Why Roger Moore Has The 3 Worst-Rated James Bond Movies

The top three worst-rated James Bond films on Rotten Tomatoes all star Roger Moore, but seeing as Moore is widely considered one of the best actors to portray 007, the low critic ratings are something of a mystery. The answer may lie in the background of the films themselves and not necessarily Moore’s variation on the character since he injected humor into the franchise. For instance, while A View To Kill remains the lowest rated with a 37% Tomatometer, this does not mean it is the worst Bond film.

Roger Moore took up the mantle of Bond after Sean Connery’s return as the infamous MI6 agent. Moore first appeared as James Bond in 1973 for Live and Let Die, which follows 007 on a journey involving voodoo and gangsters. He has played Bond the longest out of any actor, filming seven movies in the franchise over the span of 12 years. Breakout star Timothy Dalton took the reins after Moore’s final Bond movie, A View To A Kill, which stars Christopher Walken as the main villain. Roger Moore’s run lasted from 1972 to 1985 and remains one of the most memorable Bond eras for its tongue-in-cheek sensibilities and generally light-hearted tone.

Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, averaging a compilation of professional critic reviews, generally do not dip lower than a 50% rating for James Bond films, but three of Roger Moore’s entries do. The three films rated the worst (excluding the 1967 Casino Royale) within the infamous spy franchise is Octopussy at 42%, The Man With The Golden Gun at 40%, and A View To A Kill which stands with a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, Moore is remembered as one of the greats when it comes to 007 contenders for his wit and boy-next-door charisma. There are a few faults in the franchise that occurred leading up to his final appearance in A View To A Kill that could explain the negative reception for Moore’s later films. Given that the audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes are higher than the critic scores, there are clearly parts to these movies ultimately worth appreciating, indicating that the movies’ poor reviews may have had more to do with external cultural factors than their actual quality.

Is A View To Kill Really The Worst James Bond Movie?

A View To Kill may be the lowest-rated James Bond film according to Rotten Tomatoes, but it should not be considered the worst Bond movie. Instead, it owes its reputation to circumstance rather than the actual merits of the film. For instance, Roger Moore was closing in on the end of an era when he filmed his final installment. The James Bond franchise was in desperate need of rebooting 007 as both critics and audiences were in disbelief an actor as old as Roger Moore could pull off such high-intensity spy missions. Even Moore’s reasoning behind leaving the franchise supports the idea that audiences could be uncomfortable with his growing age. In his last ever interview, Roger Moore confesses he quit because he was concerned he looked too old to be “hanging around women in their early twenties without it appearing creepy” (via Mirror). The engaging story and antagonists in A View To A Kill couldn’t cover the fact that Moore was noticeably done with James Bond, something that wasn’t really down to the film itself.

Another major factor as to why this movie might be rated the lowest is because of franchise fatigue. As adored as Moore’s humorous Bond is, his variation on the character is already well-established by his seventh film. Each Bond has their own unique style and by A View To A Kill, Moore’s light-hearted, funny Bond had grown stale. The lackluster energy and imagination in Moore’s conclusive installment do not make it a terrible Bond film, however, since famous character actor Christopher Walken’s enjoyably maniacal performance as a Bond villain keeps it from being overly tedious. Were it not for audience fatigue, it’s possible the reception for Moore’s performance and the film as a whole would have been very different.

Why Do Fans Still Love Roger Moore As James Bond?

Roger Moore’s 12-year era left a huge impression on audiences because he is still viewed as a fan-favorite 007 to this day. The lowest-rated Bond films all belonging to Moore’s era do not remove the fact that he stars in a few of the best entries the James Bond franchise has to offer. The reason for this is that his variation on the suave agent is refreshingly different compared to Connery and Lazenby’s. He is less domineering with his romantic liaisons and appeals to a wider audience because of his more down-to-earth approach to the character, shown primarily with his humor. It is likely he remains just as endearing to Bond fans now because his era daringly broke conventions that are still present in the franchise. Not only is Q missing from his first film Live and Let Die, but he never drives the infamous Aston Martin. He also plays the Bond most representative of the franchise’s sillier reputation. However, silly content like James Bond in space may have also been the turn-off that led to his films’ lower ratings.

The seven films Roger Moore made for the James Bond franchise all worked towards solidifying 007’s story as a continuous spy saga open to new ideas and progressive concepts. While the formula for Moore’s films may have grown stale nearing the end of his era, Moore accrued a huge following by committing to bold choices. The three lowest-rated James Bond films on Rotten Tomatoes do not prove that Roger Moore’s Bond era is the worst – by contrast, they actually demonstrate many of the qualities that made his movies so popular.