Since this week the complete 22 film collection of James Bond movies got released, to mark and celebrate the 50(!) birth date of the popular film series, I decided to a top 10 list, of what I believe are to be the best Bond
movie till date! And since I have seen every single Bond movie at least 3 times, expect maybe for the newer ones, I know what I'm talking about! Or well, that's at least what I like to believe ;)

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10. Casino Royale (2006)

The movie that pretty much reinvented Bond again and made the series and character 21th century proof, ready to get reintroduced to a new generation.

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9. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

It might have one of the worst Bond girls in it but the movie itself is being a pretty entertaining one, featuring a typically silly but yet enjoyable Bond plot and main villain.
It besides was the movie that introduced the Jaws character!

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8. Live and Let Die (1973)

James Bond and blaxploitation! Enough said I would think.

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7. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Greatly entertaining movie,with a feisty Bond girl, some great settings and a solid supporting cast.

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6. Licence to Kill (1989)

Timothy Dalton is a more emotional Bond in this also more modern Bond outting, starring Robert Davi and a young and crazy Benicio Del Toro as the main villains.
It besides features one of the more memorable and spectacular Bond finales.

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5. You Only Live Twice (1967)

Arguably still the most specular Bond movie out there!

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4. Die Another Day (2002)

Probably the most controversial pick for the list but personally I really like the movie. It's what James Bond is supposed to be all about to me, which is silly but entertaining and with plenty of awesome gadgets and (over-the-top) action in it. The movie besides also feature some of the best Bond girls and Bond villains.

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3. From Russia with Love (1963)

This is not a standard Bond movie by any means. It probably is even
being the least Bond-like movie out of the entire series but it's
simply just being a great movie on its own.
It's more plot driven, especially during its second half and it features a great and unforgettable Robert Shaw in it.

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2. GoldenEye (1995)

Not just one of the best Bond movies but also one of the best action movies in general out there, with next to lots of spectacular action, also a great plot and solid performances by its cast, with Pierce Brosnan playing the Bond character for the first time.

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1. Goldfinger (1964)

No surprise for the number 1 spot but it simply is just true; "Goldfinger" is still the best Bond movie out there. It's really the movie that set the tone for the rest of the series, even more so than its predecessors "Dr. No" and "From Russia with Love" did.
You could argue that this is the movie were the series truly started, with a great classic Bond story, memorable gadgets and of course equally great and memorable villains.

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You can buy the complete 22 film James Bond collection over here:









And don't worry when you don't want to own the complete 22 film set of blu-ray's, or think it's simply to expensive. Next week all of the Bond movies get an individual blu-ray, 50th anniversary repackage release, so you could buy and enjoy all of your personal favorites.

(Review originally written at 16 August 2006)

This is more than just a great Bond movie, it also is a great movie on its own. It's well constructed and has a solid, fast paced story, with some great memorable action sequences and characters in it.

This movie is quite different from other Bond movies in many regards. First and foremost reason of course for this, is that this movie is the second Bond movie ever made. The creators obviously tried to surpass the success of "Dr. No" and make this movie an even bigger and spectacular one. They certainly succeeded in this but it also means that this movie is at times lacking in its special 'Bond' kind of feeling. Sure it has Q, M, Moneypenny and gadgets but its not as fun to watch, mainly because the movie obviously tries to take itself as serious as possible. However none of this matters, since it makes this movie a really good genre movie and quite frankly one of the best ever created. Also keep in mind that back in the early '60's there wasn't really an 'action-movie genre' yet. That probably is also the reason why this movie feels quite different from other movies genre- and also later Bond movies in particular.

Overall the older Bond movies are of better and higher quality than all of the later ones, of course with some exceptions left out here and there. My theory is that it is because the early movies still take themselves serious, while all of the most other later Bond movies go over-the-top with its action mainly. Basically the Bond character himself also fits better in a '60's atmosphere, also obviously due to the way how he handles women. Nothing wrong with Bond movies these days, after all I enjoy (most) of them highly and they serve as good mindless entertainment, especially the Roger Moore Bond-films but honestly, they can't beat the oldies.

Unlike many other Bond movies, the story plays a significant part in the movie. At first its slow without any action but thanks to its fast and spot on pace the movie still is exciting to watch. Surprisingly the movie at the end still turns into a spectacular one, when lots of action occurs on screen. The boat and the later following helicopter chase sequences are one of the best and most memorable Bond action sequences ever. They are surprisingly big and spectacular. But also the confrontation sequences between Grant and Bond are memorable and spectacular, even when no action occurs. Kudos to Sean Connery and Robert Shaw's acting for that.

What makes this Bond movie also a highly memorable one are its characters. The villain always is an important element of a Bond movie. This movie its main villain is Ernst Stavro Blofeld of SPECTRE but as we are used of him, he doesn't get to do any action. Real 'action' villains of this movie are the hit-man Grant (Robert Shaw) and Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), a former Russian she-man colonel now working for SPRECTRE, who has lesbian tendencies and pointy shoes. Both of them are portrayed by some very solid actors, which helps to make them both very memorable Bond villains. Especially Shaw is wonderful. In the first halve of the movie he doesn't say a word but from the moment he meets up with Bond and starts to speak his character becomes a different one and Shaw's acting ability and versatility becomes obvious. Also look out for Walter Gotell, who plays a small part as a villain in this movie but later went on playing the Russian general Gogol, who appeared in numerous Bond movies over the years. But not just the villains are great. Pedro Armendáriz plays a real good and likable 'criminal' character, in his final role. Daniela Bianchi is a good Bond girl. Nothing too spectacular, she just mainly serves her purpose well. It also of course helps the movie that it has Bond regulars Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell), Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and M (Bernard Lee) in it, who would all later re-appear in more than a dozen more Bond films.

This is simply one of those movies in which everything just adds up and works well. The pace is incredibly good and makes the movie even tense and spectacular to watch when no action occurs. The acting and characters are great and the movie is big in spectacular in its action. Everything in this movie fits and it helps to make this one of the best and most memorable Bond movies but also one of the best and earliest action genre movies ever made.

9/10

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