James Bondis a classic film franchise that has captivated audiences for decades with its sleek action, a suave lead character, and extravagant set pieces. If you’ve never seen a James Bond movie before, it can be intimidating to know where to start with such a long-running series. However, fear not! A fewstandout filmsin the franchise serve as great introductions to the world of James Bond.
These movies showcase theiconic elementsthat have made the series so enduring while also standing on their own as entertaining and memorable experiences. Whether you’re a fan of action, espionage, or just plain old-fashioned fun, there’s a James Bond movie for you. So sit back, grab your martini (shaken, not stirred), and get ready to join 007 on some of his mostthrilling adventures.
Update June 20, 2025: Many Bond films were released in November, so this article has been updated with even more ways to jump into the James Bond franchise with more entries and where you can stream each title.
13Dr. No (1962)
The first in the James Bond franchise,Dr. Nosaw Sean Connery make his debut as 007, a role that would go on to define his career. Directed by Terrance Young and based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name, the film revolves around Bond investigating the murder of a fellow MI6 agent in Jamaica, which leads him to the secret island of Crab Key, and its mysterious inhabitant, a villainous member of the criminal organization known as SPECTRE, Dr. Julius No (Joseph Wiseman).
The beginning is always a good place to start and whileDr. Nolacks some of the ingredients that would go on to become synonymous with the franchise, such as a memorable theme song and high-tech gadgets, it does offer a good idea of what the series has to offer. With a strong villain, decent action, and all the charm and sophistication one might associate with Bond,Dr. Nois a good jumping-on-point for anyone unfamiliar with the series.
Stream on Prime Video
12From Russia with Love (1963)
From Russia With Love
In Connery’s sophomore outing,From Russia with Love,SPECTRE is seeking revenge against Bond for the death of Dr. No in the previous film. To trap Bond, they assign Irish assassin Donald “Red” Grant (Robert Shaw) to kill him and devise a plan to have Bond steal a Lektor cryptography device from the Soviet Union’s consulate in Istanbul. To do this, they recruit Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), to unwittingly help in the plan. However, Romanova ends up falling in love with Bond.
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For over 60 years and 25 movies, James Bond has been the go-to name for spy thrillers. Here are each of the 007 movies in order of release.
Though it has a loose connection to the previous film,From Russia With Loveis by no means a direct sequel, which makes it easy to watch if you’ve never seen any other Bond films.Dr. Nowas a strong start, but the second film in the series really started to show what this franchise has to offer. Intelligently plotted and excellently acted, this largely standalone tale still might lack some of the staples of the franchise, but it’s an entertaining watch nevertheless.
11Goldfinger (1964)
Goldfinger
One of, if not the most famous film in the series, 1964’sGoldfinger, revolves around Bond investigating wealthy businessman Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), who is suspected of smuggling gold. Bond’s investigation leads him to Goldfinger’s private golf club, where he meets Goldfinger’s assistant, Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) and his lethal hat-wielding henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata), and discovers that Goldfinger is planning to steal the gold reserves at Fort Knox.
The third film overall,Goldfingeris where the series really found its groove, with the film essentially becoming the blueprint for all future entries. This is the film that first introduced the idea of a powerful opening theme song, along with memorable henchmen and high-tech gadgets. From the famous torture scene involving the laser to Bond’s interaction with Q,Goldfingeris littered with iconic moments, which makes it ideal for understanding what Bond is all about.
Stream on Fubo
10Live and Let Die (1973)
Live and Let Die
1973’sLive and Let Diesaw Roger Moore take on the role of Bond for the first of seven times. The story centers on Bond’s attempts to thwart a plot by a drug lord known as Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto), who plans to get the millions of people addicted to heroin by distributing it for free, thereby putting his competitors out of business. Bond’s mission sees him encounter Mr. Big’s psychic assistant, Solitaire (Jane Seymour), who, in true 007 fashion, becomes his love interest.
When a new actor takes over the role of Bond, they bring something new to the character and, in doing so, change the tone and direction of the franchise while still keeping true to its roots. That’s what makes entries likeLive and Let Die,which acts as the first installment in a new era, the ideal gateway for getting into Bond. With a more tongue-in-cheek approach than his predecessors, Moore certainly put his own stamp on the role, which is obvious from his very first film.
9Casino Royale (2006)
Casino Royale
When Daniel Craig took over the role of Bond in 2006 withCasino Royale, the franchise’s in-universe continuity was reset for the first time since 1962, meaning the film takes place immediately after Bond has become a 00 agent. In the film, Bond goes on a mission to bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro. To assist him in the mission, Bond is aided by Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a British Treasury agent, and Felix Leiter(Jeffrey Wright), a CIA agent.
A grittier, more grounded installment than previous outings,Casino Royaleproved that part of the reason behind the franchise’s longevity is its willingness to adapt. With fast-paced action, high-stakes gambling, and a complex and intense love story between Bond and Vesper, the film is a strong movie in its own right, and the fact that you don’t need to have seen the twenty films before it to understand is, means it is a very accessible route into the franchise.
8Skyfall (2012)
The highest-grossing film in the series, 2012’sSkyfallacted as a celebration of the franchise’s fiftieth anniversary. The plot concerns Bond retrieving a stolen hard drive containing the identities of undercover agents and tracking down the man responsible for blowing up MI6 headquarters, a cyberterrorist by the name of Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem). Giving a more personal glimpse into Bond’s life than in previous installments, the third act sees 007 take on his opponent in a climactic final battle set against the backdrop of his former childhood home in the Scottish Highlands.
Daniel Craig’s two previous outings had depicted Bond at the very start of his 00 career and, as such, largely eschewed many of the conventions of the franchise. However, withSkyfallmarking the franchise’s fiftieth anniversary, the film went all out to ensure it felt like the most Bond-like Bond film in years, which included the reintroduction of Q and Moneypenny, and several nods, homages, and Easter eggs to previous outings. Up there among the very best in the series,Skyfallhas all the ingredients of a great Bond movie, which makes it an excellent place to start.
7GoldenEye (1995)
The 17th film in the series, 1995’sGoldenEye, ended a six-year hiatus for the franchise. It was also the first entry to star Pierce Brosnan as Bond, a role he would undertake for the following seven years. When Bond is sent to investigate the theft of a prototype Eurocopter Tiger helicopter that can withstand an electromagnetic pulse, he soon discovers that the thief is his former friend and colleague, Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), who had faked his own death nine years earlier and is now working with the Russian mafia. Trevelyan plans to use the helicopter to disable the Goldeneye, a Soviet satellite weapon that he plans to use to destroy London’s financial district.
Like his fellow Bond actors, Brosnan’s run of films got off to a strong start, withGoldenEyebeing by far the best one out of the four he made. LikeDr. No,Live and Let Die, andCasino Royale,it proved to be an exciting and fresh start to a new era of the franchise which, at the point of its release, was already over thirty years old. Entertaining, action-packed, and with a certain edge to it,Goldeneyeis a solid entry in the series that’s aided by a confident performance by Brosnan, a man who was born to play Bond.
6Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Tomorrow Never Dies
After the roaring success that was Pierce Brosnan’s first film,Goldeneye, his second film,Tomorrow Never Dies,came about two years later. Some of the best Bond films are the ones that use real-world events as inspiration for the plot, andTomorrow Never Diesis no different. The film follows Bond as he attempts to stop wealthy media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) from using propaganda to bring about World War III. With Carver loosely based on real-life media moguls such as Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch, Bond was essentially satirizing the idea of fake news long before it was fashionable.
Tomorrow Never Diesworks well as a starting point for newcomers because it is a very paint-it-by-numbers Bond film that sticks very closely to the winning formula. This should make it boring and while it might not reach the dizzying thrills of its predecessor,Tomorrow Never Diesis still a fun ride and a solid sophomore outing for Brosnan.
5The Living Daylights (1987)
The Living Daylights
Another first, 1987’sThe Living Daylights,saw the debut of Timothy Dalton as the world’s most famous spy. Set in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Afghanistan, the film centers on Bond attempting to de-escalate tensions between the Soviet Union and the West by preventing the killings of Western agents. In doing so, he uncovers an arms deal that could spell disaster for both sides.
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Dalton’s time as Bond immediately followed on from Moore’s, but the two eras differ wildly in tone. While Moore’s films become known for their comical, tongue-in-cheek approach, Dalton’s era is far more serious, far grittier, and more tonally consistent with Fleming’s original novels. Again, this is a good example of how different Bond actors bring new different things to the role. Though it may not be the most well-known entry in the series,The Living Daylightsis, nevertheless, an entertaining and well-plotted installment that is the perfect place to start for viewers who like their action films grounded in reality.
4The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
The Spy Who Loved Me
In Roger Moore’s third Bond film,The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond investigates the disappearance of British and Soviet submarines and teams up with Major Amasova (Barbara Bach), a KGB agent working on the same case whose former lover was killed by Bond. They discover that the submarines have been hijacked by the villainous Karl Stromberg (Curt Jürgens), who plans to use them to start a nuclear war and then rebuild human civilization underwater.
Like Connery before him and Craig after him, Moore really hit his stride with his third film, withThe Spy Who Loved Megenerally considered to be the best one of his era. And for good reason. The movie is filled with iconic moments, from the opening scene featuring Bond skydiving from a plane before opening up Union Jack emblazoned parachute, to the sequence involving the underwater Lotus Esprit, to Carly Simon’s excellent theme song, “Nobody does it better”, it’s a tour de force of everything that makes Bond good.
