Consider this is your license to binge. A complete guide to watching every James Bond movie in order Consider this is your license to binge. By Sezin Devi Koehler January 27, 2026 12:01 p.m. ET Leave a Comment :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/GOLDFINGERSeanConnerySkyfallDanielCraigGOLDENEYEPierceBrosnan012626582c6d6f28ab4184bee2d8581cd4aa08.jpg) The Bond Variations: Sean Connery in 'Goldfinger,' Daniel Crag in 'Skyfall,' Pierce Brosnan in 'GoldenEye'.

Consider this is your license to binge.

A complete guide to watching every James Bond movie in order

Consider this is your license to binge.

By Sezin Devi Koehler

January 27, 2026 12:01 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

The Bond Variations: Sean Connery in 'Goldfinger,' Daniel Crag in 'Skyfall,' Pierce Brosnan in 'GoldenEye'. Credit:

Courtesy Everett; Francois Duhamel/Columbia Pictures; United Artists/Courtesy Everett

For over six decades, Special Agent 007 has been a pop culture staple, captivating audiences with his, shall we say, creative solutions to international conflict.

From one political dilemma to another, and from one woman to another, James Bond has been one of cinema's defining figures. He's also a fashion icon and trendsetter, from suit cuts to watches to, of course, his patented martini. Every actor to play the dashing spy over the years has become defined by the role, for better or worse.

The theme songs, which have earned three Oscars and two Grammys, are another indelible signature. Like each new installment and each new Bond, the franchise's music has always reflected the time period, becoming part of the total experience just as much as the clothes and the Bond girls. And let's not forget Q, punny procurer of Bond's various high-tech gadgets and toys. The man who originated the role, Desmond Llewelyn, survived five iterations of Bond before his 1999 death.

If you'd like to trace 007's journey from the beginning to end, here's how to watch every James Bond film in order.

Dr. No (1962)

James Bond (Sean Connery) makes his entrance into film history in 'Dr. No'.

Courtesy Everett

Setting a high bar for every Bond to come afterward is Sean Connery in *Dr. No,* carrying a career-defining role and a remarkable accent for 007. While *Dr. No *was Ian Fleming's sixth Bond novel, it's the agent's big-screen debut, helping to define the action genre as we know it. It introduced the theme music that remains mostly unchanged today, as well as the signature gun-barrel title sequence. Every installment has followed suit, pun intended.

The first Bond film features Honey Ryder's (Ursula Andress) legendary entrance out of the ocean (the white bikini, the seashell), and introduced two key recurring players: Bond's beleaguered boss M (Bernard Lee) and his secretary Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell), whose crush on Bond is the stuff of legend.

Where to watch *Dr. No*: Netflix

From Russia With Love (1963)

Robert Shaw and Sean Connery in 'From Russia With Love'.

Courtesy Everett

Acclaimed as one of the best 007 entries, *From Russia With Love *was a smash-hit that solidified the franchise's staying power. In many ways this is a quintessential Cold War thriller, firmly rooted in the cinematic conventions the franchise was reinventing on the fly, but with palpable shades of real world politics.

The plot offers real stakes, with one villainous scheme nesting inside another, a classic honey trap that sets up a bigger trap. Meanwhile, in the history of Bond vs. Bond villains going head-to-head, few can match Connery squaring off against Robert Shaw's ice-blond SPECTRE assassin.

Where to watch *From Russia With Love*: Netflix

Goldfinger (1964)

Shirley Eaton painted in 'Goldfinger' is one of the most iconic images in the Bond franchise.

Courtesy Everett

*Goldfinger* boasts one of the most shocking deaths put to screen, in which a woman painted head to toe in gold-dust suffers a dazzling suffocation. That beautifully grotesque image remains among the franchise's most iconic visuals. *Goldfinger *also features the regrettably named Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) and her all-female martial-arts/pilot gang, the Flying Circus, as well as the henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata).

Then there's the trope to end all tropes: the supervillain's over-the-top death device that our hero escapes just in the nick of time. Here, it's an industrial laser that comes dangerously close to eliminating the very manhood by which Bond has made his reputation.

Where to watch *Goldfinger*: Netflix

Thunderball (1965)

Sean Connery and Claudine Auger in 'Thunderball'.

Courtesy Everett

Bond's ongoing battle against SPECTRE continues in *Thunderball*. The terrorist organization has gotten its hands on two atomic bombs, part of an effort to blackmail the U.K. and the United States. It's a simple ransom at heart — "Give us money or we'll blow up one of your major cities" — that sets the stage for a marvelous cat-and-mouse thriller involving face-swapping, a vintage femme fatale (Luciana Paluzzi), and an elaborately choreographed underwater action climax.

This is the early Bond era at its biggest and splashiest (pun intended), and Connery gets a prime showcase for his comic timing and athletic prowess.

Where to watch *Thunderball*: Netflix

You Only Live Twice (1967)

Donald Pleasence's Blofeld, Sean Connery's Bond, and, most importantly, a cat in 'You Only Live Twice'. Everett Collection

Written by children's book author Roald Dahl, *You Only Live Twice *is the first Fleming adaptation to be only loosely based on its source material. It also came along at an interesting time for the genre. Cinemas had been flooded with spy movies by this point; even the Bond spoof *Casino Royale*, released the same year, rivaled the real 007 film's popularity.

*You Only Live Twice* makes franchise history by finally showing us the face of Blofeld (Donald Pleasence), head of SPECTRE. The character was previously only seen from behind or in close-ups of his hands petting his sinister white kitty.

Where to watch *You Only Live Twice*: Netflix

An Agent of Change: How each James Bond actor personified his era

How James Bond author Ian Fleming created a movie icon

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

George Lazenby and Diana Rigg in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.

Courtesy Everett

While *On Her Majesty's Secret Service *was met with general animosity from fans and critics upon release, the film has seen an extraordinary reappraisal in the decades since, with some even ranking it as the best Bond film. In his film debut, Australian model George Lazenby took over for Connery, while Diana Rigg appeared as Bond girl turned Bond wife.

*OHMSS *presents a humanized Bond who forgoes service to Her Majesty the Queen for love and marriage. The action sequences and location photography, particularly scenes on the slopes in the Swiss Alps, have aged just as well. Lazenby declined to continue the role — a decision he came to regret.

Where to watch *On Her Majesty's Secret Service*: Netflix

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Sean Connery and Jill St. John in 'Diamonds Are Forever'.

Courtesy Everett

After the modest but disappointing box-office haul of *OHMSS*, the franchise brought Connery out of his (first) Bond retirement to get things back on track. And it worked! Going back to the old formula, *Diamonds Are Forever* plays the hits: a womanizing Bond, a preposterous villain scheme, and several action scenes where 007 simply kicks ass.

There's good old-fashioned espionage, too — Bond goes undercover in a diamond smuggling operation that ties back to, yes, Blofeld. Despite the film's success, Connery once again called it quits after its release. He returned 12 years later for the non-EON *Never Say Never Again*, which many consider non-canon.

Where to watch *Diamonds Are Forever*: Netflix

Live and Let Die (1973)

Yaphet Kotto and Roger Moore (and yes, that's Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman in the background) in 'Live and Let Die'.

Courtesy Everett

*Live and Let Die *brought several firsts to the franchise. It was Roger Moore's debut as 007, bringing a posh, playful sophistication to the role. It was also the first Bond film that didn't have a wannabe world dictator as its villain. Instead it was rooted in more realistic conditions like drug dealing and human trafficking, with a kingpin at its center: Kananga (Yaphet Kotto). *Live and Let Die* also notably broke the color barrier, with Bond's relationship with a Black woman, Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), being among the foremost mainstream films to feature an interracial romance.

Where to watch* Live and Let Die*: Amazon Prime Video

The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)

Christopher Lee in 'The Man With the Golden Gun'.

Courtesy Everett

Moore's second Bond outing, *The Man With the Golden Gun *features Christopher Lee as the assassin Scaramanga, a role that would have been camp in anyone else's hands. Instead, Lee elevates it to almost Shakespearean heights. *Golden Gun *also gives us another iconic henchman in Nick Nack (Hervé Villechaize), a perfect foil to Lee's grounded work as the ubervillain.

Another unique feature here is Maud Adams as Scaramanga's lover, Andrea Anders. The actress is one of the only Bond girls to reappear in the franchise as a different character, doing so nearly a decade later in *Octopussy*.

Where to watch *The Man With the Golden Gun*: Netflix

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Roger Moore and Barbara Bach in 'The Spy Who Loved Me'.

Courtesy Everett

*The Spy Who Loved Me, *a.k.a. the underwater car one, sees Bond go up against Karl Stromberg (Curt Jürgens), a wealthy maniac who intends to provoke World War III and create a new civilization at the bottom of the ocean. Appropriately, Stromberg's henchman is named Jaws, played by the inimitable Richard Kiel, whose metal teeth and imposing physique make for some of the franchise's most memorable fight scenes.

Of course, those fights have nothing on this film's most iconic sequence: an opening set piece involving a downhill ski chase that concludes with Bond jumping off a mountain and parachuting to safety.

Where to watch *The Spy Who Loved Me*: Netflix

Moonraker (1979)

Hi, Jaws! Richard Kiel, Richard Kiel's metal teeth, and Roger Moore in 'Moonraker'.

United Artists/Courtesy Everett

After the Moonraker Space Shuttle is hijacked midair from an aircraft carrier, Bond is sent to investigate. He soon finds himself in the middle of a bioterrorism plot concocted by the Moonraker's own creator, Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), who wants to wipe out huge chunks of the human population.

*Moonraker *marks the first henchman encore: Jaws returns for another epic fight with Bond. Once again he survives, eventually becoming Drax's bodyguard. This movie also returns to Bond girl double entendre form with Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles), an astronaut.

Where to watch *Moonraker*: Netflix

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Roger Moore showing off his car in 'For Your Eyes Only'.

United Artists/Courtesy Everett

After the franchise's previous sci-fi adventure, *For Your Eyes Only *comes back down to Earth. Bond is tasked with finding a stealth missile control system that could lead to global annihilation if it falls into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, Julian Glover plays Roger Moore's foe, Aristotle Kristatos.

Bond isn't the only one who'd love to see Kristatos dead: *For Your Eyes Only *also features Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet), who's out to avenge her parents' death at Kristatos' orders, and Milos Columbo (Chaim Topol), Kristato's former smuggling partner turned No. 1 enemy.

Where to watch *For Your Eyes Only*: Netflix

Octopussy (1983)

Roger Moore in 'Octopussy'.

United Artists/Courtesy Everett

The theft of a coveted Fabergé egg opens *Octopussy*, spinning a tale of international intrigue and the smuggling of historically significant art and jewelry. At the center of it all is Orlov (Steven Berkoff), a Russian operative looking to expand his country's colonization of the world. Also in play is Octopussy (Maud Adams) and her traveling circus, whom Orlov is using as a front for his smuggling operation.

Orlov's plan is to detonate a nuclear warhead on the U.S. naval base in Germany, presumptively inspiring European powers to dismantle their nuclear programs, leaving their borders open for Russian invasion.

Where to watch *Octopussy*: Netflix

Never Say Never Again (1983)

Sean Connery dons Bond's tux for the last time in 'Never Say Never Again'.

Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett

Why were there two Bond movies (and two Bonds) in one year? The tl;dr version is it all ties back to a legal battle between Fleming and *Thunderball*'s screenwriters, which resulted in EON Productions losing film rights to the novel. *Never Say Never Again* is essentially a *Thunderball *remake: the two stolen bombs, the ransom, the underwater fight, the whole bit. Thus, this non-EON Bond film is technically not considered a part of the series' canon.

But the film is most notable for being Connery's (brief) return as 007. That he's a creakier, aging Bond does not escape the screenplay's notice. *Never* also features Max Von Sydow as Blofeld and a young Kim Basinger as a Bond girl.

Where to watch *Never Say Never Again*: Netflix

A View to a Kill (1985)

Christopher Walken and Grace Jones in 'A View to a Kill'.

MGM/Courtesy Everett

In addition to being Moore's last jaunt as 007, *A View to a Kill *is notable for several reasons. Among them is the wondrous Grace Jones as May Day, the villain Max Zorin's (Christopher Walken) henchwoman and lover (and an absolute fashion icon, to boot).

With a rocking intro song from Duran Duran, the music of *A View to a Kill *stands out among the best in the franchise. There's also a particularly memorable climactic sequence set around the Golden Gate Bridge.

Where to watch *A View to a Kill*: Netflix

The Living Daylights (1987)

Timothy Dalton (in his first Bond movie) and Maryam d'Abo in 'The Living Daylights'.

Courtesy Everett

Some major changes arrive along with a new Bond, Timothy Dalton, in *The Living Daylights*. This new 007 era comes without Lois Maxwell after her 14-film run with the Moneypenny role. The actress reportedly requested her character be killed off, but the role was instead recast with Caroline Bliss, who only lasted as long as Dalton's two-film run as the superspy.

As it turned out, Dalton was a reluctant casting choice on all sides. His more grounded take on Bond, in many ways the antithesis of Moore's version, didn't make the impact producers hoped.

Where to watch *The Living Daylights*: Netflix

License to Kill (1989)

Timothy Dalton (in his last Bond movie) and Carey Lowell in 'License to Kill'.

Snap/Shutterstock

*License to Kill *marked two key franchise firsts: It was the first film to *not *be named after a Fleming book, and it was the first to be primarily filmed outside the U.K.

Principal photography took place in the U.S. and Mexico, as much of the plot revolves around Florida's tropical getaway Key West. Look closely and you'll see a young Benicio del Toro as the villainous Franz Sanchez's (Robert Davi) henchman.

Where to watch *License to Kill*: Netflix

GoldenEye (1995)

Pierce Brosnan and Izabella Scorupco usher in a new Bond era in 'GoldenEye'.

Keith Hamshere/MGM

Pierce Brosnan was reportedly Bond producers' first choice to replace Moore, but his *Remington Steele *obligations threw a wrench into those plans. Come 1995, Brosnan finally took the role for *GoldenEye*, bringing back the debonair, devil-may-care version of Bond — part superhero, part super agent.

Plot-wise, Brosnan's Bond sees things get personal right away, as it's his close friend and fellow agent, 006 Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), who serves up the villainous goods. This was the first Bond movie since the fall of the Soviet Union, and its wholly original story sets the dissolution of the USSR as its backdrop.

Where to watch *GoldenEye*: Netflix

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh in 'Tomorrow Never Dies'.

Courtesy Everett

In yet another post-Cold War narrative, *Tomorrow Never Dies *features a complicated arms trafficking plot involving Russia and China, introducing Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese special agent and Teri Hatcher as a pseudo-turncoat — she goes from Bond's ex-girlfriend to the big bad's wife.

The franchise makes an interesting, counterintuitive pivot on the villain front: in Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), we have a billionaire media tycoon using the digital revolution to manipulate global events and start a war for his own nefarious purposes. It's less sexy than raiding Fort Knox or wiping out the human race, but admittedly more prescient.

Where to watch *Tomorrow Never Dies*: Netflix

The World Is Not Enough (1999)

Sophie Marceau has her way with Pierce Brosnan in 'The World Is Not Enough'.

MGM/Courtesy Everett

Directed by ace journeyman Michael Apted, *The World Is Not Enough *is a straightforward yet at times campy installment. Look no further than '90s "it girl" Denise Richards as nuclear physicist Christmas Jones (and the howlingly on-the-nose double entendre that name sets up), or John Cleese's special appearance as "R," an in-joke about his role as Q's successor-in-training. (Tragically, Desmond Llewelyn was killed in a car accident before the film's release, ending his nearly four-decade run.)

The plot revolves around the murder of a businessman and kidnapping of his daughter (Sophie Marceau) by a megalomaniacal terrorist, Renard (Robert Carlyle), who, of course, is ex-KGB.

Where to watch *The World Is Not Enough*: Netflix

Die Another Day (2002)

Halle Berry and Pierce Brosnan in 'Die Another Day'.

Keith Hamshere/MGM

Brosnan's last outing was the franchise's 40th anniversary. Thus, *Die Another Day* is uncharacteristically loaded with easter eggs referencing the canon, including Halle Berry mirroring Ursula Andress' *Dr. No *entrance, but in an orange* *bikini instead of white.

The villain, Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), was modeled after the Nazi Hugo Drax in *Moonraker*, who stole the identity of a soldier to rebuild his life. Here, Graves' original self was a North Korean war criminal who used genetic therapy to change his appearance. This movie features Rosamund Pike as a sexy double agent and, yes, an *invisible car *speeding across a frozen lake. What more could you want?

Where to watch *Die Another Day*: Netflix

Casino Royale (2006)

Daniel Craig's Bond and the woman who will haunt him for literally his entire run, Eva Green, in 'Casino Royale'.

Jay Maidment/Columbia

With Daniel Craig assuming the 007 mantle in *Casino Royale*, we got a fresh take that aligned with Fleming's version: a vulnerable, easily injured (physically and otherwise), less polished MI6 spy who loses as much as he wins. This Bond also catered to a more intersectional gaze; one of his first appearances is a spin on Andress' iconic surf saunter, with only a Speedo between Bond and the water.

Mads Mikkelsen was built in a lab to play a Bond villain, and his Le Chiffre doesn't disappoint. But it's the Bond girl who steals the show. As double agent Vesper Lynd, Eva Green is such a powerful figure that her memory haunts Bond for the entirety of Craig's tenure.

Where to watch *Casino Royale*: Netflix

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko in 'Quantum of Solace'.

Karen Ballard/Columbia

Where *Casino Royale *was a stealth love story, *Quantum of Solace *is a rip-roaring revenge tale that takes Bond around the world in a fiery rampage of retribution for Vesper. Practically speaking, everything revolves around the mysterious organization Quantum, which has apparently orchestrated too many subplots to count. Jeffrey Wright appears as Bond's CIA counterpart, Felix Leiter.

Mathieu Amalric, as a Quantum VIP masquerading as a legitimate businessman, slips nicely into the tradition of chillingly disaffected European baddies. We also have Gemma Arterton's Strawberry Fields, whose character and look were styled after the 1960s Bond girls.

Where to watch *Quantum of Solace*: Netflix

Skyfall (2012)

Spy vs. spy: Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem in 'Skyfall'.

Francois Duhamel/Sony

Sam Mendes' *Skyfall *returns with Naomie Harris as an upgraded Moneypenny, who isn't just a secretary but a full-blown field agent. We also have a young Q, with Ben Whishaw bringing a fresh nerdiness to the role. Then there's the embittered ex-MI6 agent Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), whose gripes against Her Majesty's Secret Service are numerous, putting him firmly in "sympathetic villain" territory.

This is the rare Bond movie that transcended its place within the franchise and became a modern classic in its own right. It only takes one glimpse of the Shanghai fight scene's silhouettes, or Silva's attempt to disarm a handcuffed Bond, to know why.

Where to watch *Skyfall*: Netflix

25. Spectre (2015)

Lea Seydoux and Daniel Craig in 'Spectre'.

Jonathan Olley/Sony/Columbia

*Spectre* solidified the Craig era's commitment to a more serialized approach to Bond. Whereas the franchise's first few decades were all one-off adventures, the 21st century incarnation leaned on personal mythology. Suddenly — and controversially — James Bond had a past, a childhood, a whole backstory.

Thus, when Craig finally meets his Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), this version is not just his nemesis but his adopted brother, as the series continues unraveling the man behind the spy. *Spectre* also notably opens with a terrific Day of the Dead set piece — and finally fulfills Monica Bellucci's Bond girl destiny.

Where to watch *Spectre*: Netflix

No Time to Die (2021)

Rami Malek closes out the Daniel Craig era in 'No Time to Die'.

*No Time to Die *merges the modern, tormented Bond with an old-school "megalomaniacal billionaire" archetype. In Craig's swan song, Bond has been "retired" for five years, his 007 handle passed on to a new agent (Lashana Lynch). Once Bond is back in business, albeit for the CIA, he's grappling with a loss of identity as he faces Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek).

The thorny psychological dynamics between Safin, Bond, and Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) justify the Craig era's more personal, vulnerable interpretation of the character and the world he inhabits. Ultimately, there's plenty of time to die, as Bond makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the world.

Where to watch *No Time to Die*: Netflix

How to watch the James Bond movies in release order:**

- *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)

- *Never Say Never Again* (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)

- *No Time to Die* (2021)

- Action Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Action"

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Source: Action

Published: January 27, 2026 at 07:38PM on Source: RED MAG

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