When British writer Ian Fleming created the fictional spyJames Bond in 1953, there's no way he could've envisioned that 007 would become one of the most popular and well-known characters in the history of fiction. Though Fleming himself only wrote 14 novels featuring Bond, the dashing MI6 agent has been picked up by a few authors since - with the authorization of the estate, of course.
RELATED: James Bond: 5 Best And 5 Worst Villains
On top of that, Fleming's works have been adapted for other media, starting with a one-hour television adaptation ofCasino Royale which aired in 1954. For that adaptation, CBS paid Fleming only $1,000 (about $9,000 in today's money). Needless to say, the value of 007 has since gone up, with the collective Bond franchise having grossed $7 billion at the box office.
Not every Bond film is a winner - thoughmany have been critically acclaimed. Here are the 5 best (and 5 worst) movies featuring James Bond, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
The second film to feature Pierce Brosnan as 007,Tomorrow Never Dies follows Bond as he attempts to prevent a media mogul from starting World War III. As all of Fleming's existing material had been adapted, screenwriters were forced to start from scratch - and principal photography began while they were still hard at work.
Despite mixed reviews, the film was by no means a failure, grossing $333 million on a $110 million budget. Michelle Yeoh joins Brosnan as Chinese spy Wai Lin, acknowledged by some to be one of the most interesting and well-written Bond girls in the entire franchise.
Skyfall,the third film to star Daniel Craig as Bond, grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide, accounting singlehandedly for one-seventh of the franchise's earnings. It was perhaps destined for greatness from the get-go, helmed by Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, 1917), withcinematography by frequent collaborator Roger Deakins.
It follows 007 as he investigates an attack against MI6's headquarters and becomes embroiled in M's checkered past. French actress Brnice Marlohe appears as Bond girl Svrine, though she has a reduced role compared to past Bond girls.
Pierce Brosnan portrayed Bond in four films - more than some other actors - but his stint is generally acknowledged to be the worst of the bunch.The World Is Not Enough, his third film as 007, finds Bond racing to prevent the assassination of a billionaire's daughter, while also skirting a nuclear meltdown in Istanbul.
RELATED: James Bond: Ranking The 10 Most Intelligent Bond Girls
The Bond girls in this film are especially lacking in terms of character, though Denise Richards, who playsnuclear scientist Dr. Christmas Jones, believed her role had a lot of depth. Fans didn't seem to mind either way - the film grossed $362 million worldwide.
Though it was the first-ever film in the James Bond franchise,Dr. No holds up nearly sixty years later. Bond, portrayed by Sean Connery, goes to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a fellow MI6 agent and becomes involved in a deeper plot by supervillain Dr. No to sabotage an American space launch.
Ursula Andress joins Connery as the original Bond girl, Honey Ryder. Andress' first appearance in the film, emerging from the ocean in a white bikini, is regarded as one of the quintessential Bond moments- though what most people don't know is that her accent meant she had to bedubbed by another actress.
LikeDr. No,The Man with the Golden Gun is actually adapted from one of Ian Fleming's novels. UnlikeDr. No, it met with mixed to negative reviews. The blame was placed on both the script and Roger Moore's acting, with the only element to emerge unscathed being Christopher Lee's performance as antagonist Francisco Scaramanga.
The film borrowed heavily from the martial arts genre, which was popular at the time. Though it returned $97 million on a $7 million budget, it was the fourth lowest-grossing Bond film of all time, and some even suspected it would spell the end to the franchise.
The second film in the series and the second to star Sean Connery,From Russia with Love finds 007 attempting to help a Soviet agent defect in Turkey. But it's not all romanticescapades with Bond girl Tatiana Romanova - SPECTRE, Bond's nemesis, is also out for blood, looking to avenge the killing of their operative Dr. No.
RELATED: James Bond: 10 Reasons Roger Moore Was The Best Bond
It's rumored that Connery himself chose Italian actress and Miss Universe runner-up Daniela Bianchi for the role of Tatiana Romanova. Though she began learning English in order to take on the roll, her lines were ultimately dubbed over - just like Ursula Andress.
Octopussywas Roger Moore's sixth Bond film, and the thirteenth overall. Ittakes its title, but not itscontent, from Fleming's short story collectionOctopussy and The Living Daylights,and it's a bit of an odd bird, released the same year as another Bond flick-Never Say Never Again.
Due to a complicated legal snafudating back to the 1960s, a film company besides Eon Productions had retained the rights to one of Fleming's novels,Thunderball. And they'd also poached Sean Connery right out from under Eon's noses so that heand Mooreboth got to grace the silver screen as Bond in the same year.
Four years after Brosnan's swan song inDie Another Day(2002), Daniel Craig emerged on the scene as a fully-rebooted James Bond at the beginning of his career, inCasino Royale. Praised by many as the best Bond film hands-down,Casino Royale sees Bond sent to Monaco on a mission to bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker tournament.
RELATED: 5 James Bond Movies That Are Overrated (& 5 That Are Underrated)
This film features one of the most beloved and nuanced Bond girls of all time - Vesper Lynd. Played by Eva Green, Lynd is the girl who affects Bond more than anyone ever has, with her death - as well as her life - playing a large part in the origin of the Bond audiencesknow and love.
The last film to star Roger Moore as 007,A View to a Killfeatured a title track by Duran Duran and an on-screen debut by superstar Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, The Expendables). Though it drew fire in critical circles for Moore's advanced age - he was 58 at the time of the film's release - the film grossed $152 million worldwide, and represented a comeback for the franchise.
Moore is joined on-screen by Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton and Grace Jones as May Day, two very different Bond girls. But even a great soundtrack and an iconic performance from Jones weren't enough to save this film from critical failure.
Based on Fleming's novel of the same name,Goldfingeris all about atomic number 79. It finds Bond, played by Connery, investigating the gold smuggling activities of gold magnate Auric Goldfinger, and his plans to contaminate the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox. With so much gold in the mix, it's not surprising this film clocks in at number one.
Honor Blackman is theiconicBond girl Pussy Galore, alongside Shirley Eaton as the less well-known Jill Masterson. The film also features Harold Sakata as Goldfinger's manservant Oddjob, arguably the most famous henchman of all time.
NEXT: James Bond: 10 Facts About 007 From The Books That The Movies Leave Out
NextStar Wars: 10 Best Unused Ideas From The Sequel Trilogy
Lindsay's greatest aspiration in life is to write a Qui-Gon Jinn solo film.
Continue reading here:
5 Best Bond Films (& 5 Worst), Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes - Screen Rant
- Christopher Lee Was Furious About This 'Lord of the Rings' Moment - Collider - April 2nd, 2024
- Airdate: The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee - TV Tonight - April 2nd, 2024
- Christopher Lee's casual shorts and slippers outfit in Taiwan made heads turn - TODAY - March 16th, 2024
- Christopher Lee Dead: Horror Icon and Legendary Movie Villain Was 93 ... - February 19th, 2024
- "Chris wasn't hearing a bar of it": Christopher Lee Forcefully Auditioned For Another Lord of the Rings Character Before ... - FandomWire - February 11th, 2024
- 'Cancel everything': How Christopher Lee disciplines his son with this one phrase - Yahoo Singapore News - February 3rd, 2024
- Actress Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The Straits Times - February 3rd, 2024
- Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The New Paper - February 3rd, 2024
- Christopher Lee: The actor and hunter of Nazi war criminals - Far Out Magazine - January 9th, 2024
- Sir Christopher Lee's Favorite Performance is in a Film You've Never Heard Of - MovieWeb - December 12th, 2023
- Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93 - The Guardian - April 27th, 2023
- Christopher Lee - Tolkien Gateway - March 31st, 2023
- Christopher Lee filmography - Wikipedia - February 10th, 2023
- Where to Start with Christopher Lee - The Film Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- 'Were you desperate to get proposed to?' Christopher Lee crashes Rebecca Lim's new show and roasts her while dishing out relationship advice - AsiaOne - October 19th, 2022
- The Wicker Man TV Series In Development With Andy Serkis The Imaginarium And Studiocanal-Backed Urban Myth - Deadline - October 19th, 2022
- Tim Burton names his five favourite horror movies of all time - Far Out Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- Ten celebrities who served in the military, from Adam Driver to Prince Harry - The National - October 19th, 2022
- These 13 Actors Have Earned the Right to be Called Scream Kings - Dread Central - October 19th, 2022
- David W. Smith | Obituaries | thedailynewsonline.com - The Daily News Online - October 19th, 2022
- Jennifer Hudson Recounts "Fanning Out" Over Duet With Sheryl Lee Ralph: "I Wanted to Make Her Proud" - POPSUGAR - October 19th, 2022
- Tangipahoa Parish Jail - October 11th, 2022
- A monster calls: why the horror universe is an idea whose time has come - The Guardian - October 11th, 2022
- Oblong Box, The (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - October 11th, 2022
- Was that the balrog that killed Gandalf in the Rings of Power? - Polygon - October 11th, 2022
- Every James Bond movie ranked by critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes - Insider - October 11th, 2022
- Overwatch 2: All Voice Actors And Cast - eXputer - October 11th, 2022
- She got Covid-19 four times this year alone - The Star Online - October 11th, 2022
- Nursing School Collaborates with Nursing School in The Philippines - Boston College - October 2nd, 2022
- The Terrifying, Terrific Horror Movies of 1972 - Nerdist - October 2nd, 2022
- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: A beautiful conclusion to the iconic trilogy - The Shield - October 2nd, 2022
- Tyson Fury through the years: Photo gallery - MMA Junkie - October 2nd, 2022
- Duncan man jailed, accused of madness on meth - The Lawton Constitution - September 24th, 2022
- Conor McGregor "can't believe" he's being paid to film Hollywood movie - The Mirror - September 24th, 2022
- The Government of Malaysia Launches the National Energy Policy 2022 - 2040: What it Means for the Renewables Landscape - Lexology - September 24th, 2022
- New Brockton native Brandon Lee part of team cherishing NASCAR win at Bristol - Dothan Eagle - September 24th, 2022
- Cape Cod theater reviewers' thoughts on 2 scary plays and a comedy - Cape Cod Times - September 24th, 2022
- 'His presence is going to be there': Lee Roy Selmon will attend in spirit as trio of OU brothers honored with statue - The Oklahoma Daily - September 24th, 2022
- Nicolas Cage inspired by Christopher Lee for vampire movie Renfield - The Digital Fix - September 16th, 2022
- Reece Shearsmith Tells Richard Herring About Christopher Lee - Beyond The Joke - September 16th, 2022
- 8 Horror Movies So Awful They Were Pulled From The Cinema - WhatCulture - September 16th, 2022
- Man-Thing Makes his MCU Debut in Werewolf by Night - Here's what we know about Man-Thing - Attack of the Fanboy - September 16th, 2022
- Summer of Blood (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - September 16th, 2022
- Get it over with: Suspect in Kokomo child exploitation case tells police to arrest him on the spot - FOX 59 Indianapolis - September 16th, 2022
- Alabama says it won't be ready to use nitrogen hypoxia method at Sept. 22 execution - USA TODAY - September 16th, 2022
- Christopher Lee, The Real-Life "Most Interesting Man In The World" - August 31st, 2022
- Inside The Fact And Fiction Of Christopher Lee's World War II Service - August 31st, 2022
- How to watch The Lord of the Rings movies and the series in chronological order - Lifestyle Asia India - August 31st, 2022
- Court and arrest reports for Martinsville and Henry County - Martinsville Bulletin - August 31st, 2022
- Every Tim Burton Movie Ranked from Worst to Best - Consequence - August 31st, 2022
- Court lists defendants to appear in Criminal Division on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 31st, 2022
- Lee County School Board makes minor revision to Parents' Bill of Rights - Wink News - August 31st, 2022
- A Cardiologist Breaks Down the AHA's New Report on the Most Common Heart Disease Symptoms Best Life - Best Life - August 31st, 2022
- Exclusive Interview: Director Philippe Mora On His Films With Christopher Lee - FANGORIA - August 14th, 2022
- 10 films turning 10 in 2022 - NewsNation Now - August 14th, 2022
- Persephone and the Poultry of the Night | Thumper Forge - Patheos - August 14th, 2022
- Unexpected Demands Made By Lord Of The Rings Actors - Looper - August 14th, 2022
- Rings of Power: Everything you need to know about Amazon's 1bn Lord of the Rings prequel - The Mirror - August 14th, 2022
- Slash Tells Us Why There Will Never Be a Guns N Roses Movie - MovieMaker Magazine - August 6th, 2022
- On the record for Aug. 4 - Seymour Tribune - August 6th, 2022
- Judge Talley will hear criminal docket on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 6th, 2022
- Dr. Christopher Reber Receives ACCT 2022 Northeast Regional Chief Executive Officer Award - The Hudson Reporter - August 6th, 2022
- Theatre Review: This 101 Dalmatians is barking up the wrong tree - The New European - August 6th, 2022
- Christopher Lee Euro Films, Dennis Hopper's 'Out of the Blue' Among Titles Due on Disc From Severin and MVD July 26 Media Play News - Media Play News - July 28th, 2022
- 25 Scariest Movies of All Time (2022 Edition) - Cultured Vultures - July 28th, 2022
- Fans Wonder Why a Fantasy Epic Too Big to Fail Did Just That - We Got This Covered - July 28th, 2022
- The Best Witch Movies of all Time, Ranked - The Mary Sue - July 28th, 2022
- NASCAR Driver Christopher Bell and CRAFTSMAN Raise Awareness for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals; No. 20 Special Edition Paint Scheme to be... - July 28th, 2022
- Singer Stefanie Sun turns 44 with cakes and loved ones - The Straits Times - July 28th, 2022
- Tony Dow dead: Wally Cleaver 'Leave It to Beaver' actor was 77 - USA TODAY - July 28th, 2022
- Roane Co. authorities looking for man convicted of neglecting and murdering an elderly relative - WBIR.com - July 20th, 2022
- 22 Incredible Facts About The Life and Career Of Sir Christopher Lee - July 20th, 2022
- Police and Fire Report - Winchester Sun - Winchester Sun - July 20th, 2022
- What We Do in the Shadows cast shares their favorite vampire movies, books, and more - Polygon - July 20th, 2022
- Courteney Cox Set To Make Horror Movie History With 'Scream 6' - We Got This Covered - July 20th, 2022
- Every James Bond Movie, Ranked: The Best of Bond - CNET - July 20th, 2022
- Grandparents of Dean Kerrie say he was just defending his mother and should not be jailed - Sunday World - July 20th, 2022
- Ray Wise Has Always Been More Than "That Guy" - Defector - July 20th, 2022
- Angela Ledgerwood on the Psychic Relief of Reading - Literary Hub - July 20th, 2022
- Athens man charged with manslaughter in fatal hit and run - News Courier - July 12th, 2022
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero