Licensed to binge: Watch Bond movies in the order of their IMDb ratings

When Ian Fleming created James Bond, the fictional spy who has travelled the world on Her Majesty's Secret Service, he did realize its cinematic potential. However, even Fleming would've baulked at the thought of fans spending the Christmas and New Year holidays binge-watching 24 of the 25 Bond movies released to date. 

This is exactly what Amazon Prime has accomplished by getting 24 of the 25 Bond movies released thus far into a list that is binge-worthy and beyond. And if one is planning to spend the Christmas holidays at home, a couple of movies a day could well be a great way to spend time. 

The only movie that's missing from this list is the latest flick No Time to Die, which also happens to be the final one where Daniel Craig is essaying the role of the British MI6 agent. The movie was released in September 2021 and is the fifth one for Craig, who began his innings as James Bond with Casino Royale in 2006. 

Just so that you're aware, Amazon has sought to acquire MGM, the studios behind all Bond films, since May 2021. Of course, Eon Studios that owns the rights, is not keen on a change in ownership. Because they don't want Bond movies becoming like the Marvel movies franchise. One where a Young Bond or other characters could pop out of the woodwork in full-length movies. 

We present a quick reference guide on all the James Bond movies below where we have rated the movies based on the IMDb ratings. 

Casino Royale

Synopsis - This was the first story written by Ian Fleming, but the movie itself came out several years later. It tells the story of how James Bond gets his 00 status in the British MI6 network with a license to kill. In his first mission, James Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro. 

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Skyfall

In this movie, James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. Unlike other movies from the past, this one was shot in dark hues and the theme, as well as the mood of the entire movie, appeared to be one that boded bad tidings for the key characters. 

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Goldfinger

Goldfinger has James Bond investigating gold smuggling by a business magnate Auric Goldfinger and eventually uncovering a plot to contaminate the United States Bullion depository at Fort Knox. This was the first Bond blockbuster that saw budgets equal those of its two preceding movies combined. It was the first movie that led to promotional tie-in items like an Aston Martin DB5. 

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From Russia with Love

The story tracks James Bond across multiple continents as he willingly falls into an assassination plot involving a Russian beauty to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. - an international crime syndicate. They come back in the reckoning in another Bond adventure that was released 52 years later. The movie had a wider global audience. 

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Dr. No

James Bond travels to Jamaica after a fellow agent goes missing. The trail leads him to an underground base of Dr. No, a nefarious scientist plotting to disrupt an early American space program from Cape Canaveral. Though this was the first Bond movie ever made, it wasn't the first novel from Ian Fleming. The movie does refer to some threads from earlier books. 

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GoldenEye

The movie came after a six-year hiatus of the series caused by some legal issues. It was the first time Pierce Brosnan essayed Bond. The movie tracks Bond chasing a secret space weapons program that gets stolen. He also has a personal agenda that leads to a probe into a fellow agent's death years ago. Bond's target is to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using the weapon. 

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The Spy Who Loved Me

Though the movie borrows from its title from the novel by Ian Fleming, the plot has little in common as James Bond peeks into the life of a reclusive megalomaniac Karl Stromberg who wants to destroy civilization and create a new one under the sea. The movie had underwater scenes as well as a set built to replicate the insides of a supertanker.  

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Thunderball

The film follows James Bond's mission to locate two atomic bombs of NATO stolen by SPECTRE. They demand $100 million in diamonds and threaten to destroy cities in either the UK or the US. This was the fourth movie in the franchise and had to face some legal issues prior to its release. It was also the third and final film to be helmed by Terence Young. 

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You Only Live Twice

James Bond is on a mission to Japan after a US and Soviet crew and their spacecraft disappear in orbit. Both countries blame each other amidst the Cold War. It is up to the MI6 agent to travel secretly to a Japanese island and find the perpetrators. In the process, he comes face-to-face with Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE, who is revealed for the first time.  

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Spectre

The story sees James Bond battling Spectre and their leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld who are launching a global surveillance network to mastermind criminal activities. All the action scenes prioritized practical effects and stunts while computer imagery for the movie was made by five different companies. This was the 24th movie of the series and the final one in this playlist (for now). 

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Live and Let Die

The story follows James Bond chasing a Harlem drug lord who plans to distribute two tons of heroin free to put rivals out of business. Mr Big is the alter ego of Dr Kananga, a Caribbean dictator of a  fictional island where opium is grown. Instead of the supervillains from earlier movies, this one had the drug mafia as the main villain. It was Roger Moore's first as Bond. 

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The Man With The Golden Gun

The movie has the global energy crisis of 1973 as the backdrop where the British are yet to overcome it. James Bond is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin, while he attempts to recover sensitive solar cell technology being sold to the highest bidder. For the first time, the movie has kung fu scenes reflecting a craze for martial arts movies of the Bruce Lee era. 

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For Your Eyes Only

James Bond needs to locate a missile command system but gets enmeshed in a web of deceit spun by a Greek tycoon and a woman seeking to avenge the murder of her parents. The movie had elements from Ian Fleming novels including Live and Let Die, Goldfinger and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Scottish pop star Sheena Jackson did the title track of the film. 

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On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Following Sean Connery's decision to retire, Eon chose George Lazenby, a model with no prior acting experience, played Bond. He faces Blofeld who is now planning to hold the world ransom with a threat to render all plants and livestock infertile through some angels of death. The film was also a first for its director and in spite of debutants got good collections. 

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Diamonds Are Forever

This became Sean Connery's last Bond film after Lazenby left the franchise after just one appearance. He was paid a record salary for the return. In the movie, Bond has to impersonate a diamond smuggler to infiltrate a global syndicate that results in the uncovering of a plot by arch enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld to use diamonds as a laser weapon in space war. 

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The Living Daylights

This was the first of two Bond movies to feature British actor Timothy Dalton. In this, he is investigating a KGB ploy to kill enemy spies and ends up unearthing a cache of arms that could blow up the world. This was the last Bond movie to borrow its title from an Ian Fleming novel before the arrival of Casino Royale in 2006. The Dalton era saw Bond as a tough spy with a low glamour quotient. 

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Quantum of Solace

The movie sees Bond seeking revenge for the death of his lover Vesper Lynd, and is assisted by Camille Montes who wants to avenge the murder of her own family. Their trail leads to a wealthy businessman Dominic Green, who is a member of the Quantum organization that is attempting to stage a coup in Bolivia to get control over their water supply. 

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License to Kill

In some ways, this was a precursor to Quantum of Solace as Bond turns vengeful for the first time and goes rogue. He infiltrates a drug mafia and takes it down, avenging his colleague's new wife. This also happens to be the first in the series to not use a title from Ian Fleming's works. It was the first of the series to be shot entirely out of the United Kingdom and Dalton's final appearance. 

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Octopussy

This is one Bond film where India shot into the limelight. It had Kabir Bedi essaying the bad guy and tennis star Vijay Amritraj playing the role of a local agent. Bond is in India to probe a fellow agent's death that leads to an international jewel-smuggling operation headed by the mysterious Octopussy. The jewels can be used to disguise a nuclear attack on NATO forces. 

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Tomorrow Never Dies

This was James Bond taking on a media baron who plans to induce war between the Chinese and Britain to capture media coverage. Reminds one of The Almighty, a novel from 1982 written by Irving Wallace. The movie opened on the same day as the Titanic and has been described as the only Bond movie of Brosnan not to have got a top-of-the-pile opening. 

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The World Is Not Enough

The movie's title comes from the translation of the motto on the fictional Bond family coat of arms seen in an earlier movie. Bond probes the killing of billionaire Robert King by a terrorist while protecting his daughter Elektra. During the assignment, he unravels a scheme of artificially hiking global oil prices by setting up a nuclear meltdown in the waters around Istanbul. 

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Moonraker

A movie that sought to ride on the Star Wars popularity, Bond probes the theft of a space shuttle leading him to the owner of its manufacturer and a space scientist. The movie traverses from California to Venice, Rio de Janeiro and finally the Amazon rain forests before heading into outer space. It had high production costs but became the highest-grossing Bond movie till 1995. 

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A View To A Kill

This was Roger Moore's final appearance as Bond. Though the title was borrowed from one of Ian Fleming's short stories, it had an original screenplay where Bond is on a mission to catch a mad industrialist who plans to create a global microchip monopoly to put California's Silicon Valley on the blink. There was some criticism that Moore at 53 was too old to play Bond. 

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Die Another Day

This was Brosnan's last outing as James Bond but he had the privilege of co-starring with Halle Berry, who had won an Oscar for best actress just then. He also shared the screen with acclaimed British actress Rosamund Pike. But, none of these could save the movie from one of the weakest plots. However, it did manage to hit pay dirt, thanks to the special effects. 

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Bond movies in sequence of their release

• 1962 - Dr. No
• 1963 - From Russia With Love
• 1964 - Goldfinger
• 1965 - Thunderball
• 1967 - You Only Live Twice
• 1969 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service
• 1971 - Diamonds Are Forever
• 1973 - Live And Let Die
• 1974 - Man With The Golden Gun
• 1977 - The Spy Who Loved Me
• 1979 - Moonraker
• 1981 - For Your Eyes Only
• 1983 - Octopussy
• 1985 - A View To A Kill
• 1987 - The Living Daylights
• 1989 - License to Kill
• 1995 - GoldenEye
• 1997 - Tomorrow Never Dies
• 1999 - The World Is Not Enough
• 2002 - Die Another Day
• 2006 - Casino Royale
• 2008 - Quantum of Solace
• 2012 - SkyFall
• 2015 - Spectre
• 2021 - No Time To Die (Unavailable on Amazon Prime Video) 

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