations as to what could be done with the character. Its change in tone from what audiences were well used to with Moore may not have helped.

Roger Moore

Best: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – 7.1 (Rent On Vudu)

Perhaps three really is a lucky number, since Roger Moore’s third appearance as Bond is also his highest-rated. By this point, Moore’s version of the character was what audiences had come to expect, and was so iconic by this point that it is referenced by the Austin Powers series in the title of its second film, The Spy Who Shagged Me.

The Spy Who Loved Me also fascinates because it features a Soviet agent teaming up with Bond to save the day, a bold story to tell considering that in 1977, the Cold War was in full swing. This also departs from Bond installments of the past, most particularly Connery’s From Russia with Love.

Worst: Moonraker (1979) – 6.3 (Rent On Apple TV)

Although Moonraker and A View to a Kill both sit at 6.3, Moonraker has a few thousand more votes, leading it to take the cake on this one. Moonraker features Moore’s Bond on a worldwide adventure that eventually ends in a climax in outer space.

A successful film franchise is often tempted to top itself by going bigger, and what’s bigger than going to space? Unfortunately, bigger doesn’t always mean better, and it’s clearly the case with Moonraker‘s less-than-stellar score, although like Moore’s best, it also inspired part of the Austin Powers series, so that’s something.

Timothy Dalton

Best: The Living Daylights (1987) – 6.7 (Rent On Vudu)

Dalton’s version of the character came on board after A View to a Kill, one of the lowest-rated films in the Bond franchise when it comes to critics and audiences, with the hope of revitalizing the franchise. Maintaining the Soviet Union vs. the West dynamic of earlier films, Living Daylights also takes direct inspiration from the novels.

James Bond is best known for his characterization on film, the suave, debonair spy, but creator Ian Fleming’s novel also had a darker component to the character, one that wouldn’t be fully realized until Craig’s iteration, but which started to develop with Dalton.

Worst: Licence To Kill (1989) – 6.6 (Rent On Vudu)

The second of Dalton’s two films, Licence to Kill features Bond being suspended by MI6 and going rogue in order to help get revenge on drug kingpin Franz Sanchez, who has maimed Felix Leiter and murdered Leiter’s new wife.

The setup may be cited as an example of the “women in refrigerators” trope, but at the same time, the film presents a strong divergence from the normal Bond formula. After all, what is Bond if he’s not an MI6 agent with a license to kill? Take a superhero’s powers away, and the story can then explore what makes them what they are. The execution may have faltered, but the premise is still bold.

Pierce Brosnan

Best: GoldenEye (1995) – 7.2 (Stream on Amazon Prime)

It may have been the inspiration for the classic Nintendo 64 game of the same name, but GoldenEye was also a successful film in its own right, introducing the world to Brosnan’s underrated version of James Bond, as well as giving audiences the first appearance of Judi Dench as M, with her reprisal in the Craig movies being cited as evidence of James Bond being a codename.

As the first Bond film after the Cold War, the film has the GoldenEye satellite be a relic of the Soviet Union, but shifts the formula around by having one of MI6’s own be the main villain, and also adds to its reinvention by having the main antagonist, Alec Trevelyan, be a sympathetic character.

Worst: Die Another Day (2002) – 6.1 (Rent On Vudu)

Okay, there’s not really any defending this one, which is the lowest-rated of all the Bond films on IMDb, and as the final film of Brosnan’s run, left a sour taste in fans’ mouths for his version of the character. Perhaps the best thing about it is that it led to a willingness to reboot the franchise with Daniel Craig’s Bond.

One of the most glaring issues with it is the lackluster CGI, which has only looked worse with the passage of time. There is something to be said for ambition, but at the same time, there’s nothing wrong with admitting that the technology isn’t ready yet. Working within limitations can also lead to exciting stories.

Daniel Craig

Best: Casino Royale (2006) – 8.0 (Stream On Netflix)

According to IMDb, Craig’s Casino Royale reboot was a massive shift in quality for the franchise after Die Another Day‘s low, jumping almost two entire points in the ratings and nabbing the top spot among all James Bond films.

Craig’s Bond was a true reinvention, acting as an origin story for the character, allowing for character growth across the franchise. Even if this had been Craig’s only Bond, though, it would have satisfied viewers with its high-stakes poker game, enthralling portrayal of Le Chiffre by Mads Mikkelson, and Bond and Vesper’s tragic love story.

Worst: Quantum Of Solace (2008) – 6.6 (Stream On Netflix)

It’s kind of hard to make a good film when it’s written in a hurry. According to co-screenwriter Paul Haggis, he finished his script about two hours before the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, one which had a massive impact on film and TV production in that time frame.

While not the lowest-rated of all Bond films, it is the lowest rated of Craig’s era, and that’s likely due to the poor planning in the writing phase. Mostly, it’s just such a disappointment after the thrilling cliffhanger that Casino Royale ended on, and the fact that the previous film was also so acclaimed.

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