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James Bond is one of the single biggest names in pop culture. Modern pop culture really began to take hold in the 1940s, and James Bond first hit theaters in 1962 with Dr. No. Now, in 2024, we have 25 James Bond films (aside from the 1967 parody film Casino Royale, which had three actors play the infamous spy). He might even be the UK's most enduring export (behind imperialist colonialism), at least giving the Beatles a run for their money. And, surprisingly, even though a number of different actors have taken on the role, the James Bond timeline is, more or less, in chronological order.
2021's No Time to Die marked what is most likely the final film from the sixth actor to play the role for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's film franchise, Daniel Craig. Right now, we're waiting to find out who will suit up as the seventh official Bond--just about every actor with a somewhat believable British accent has been floated; Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Godzilla, Kraven the Hunter) has been the frontrunner, but critics and fans have also floated names like Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Dev Patel, and others.
In March of 2022, just months after the release of the latest James Bond film No Time to Die, Amazon acquired MGM, the studio in charge of producing the films of the James Bond franchise. As a result, you'd think that most of the Bond movies would be available on Prime Video--right? While Prime Video does have more Bond movies than any other streaming service, though, you won't find any of the movies from the Sean Connery or Roger Moore years, among others. If you want to watch James Bond on streaming, you'll have to do a lot of renting.
Let's dive in and find out where you can find the world's favorite super-spy.
Star: Sean Connery
Where to Watch: Prime Video Rent/Buy
The sixth James Bond novel would become the first James Bond film----Dr. No--and talk about timing. In this story, Dr. No is attempting to disrupt the United States' attempts at spaceflight using a nuclear-powered jammer, and ends with the villain falling to his death in a nuclear reactor (spoilers for a 62-year-old movie). The film was released on October 5, 1962--just days before the Cuban Missile Crisis. This movie marks the introduction of frequent Bond collaborators M and Felix Leiter, as well as the adversarial spy organization SPECTRE.
Star: Sean Connery
Where to Watch: Prime Video Rent/Buy
After the grand scale of the first Bond film, the second scaled things back--Bond is ordered to help a Russian agent defect to obtain a cryptography device. This movie introduces the Q Branch and Desmond Llewelyn's character, who would later be named Q, as well as the notion of giving Bond specialized spy gadgets--a trope that would be copied by countless other spy stories and become a staple of the series moving forward. Llewelyn would portray the character in 19 total Bond movies until his death in 1999, working with Bond actors Connery, Moore, Dalton, and Brosnan in the process.
Star: Sean Connery
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
Goldfinger was, until the release of GoldenEye, probably the most popular Bond film, and is still considered one of the very best. Aside from being an excellent spy thriller in general, Goldfinger also had all of the major components that would define Bond movies moving forward: great gadgets, the Aston Martin DB5 (itself packed to the gills with cool tech), a femme fatale with a silly name, and a villain to match wits with Bond perfectly. A movie with characters named Auric Goldfinger and Pussy Galore has no right to be this exciting. "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"
Star: Sean Connery
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
Despite being plagued by legal troubles early on, Thunderball became one of the most successful Bond films ever. Bond has to find and recover a pair of atomic bombs before SPECTRE can use them. The movie's centerpiece is villain Emilio Largo's yacht, the Disco Volante, which has a mini-sub storage bay and can split into two to let Largo escape Bond once more.
Star: Sean Connery
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
You Only Live Twice is notable as the first Bond movie to mostly discard its namesake book. In this movie, Bond travels to Japan to discover what happened to a joint Soviet-American spacecraft that went missing. In the process, he comes face-to-face with SPECTRE leader Blofeld, who had only been seen from the neck down in the previous four films. This movie was initially meant to be Sean Connery's final James Bond film.
Star: David Niven
Where to Watch: Hoopla, Tubi, Prime Video rent/buy
Casino Royale is based loosely on the novel of the same name, but it's nothing like the eventual Daniel Craig-led film of the same name that would more closely adhere to the story and tone of the source material. While this movie was originally meant to be produced as a serious Bond film, the rights-holder eventually decided to produce it as a satire. David Niven would play the original James Bond, but there were five other Bonds, including comedic actor Peter Sellers and director Woody Allen, among others.
Star: George Lazenby
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is regarded these days as one of the better Bond movies, but at the time of release, it received plenty of negative criticism. It was a first for all the wrong reasons. It was the first Bond movie without Sean Connery. It was the first acting role for Australian actor George Lazenby, who had worked previously as a model. It was also the directorial debut for Peter Hunt. OHMSS also shied away from some of the sillier tropes of the series, grounding Bond a little more and skipping gadgets entirely. A critical failure on release, OHMSS is one of the most overlooked of the series.
Star: Sean Connery
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
That line from The Godfather III applies here. "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!" That's what Sean Connery must've been thinking as he once again donned the 007 mantle. Bond poses as a diamond smuggler and uncovers a plot by SPECTRE head Blofeld to use the diamonds to build a powerful orbital laser. Diamonds Are Forever is considered by many critics to be one of the more forgettable Bond films--both in contemporary and retrospective reviews.
Star: Roger Moore
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
Finally, a new holder of the James Bond mantle that sticks. Roger Moore is a new kind of Bond. While Connery is still very much the fan-favorite James Bond, Roger Moore exemplifies how the character came to be perceived by popular culture: a smooth-talking, womanizing secret agent with a special gadget for every possible situation. This movie capitalizes on lots of Blaxploitation movie stereotypes, pitting Bond against a Harlem drug lord and voodoo magician, and is considered an average freshman outing for Moore.
Star: Roger Moore
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
Christopher Lee, who would eventually go on to play the role of Lord of the Rings villain Saruman, as well as Star Wars villain Count Dooku, is the villain Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun. Despite this, Golden Gun is one of the worst performers in the franchise and considered one of the more forgettable movies in the franchise. The film is set during the energy crisis of the early 1970s and has Bond facing off against Lee's Scaramanga over a macguffin called the Solex Agitator: a device that would solve the energy crisis.
Star: Roger Moore
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
Finally, a villain with some real ambition. Bond faces off against Karl Stromberg, a villain who wants to start World War III, bring about the end of the world, and start a new undersea civilization. While this movie is considered one the more formulaic--a hallmark of Moore's era as Bond--it introduces the legendary Bond hoodlum Jaws, played by Richard Kiel: a huge and seemingly indestructible man with metal teeth.
Star: Roger Moore
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
Filmed somewhat in response to Star Wars, Moonraker pits Bond against space magnate Hugo Drax, who wants to replace the human race with a superior version of his own design, which will live on his space stations until Earth is once again safe for life. Richard Kiel returns as Jaws. While this movie was reviewed as being pretty average, it's one of the most successful movies in the franchise and was lauded for its visual effects at the time.
Star: Roger Moore
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
The guy they picked to do this job is much too old for it--sound familiar? That's what people were saying about Roger Moore in For Your Eyes Only, the fifth of Moore's seven James Bond films. Bond is searching for a missile-command system--a worldwide concern at the time--and gets pulled into a web of deception and revenge. After sending Bond further and further from reality in recent films, For Your Eyes Only sought to ground the character. The movie is lauded for its stunts, and shifts the focus away from Bond's gadgets, but is otherwise considered a middling entry in the series.
Star: Roger Moore
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
At the time of release, Gene Siskel called this movie surprisingly entertaining, and the best of Moore's appearances as Bond thus far, but said that the movie is weak on characterization and long on male chauvanism. Bond is on the hunt for a Soviet general stealing jewelry and art from the Kremlin. In the process, Bond stumbles upon a plot to forcefully disarm Western Europe.
Star: Roger Moore
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
A View to a Kill acts as a send-off for Roger Moore's Bond, as this is his seventh and final appearance. Notably, the film stars Christopher Walken as industrialist Max Zorin, trying to gain control of the microchip market, then centered in Silicon Valley, as well as Grace Jones as Zorin's girlfriend. Response to the film was middling, once again pointing to Moore's age; Moore is even reported to have been horrified to find out that he was older than his female co-star's mother.
Star: Timothy Dalton
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
Future Bond actor Pierce Brosnan auditioned for, and was offered, the role of James Bond for this movie. At the time, he was also starring in the just-then-canceled television show Remington Steele (how many cool names does this guy get to play?!), and the announcement caused a surge in interest in that show, which NBC then renewed. The producers then dropped Brosnan, causing a drop in interest, and the cancellation of the show. Hollywood is weird. This is Timothy Dalton's first of two Bond films. The film is darker and more serious than many previous Bond films, and is often called humorless. Dalton is regarded as one of the better Bonds, though, bringing more to the role than Lazenby or Moore. Bond is tasked with helping a KGB general defect to the United States, and things get convoluted quickly, with betrayals, a faked assassination, a team-up with the Mujahideen (as required of all 1980s international action films), and more.
Star: Timothy Dalton
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
When Bond's friend Felix Leiter is nearly killed by a drug lord, Bond attempts to resign from his post as 007. M revokes his licence to kill--note the more-traditionally-British spelling in the title--and Bond goes rogue. This is the second and final Bond film to star Timothy Dalton, and was the final film for other cast and crew, including the screenwriter, the producer, the director, and the actors who played M and Moneypenny in many of the previous films. The film has received mixed reviews, with as many "best of" lists placing it at near the bottom as the top. As with Living Daylights, Dalton's Bond is darker and edgier than Roger Moore's Bond, which had come to be considered almost a parody of the character.
Star: Pierce Brosnan
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple rent/buy
GoldenEye arrived six years after the release of Licence to Kill, the longest gap twice over since the series' introduction in 1962. It was the first film in the series to debut after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a frequent foe in the series' history, and used that as a focus. This film also happened to be paired with the seminal first-person shooter game of the same name, a game fondly remembered by fans for both its watershed multiplayer mode and its rad pause music, though it didn't actually release for another two years. This is also the first Bond film to not use any elements from the works of Bond creator Ian Fleming, who died in 1964 just as the series was taking off. Brosnan's Bond faces off against a rogue MI6 agent, Alec Trevelyan, played by Sean Bean, to prevent him from using the GoldenEye satellite to attack London. This movie also was the first to cast Judi Dench as M, making her the first woman to step into the role.
Star: Pierce Brosnan
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
They really missed a chance for a great pun when they named the villain Elliot Carver instead of Tom Orrow. In Brosnan's second outing, Bond faces off against a media mogul who wants to manipulate world events to start World War III--the ultimate news story. While the movie received mixed reviews at the time, it looks prescient in retrospect. It also smartly moves away from Russian foes and focuses on a corporate one--again, feeling ahead of its time.
Star: Pierce Brosnan
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
We got a one-film vacation from Russian foes in Bond movies, but it's back to work in The World Is Not Enough. After a billionaire is assassinated, Bond is charged with protecting his daughter. In the process, he uncovers a plot to jack up oil prices via a nuclear meltdown. Thankfully, nuclear scientist Christmas Jones (Denise Richards) is there to help him put a stop to it. This was the last film to feature Desmond Llewelyn as Q, as the actor passed away in 1999.
Star: Pierce Brosnan
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
After being held captive in North Korea for over a year and having his 00 status revoked, Bond has to stop a North Korean operative from using a satellite that focuses sunlight from using it to cut a gap in the border between North and South Korea. This movie leans more heavily on the campy side of Bond history, right up to including a palace made of ice as part of the plot. It is considered by many to be among the lesser entries in the series, and would be Brosnan's final Bond film.
Star: Daniel Craig
Where to Watch: Paramount+, Prime Video rent/buy
After the campy Die Another Day and Pierce Brosnan's retirement, it was time to recast the character and reexamine what people wanted from Bond movies. Daniel Craig was cast in the role and was, at first, soundly rejected by fans as "James Blond." These days, many consider him second only to Connery, returning to the more-thuggish Bond of the early days. Casino Royale was also the first time in 17 years that a Bond movie was based on an Ian Fleming story. Casino Royale was overlooked except as a parody film previously, but became a way to explore a less-experienced Bond. This film introduced the world to not just Daniel Craig, but also to Mads Mikkelsen, who played the villainous financier Le Chiffre. Casino Royale is considered to be among the best of the series.
Star: Daniel Craig
Where to Watch: PRIME VIDEO
As a follow-up to the well-liked Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace was considered a disappointment. Bond has to stop a coup in Bolivia, allowing a takeover of its natural resources. This film also continued where Casino Royale left off, with Bond still angry about the betrayal by and death of Vesper Lynd. Bond movies had mostly been self-contained to this point, referencing other films but rarely picking up storylines.
Star: Daniel Craig
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Where Quantum of Solace was once again a middling entry in the series, Skyfall received mostly positive reviews. This entry introduces Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva--a cyberterrorist with an axe to grind with the MI6 organization--of which Bond is a part. This movie introduces a new Q, played by Ben Whishaw; the character had been absent for two films, partly out of a desire to keep the Bond character more grounded. It's hard to stay grounded when you have a briefcase that has enough tricks to seem more like an accessory for the Joker than for James Bond. This Q is, like Craig's Bond, less experienced--he plugs a computer of unknown origin into the MI6 network, which is truly the least plausible thing that has happened in the entire Bond franchise. Even a computer-store tech-support staffer knows better.
Star: Daniel Craig
Where to Watch: Prime Video, MGM+
Spectre is a throwback for Bond fans, reintroducing the SPECTRE organization and the villain Blofeld, now played by Christoph Waltz. Dave Bautista plays Mr. Hinx, a SPECTRE assassin. Bond battles Blofeld and declares war on his organization. This movie takes things closer to the standard Bond formula, for better or worse, including a properly soap operatic twist for its villain. This was Judi Dench's final appearance as M; her version of the character appeared in a posthumous message to Bond. Ralph Fiennes was introduced as her replacement in this film as well.
Star: Daniel Craig
Where to Watch: Prime Video rent/buy
While it's not impossible that Daniel Craig could return as Bond if the price is right, this film acts as a conclusion to this Bond's storyline in a conclusive sense. The film has the requisite gadgetry and action, but retains the dark and edgy nature of Craig's Bond. While Craig's tenure has had more critically well-received entries than any Bond since Connery, many fans view this entry as being particularly dark. Rami Malek plays the villain, Lyutsifer Safin.
