(Photo by United Artists/courtesy Everett Collection)

Live and Let Die turns 50!

You know his name. You got his number. Since 1962, James Bond has been the spy whose reputation precedes him: As international man of mystery, as guru of gadgets and espionage thrills, and as the agent who never encountered a boundary – country, or personal space – he couldn’t sneak across.

The Ian Fleming adaptations started with a bang: Dr. No remains among the best-reviewed of 007’s movies, bringing forth that first legendary era of Sean Connery suited up as the debonair rogue that women crave and men aspire to be in vain. Case in point: 1967’s Casino Royale had no less than six James Bonds within its spooferifous walls, none holding a candle to the Con’. The non-comic caper is the worst-reviewed James Bond movie, and was produced outside of franchise gatekeepers Eon.

As celebrated was Connery’s reign was – the late actor’s films occupy three of the top five slots on this list – the sun sets on every empire, and thus was ushered in the age of the Lazenby. A mild administration for George, yes, with only 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service released, though Certified Fresh.

Then it became time to move over for Roger Moore, who offered a lightly winking and intelligent Bond for those burned-out ’70s times. Three of his movies are Rotten, three are Fresh, and one is Certified Fresh. Not bad, and he even traveled into space.

In 1981, Connery came back for non-Eon Bond Never Say Never Again, just as HQ was hiring Timothy Dalton for the job. Dalton’s Bond: Cool and menacing, and his films The Living Daylights and License to Kill are praised by modern fans for their dark, grittier take on the spy game. It’s something Daniel Craig would pick up on in the future, but with a bigger budget and fewer a-ha theme songs.

Pierce Brosnan brought back the sophisticated sex appeal, as the best Bond in the not-so-greatest movies. GoldenEye was intoxicating Certified Fresh fun, while the three that followed are all Rotten.

After Austin Powers took the piss out of the franchise for a decade, Eon turned to resurrecting James Bond as the brooding, brutish hulk we have today. Casino Royale was a return to form, Daniel Craig’s sneer and occasional smile calibrated to the modern cynical viewer. Skyfall was likewise Certified Fresh, but there was not so much critical love for in-betweener Quantum of Solace and the most-recent Spectre of 2015.

Six years passed until No Time To Die, the longest wait between Bond movies. At 15 years, Craig holds the record for longest uninterrupted on-screen ownership of Bond, but Connery spread his appearances as Bond across 21 years. Now, we’re reaching into the classified files for every James Bond movie ever ranked by Tomatometer!

#1

Adjusted Score: 106925%

Critics Consensus: Goldfinger is where James Bond as we know him comes into focus – it features one of 007’s most famous lines (“A martini. Shaken, not stirred.”) and a wide range of gadgets that would become the series’ trademark.

Synopsis: Special agent 007 (Sean Connery) comes face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time, and… [More]

#2

Adjusted Score: 104683%

Critics Consensus: The second James Bond film, From Russia with Love is a razor-sharp, briskly-paced Cold War thriller that features several electrifying action scenes.

Synopsis: Agent 007 (Sean Connery) is back in the second installment of the James Bond series, this time battling a secret… [More]

#3

Adjusted Score: 102115%

Critics Consensus: Featuring plenty of the humor, action, and escapist thrills the series would become known for, Dr. No kicks off the Bond franchise in style.

Synopsis: In the film that launched the James Bond saga, Agent 007 (Sean Connery) battles mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius… [More]

#4

Adjusted Score: 105166%

Critics Consensus: Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007.

Synopsis: After receiving a license to kill, British Secret Service agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) heads to Madagascar, where he uncovers… [More]

#5

Adjusted Score: 111013%

Critics Consensus: Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date.

Synopsis: When James Bond’s (Daniel Craig) latest assignment goes terribly wrong, it leads to a calamitous turn of events: Undercover agents… [More]

#6

Adjusted Score: 92006%

Critics Consensus: Lavishly rendered set pieces and Sean Connery’s enduring charm make Thunderball a big, fun adventure, even if it doesn’t quite measure up to the series’ previous heights.

Synopsis: Led by one-eyed evil mastermind Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), the terrorist group SPECTRE hijacks two warheads from a NATO plane… [More]

#7

Adjusted Score: 105077%

Critics Consensus: It isn’t the sleekest or most daring 007 adventure, but No Time to Die concludes Daniel Craig’s franchise tenure in satisfying style.

Synopsis: In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace… [More]

#8

Adjusted Score: 88237%

Critics Consensus: Though it hints at the absurdity to come in later installments, The Spy Who Loved Me’s sleek style, menacing villains, and sly wit make it the best of the Roger Moore era.

Synopsis: In a globe-trotting assignment that has him skiing off the edges of cliffs and driving a car deep underwater, British… [More]

#9

Adjusted Score: 89040%

Critics Consensus: George Lazenby’s only appearance as 007 is a fine entry in the series, featuring one of the most intriguing Bond girls in Tracy di Vincenzo (Diana Rigg), breathtaking visuals, and some great ski chases.

Synopsis: Agent 007 (George Lazenby) and the adventurous Tracy Di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) join forces to battle the evil SPECTRE organization… [More]

#10

Adjusted Score: 86181%

Critics Consensus: The first and best Pierce Brosnan Bond film, GoldenEye brings the series into a more modern context, and the result is a 007 entry that’s high-tech, action-packed, and urbane.

Synopsis: When a powerful satellite system falls into the hands of Alec Trevelyan, AKA Agent 006 (Sean Bean), a former ally-turned-enemy,… [More]

#11

Adjusted Score: 84498%

Critics Consensus: License to Kill is darker than many of the other Bond entries, with Timothy Dalton playing the character with intensity, but it still has some solid chases and fight scenes.

Synopsis: James Bond (Timothy Dalton) takes on his most-daring adventure after he turns renegade and tracks down one of the international… [More]

#12

Adjusted Score: 79944%

Critics Consensus: With exotic locales, impressive special effects, and a worthy central villain, You Only Live Twice overcomes a messy and implausible story to deliver another memorable early Bond flick.

Synopsis: During the Cold War, American and Russian spacecrafts go missing, leaving each superpower believing the other is to blame. As… [More]

#13

Adjusted Score: 78198%

Critics Consensus: Newcomer Timothy Dalton plays James Bond with more seriousness than preceding installments, and the result is exciting and colorful but occasionally humorless.

Synopsis: British secret agent James Bond (Timothy Dalton) helps KGB officer Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé) defect during a symphony performance. During… [More]

#14

Adjusted Score: 76324%

Critics Consensus: While the rehashed story feels rather uninspired and unnecessary, the return of both Sean Connery and a more understated Bond make Never Say Never Again a watchable retread.

Synopsis: An aging James Bond (Sean Connery) makes an uncharacteristic mistake during a routine training mission, leading M (Edward Fox) to… [More]

#15

Adjusted Score: 73966%

Critics Consensus: For Your Eyes Only trades in some of the outlandish Bond staples for a more sober outing, and the result is a satisfying adventure, albeit without some of the bombastic thrills fans may be looking for.

Synopsis: When a British ship is sunk in foreign waters, the world’s superpowers begin a feverish race to find its cargo:… [More]

#16

Adjusted Score: 72268%

Critics Consensus: While not one of the highest-rated Bond films, Live and Let Die finds Roger Moore adding his stamp to the series with flashes of style and an improved sense of humor.

Synopsis: When Bond (Roger Moore) investigates the murders of three fellow agents, he finds himself a target, evading vicious assassins as… [More]

#17

Adjusted Score: 76500%

Critics Consensus: Brutal and breathless, Quantum Of Solace delivers tender emotions along with frenetic action, but coming on the heels of Casino Royale, it’s still a bit of a disappointment.

Synopsis: Following the death of Vesper Lynd, James Bond (Daniel Craig) makes his next mission personal. The hunt for those who… [More]

#18

Adjusted Score: 81301%

Critics Consensus: Spectre nudges Daniel Craig’s rebooted Bond closer to the glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it’s admittedly reliant on established 007 formula.

Synopsis: A cryptic message from the past leads James Bond (Daniel Craig) to Mexico City and Rome, where he meets the… [More]

#19

Adjusted Score: 69890%

Critics Consensus: Diamonds are Forever is a largely derivative affair, but it’s still pretty entertaining nonetheless, thanks to great stunts, witty dialogue, and the presence of Sean Connery.

Synopsis: While investigating mysterious activities in the world diamond market, 007 (Sean Connery) discovers that his evil nemesis Blofeld (Charles Gray)… [More]

#20

Adjusted Score: 65423%

Critics Consensus: Featuring one of the series’ more ludicrous plots but outfitted with primo gadgets and spectacular sets, Moonraker is both silly and entertaining.

Synopsis: Agent 007 (Roger Moore) blasts into orbit in this action-packed adventure that takes him to Venice, Rio De Janeiro and… [More]

#21

Adjusted Score: 63168%

Critics Consensus: A competent, if sometimes by-the-numbers entry to the 007 franchise, Tomorrow Never Dies may not boast the most original plot but its action sequences are genuinely thrilling.

Synopsis: Media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) wants his news empire to reach every country on the globe, but the Chinese… [More]

#22

Adjusted Score: 62705%

Critics Consensus: Its action may be bit too over-the-top for some, but Die Another Day is lavishly crafted and succeeds in evoking classic Bond themes from the franchise’s earlier installments.

Synopsis: James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is captured by North Korean agents and must serve a grueling prison sentence. He’s finally released,… [More]

#23

Adjusted Score: 58355%

Critics Consensus: Plagued by mediocre writing, uneven acting, and a fairly by-the-numbers plot, The World Is Not Enough is partially saved by some entertaining and truly Bond-worthy action sequences.

Synopsis: Bond (Pierce Brosnan) must race to defuse an international power struggle with the world’s oil supply hanging in the balance…. [More]

#24

Adjusted Score: 46750%

Critics Consensus: Despite a couple of electrifying action sequences, Octopussy is a formulaic, anachronistic Bond outing.

Synopsis: James Bond (Roger Moore) may have met his match in Octopussy (Maud Adams), an entrancing beauty involved in a devastating… [More]

#25

Adjusted Score: 47781%

Critics Consensus: A middling Bond film, The Man With the Golden Gun suffers from double entendre-laden dialogue, a noteworthy lack of gadgets, and a villain that overshadows 007.

Synopsis: Cool government operative James Bond (Roger Moore) searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun’s heat into a… [More]

#26

Adjusted Score: 42597%

Critics Consensus: Absurd even by Bond standards, A View to a Kill is weighted down by campy jokes and a noticeable lack of energy.

Synopsis: After recovering a microchip from the body of a deceased colleague in Russia, British secret agent James Bond (Roger Moore)… [More]

#27

Adjusted Score: 30503%

Critics Consensus: A goofy, dated parody of spy movie clichés, Casino Royale squanders its all-star cast on a meandering, mostly laugh-free script.

Synopsis: This wacky send-up of James Bond films stars David Niven as the iconic debonair spy, now retired and living a… [More]