All 27 James Bond Movies in Order: Chronological and Release Date

James Bond is one of the greatest action movie franchises, and over the years, it has inspired several spy-thriller movies, including Mission: Impossible. So far, we have 27 James Bond movies, so it may be tough for new fans to figure out the order to watch all the movies. Well, in this article, we discuss how to watch James Bond movies in order. We have mentioned chronological and release order of the James Bond franchise.

How Many James Bond Movies Are There?

There are a total of 27 James Bond movies. The first James Bond movie, starring Sean Connery, was released in 1962, and since then, the franchise has produced 27 films. The last one was released in 2021. It seems the franchise is not ending any sooner as the upcoming ‘Bond 26’ film is expected to be released in 2027 and will see a new actor as James Bond.

How to Watch James Bond Movies in Chronological Order

Wondering what the chronological watch order of the James Bond movies is? Below, we have outlined the linear pattern of the movies to follow for a hassle-free viewing experience.

1. Dr. No
2. From Russia with Love
3. Goldfinger
4. Thunderball
5. You Only Live Twice
6. Diamonds Are Forever
7. Never Say Never Again
8. Casino Royale (1967)
9. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
10. Live and Let Die
11. The Man with the Golden Gun
12. The Spy Who Loved Me
13. Moonraker
14. For Your Eyes Only
15. Octopussy
16. A View to a Kill
17. The Living Daylights
18. License to Kill
19. GoldenEye
20. Tomorrow Never Dies
21. The World is Not Enough
22. Die Another Day
23. Casino Royale (2006)
24. Quantum of Solace
25. Skyfall
26. Spectre
27. No Time to Die

1. Dr. No

• Release Date: October 5, 1962
• Director: Terence Young
• Cast: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Anthony Dawson, Zena Marshall, John Kitzmiller, Eunice Gayson, Bernard Lee

Dr. No was the first film to lay the foundation for the James Bond movies. However, not many of you would know that it wasn’t based on the first novel. Instead, it was the sixth book of the master spy series that was picked and given the live-action makeover by the British film director, Terence Young. The film follows Sean Connery’s portrayal of James Bond, who must investigate the murder of one of his fellow agents and their secretary. The ultimate villain of the film is Dr. No, who would not leave any stone unturned to make the mission most challenging for 007.

2. From Russia With Love

• Release Date: October 10, 1963
• Director: Terence Young
• Cast: Sean Connery, Pedro Armendáriz, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Bernard Lee, Daniela Bianchi

After defeating the villain in the first film, Sean Connery reprises his role as 007 in the second James Bond film, which was released exactly a year later. Dr. No was a celebrated agent of the sinister organization SPECTRE, who used a beautiful Russian girl to trap 007. The hero doesn’t have any clue about her connection with SPECTRE, so he agrees to help her when she seeks help from him. Later, the M16 agent has to fight the villainous organization and ends up giving us one of the best action sequences.

3. Goldfinger

• Release Date: September 17, 1964
• Director: Guy Hamilton
• Cast: Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Fröbe, Shirley Eaton, Tania Mallet, Harold Sakata

The James Bond film franchise may have started with Dr. No, but it was Goldfinger that really popularized the franchise around the world. The third 007 film brings back Sean Connery in the lead role, who has to stop  Auric Goldfinger from polluting the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox. At the same time, Bond has to figure out exactly how Goldfinger is able to smuggle gold out of the country, and this investigation takes him to Switzerland. Interestingly, Goldfinger is the first James Bond film to introduce advanced tech and gadgets, a concept that is being followed till today in 007 and other spy-thriller films.

4. Thunderball

• Release Date: December 29, 1965
• Director: Terence Young
• Cast: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van, Nutter Guy Doleman

Thunderball was a unique James Bond movie for one primary reason – the quarter of the film featured underwater sequences. No, 007 wasn’t fond of deep-sea diving; instead, he had to fight several henchmen of Emilio Largo underwater. Apparently, Emilio Largo had two atomic bombs in possession, and he was threatening to bomb a big city if his demands were not met. Regardless, Sean Connery’s Bond and Claudine Auger’s Domino were more than enough to put a stop to Emilio’s evil plans.

5. You Only Live Twice

• Release Date: June 12, 1967
• Director: Lewis Gilbert
• Cast: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Tetsurō Tamba, Teru Shimada, Karin Dor, Donald Pleasence

You Only Live Twice is one of the first Bond films to make the bold choice of not being a copy-paste of Ian Fleming’s novel. The plot of this film was rather simple – it featured 007 traveling to Japan to find the person behind the disappearance of a Soviet aircraft. While Russia blames America, Bond learns that it is, in fact, the head of SPECTRE, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who stole the aircraft.

6. Diamonds Are Forever

• Release Date: December 30, 1971
• Director: Guy Hamilton
• Cast: Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray, Lana Wood, Jimmy Dean, Bruce Cabot

Maybe Sean Connery realized that he was great as James Bond, and the world wants him to return. So, he decided to reprise the legendary role with Diamonds Are Forever. Ernst Stavro Blofeld is back with another sinister plan to hold the world by its neck by making a nuclear weapon. So, Bond decides to infiltrate a Diamond smuggling ring to find his way to Blofeld before the sadistic man destroys Washington, D.C.

7. Never Say Never Again

• Release Date: October 7, 1983
• Director: Irvin Kershner
• Cast: Sean Connery, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow, Barbara Carrera, Kim Basinger, Bernie Casey, Alec McCowen, Rowan Atkinson, Edward Fox

Never Say Never Again is based on Ian Fleming’s Thunderball novel, which previously inspired the 1965 Thunderball movie. And yes, Sean Connery returns as Bond for the final time in the 1983 movie. Agent 007 travels to France and North Africa while investigating the theft of two nuclear weapons by SPECTRE.

The movie was praised for its action sequences and story, and of course, everyone loved seeing Sean playing the character for the final time. Also, did I mention that with Sean Connery, the underwater sequences also returned with Never Say Never Again?

8. Casino Royale

• Release Date: April 28, 1967
• Director: John Huston, Ken Hughes, Val Guest, Robert Parrish, Joe McGrath
• Cast: Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Woody Allen, Joanna Pettet, Orson Welles, Daliah Lavi, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, Charles Boyer, Jean-Paul Belmondo, George Raft, John Huston

Casino Royale was interestingly based on the first of Ian Fleming’s books that featured James Bond as a character. It’s a spy parody film. This movie features David Niven as James Bond, who is out to stop SMERSH, an evil organization operating from the USSR. SMERSH was responsible for killing agents from around the world, so representatives of MI6, CIA, KGB, and Deuxième Bureau pleaded with Bond to let go of his retirement and deal with this enemy as he wished.

9. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

• Release Date: December 18, 1969
• Director: Peter R. Hunt
• Cast: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Bernard Lee, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat

George Lazenby was the Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service after Connery decided to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice. George had no experience in acting, and while he did a decent job in the role, he decided not to continue after this film. After this one, Connery once again returned as 007. In the movie, Blofeld serves as the main villain, who intends to make all plants and livestock infertile if the world doesn’t fulfill his demands. But guess what? George Lazenby’s Bond was more than enough to stop him and his “Angels of Death.”

10. Live and Let Die

• Release Date: July 6, 1973
• Director: Guy Hamilton
• Cast: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour

Live and Let Die takes 007 to a dangerous world as he tries to destroy the criminal and drug lord Mr. Big, who, apparently, is also a dictator in the Caribbean. Also, did we mention that Live and Let Die was the first film to feature Roger Moore as James Bond? Also, let’s not forget that this was the first Bond movie to represent Black characters in leading roles. In fact, the movie featured an African-American actress, Gloria Hendry, playing the role of Bond’s love interest Rosie Carver.

11. The Man With the Golden Gun

• Release Date: December 19, 1974
• Director: Guy Hamilton
• Cast: Roger Mooren Christopher Leen Britt Ekland

The Man With the Golden Gun was set during the 1973 energy crisis, and it takes Bond to several Asian countries, including Thailand. The movie featured several kung fu scenes, but sadly, that didn’t save the movie. While the acting from the cast was praised, the movie was criticized for its lackluster story. The movie is basically about Bond traveling in Asia in search of the mysterious hitman Scaramanga. Bond must use a Golden Bullet etched with the 007 marking to track down the assassin.

12. The Spy Who Loved Me-

• Release Date: July 7, 1977
• Director: Lewis Gilbert
• Cast: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens

Guy Hamilton left the franchise after directing The Man With The Golden Gun, and after that, took on the mantle to direct The Spy Who Loved Me. This movie was a breath of fresh air after the last Bond film, and it is still considered one of the best Bond films of all time. Roger Moore returns as Bond, the British spy who teams up with a Soviet agent, Anya Amasova, to stop Karl Stromberg.

Apparently, Karl wants to create a new civilization underwater, but for that, he must destroy the world on land. The plot might seem bizarre to some, but rest assured, it does work in the movie and leads to some of the best underwater sequences.

13. Moonraker

• Release Date: June 26, 1979
• Director: Lewis Gilbert
• Cast: Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel, Corinne Cléry

The James Bond franchise decided to take a break from underwater themes and explore space-related issues through Moonraker. The movie features Bond investigating the disappearance of a Space Shuttle orbiter, which ultimately leads him to Hugo Drax. While Agent 007 tries to find the whereabouts of the Space Shuttle, he must fight Drax and his henchman Jaws. While the story of Moonraker wasn’t exactly perfect, the visual effects and the fight sequences in the film made it an incredible success at the box office.

14. For Your Eyes Only

• Release Date: June 24, 1981
• Director: John Glen
• Cast: Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Chaim Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Julian Glover

The James Bond franchise released several films at this point, but For Your Eyes Only was unique because it brought the Bond franchise back to its roots. Instead of exploring the underwater world of space fantasy, the franchise took a grounded approach with For Your Eyes Only, and John Glen decided to bring this idea to life with his direction. The film featured the theme of revenge, where Bond must escape the traps set by Melina Havelock. At the same time, Bond must retrieve a missile command system because, of course, the world is at stake.

15. Octopussy

• Release Date: June 6, 1983
• Director: John Glen
• Cast: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn, Kabir Bedi

Octopussy may have been criticized for its lackluster humor, but it is still remembered for its amazing action sequences and incredible visuals. The film takes Bond to several new places, including India, where the British spy follows Kamal Khan and yet again discovers a sinister plan involving Nuclear weapons. Kamal Khan isn’t the main antagonist of the story, though; instead, the main villain of the story is a Soviet general, Orlov, who wishes to weaken the defense of the Western countries.

16. A View to a Kill

• Release Date: June 13, 1985
• Director: John Glen
• Cast: Roger Moore, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones, Patrick Macnee, Christopher Walken

A View to a Kill is based on Ian Fleming’s From a View to a Kill, but it takes only a little from the novel and goes for an original screenplay. Also, it’s the final film to star Roger Moore as James Bond, so it’s one of the many reasons why fans have a special place for the movie in their hearts. The movie didn’t have a solid story, and it wasn’t Roger Moore’s best performance as Bond either, but still, it was a massive success at the box office. The movie is basically about Bond finding his way to Siberia in search of a Soviet microchip. There, he comes across May Day and Max Zorin, who plans to bring down the entire Silicon Valley.

17. The Living Daylights

• Release Date: June 13, 1987
• Director: John Glen
• Cast: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d’Abo, Joe Don Baker, Art Malik, Jeroen Krabbé

Timothy Dalton takes on the mantle to play James Bond in The Living Daylights. The movie basically plays out in Austria and Afghanistan, where Bond must find out the new leader of the KGB, General Leonid Pushkin, who has been hunting spies all around the world. Timothy Dalton does a commendable job as Bond in this film, and while the actor doesn’t play the role for very long, he is still considered one of the best and one of the most charming actors to play Bond on screen.

18. License to Kill

• Release Date: June 13, 1989
• Director: John Glen
• Cast: Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Talisa Soto, Anthony Zerbe

The plot of License to Kill is based on Ian Fleming’s Live and Let Die, but the screenplay is mostly original. Also, it’s the first James Bond film to not directly use the novel’s title. As I implied before, Timothy Dalton’s run as Bond didn’t last for long, and this was the second and final film to feature the actor as Agent 007. The film was much darker than previous Bond films, and while it received backlash because of its theme, the darker tone became the very reason why fans love the film even today. The film primarily features Bond teaming up with his CIA friend to capture a drug lord, which culminates in a thrilling mid-air action sequence. Also, Bond and his friend must do everything quickly as they have to reach the Church for a wedding on time.

19. GoldenEye

• Release Date: November 24, 1995
• Director: Martin Campbell
• Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker

GoldenEye was the first Bond film to star Pierce Brosnan as Agent 007. Also, it’s the first Bond film to not use anything from Ian Fleming’s novel, so the story was completely original. It was set after the end of the Cold War, but the movie still brings the Soviet Union into the picture. Overall, the movie is about Bond working to stop Rogue MI6 agents from disrupting peace in London. GoldenEye came six years after License to Kill, so the anticipation to see the new Bond and the incredible story helped GoldenEye become one of the highest-grossing Bond films.

20. Tomorrow Never Dies

• Release Date: December 12, 1977
• Director: Roger Spottiswoode
• Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench

The world loved seeing Brosnan as Bond in GoldenEye, so they had high hopes for Tomorrow Never Dies. Well, the movie didn’t disappoint whatsoever, and it earned more than what GoldenEye did at the box office. Brosnan was as charming as ever while trying to stop Elliot Carver, portrayed by Jonathan Pryce, from manipulating the world governments into starting World War 3.

21. The World Is Not Enough

• Release Date: November 26, 1999
• Director: Michael Apted
• Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, Judi Dench

The World Is Not Enough brings back Pierce Brosnan as Bond, and at this time, the popularity of Brosnan’s Bond reached its peak. Like the previous few films, The World Is Not Enough features a completely original story, so yes, it wasn’t based on Ian Fleming’s novel series.

The movie sends Bond on a mission to protect the daughter of Sir Robert King after the King is murdered by a terrorist named Renard. Bond helps escape the girl from Renard’s captivity, but the British Spy soon learns that this is more than just a murder and kidnapping. If Renard is not stopped, he might break the world financially by affecting the oil prices.

22. Die Another Day

• Release Date: November 20, 2022
• Director: Lee Tamahori
• Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Rick Yune, John Cleese, Judi Dench

Die Another Day was the last film to feature Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. The movie was mostly original, but it took inspiration from Ian Fleming’s Moonraker, which also inspired the 1979 Moonraker movie. This movie is also special because it features Halle Berry as a Bond girl named Jinx. The film basically revolves around Bond, who is after a traitor in the British Intelligence. Also, there’s Sir Gustav Graves, the main villain of the story, who, for some reason, holds a vendetta against James Bond.

23. Casino Royale

• Release Date: November 16, 2006
• Director: Martin Campbell
• Cast: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench

2006’s Casino Royale marks the entry of Daniel Craig as James Bond. Based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name, the movie features Bond going after the deadly terrorist named Le Chiffre. Unlike previous Bond films, Casino Royale takes a rather grounded approach and makes Agent 007 “more human.” Instead of relying on over-the-top narrative or action sequences, the movie went for practicality and played around with logic.

24. Quantum of Solace

• Release Date: October 31, 2008
• Director: Marc Forster
• Cast: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench

There was some negativity with Daniel Craig’s casting as Bond in Casino Royale, but the actor surprised everyone with his performance in the first film. Quantum of Solace was no different, as the film was praised for Craig’s performance and non-stop action sequences.

There was criticism around the storyline as it was considered weaker than what we saw in Casino Royale, but despite that, the film worked well at the box office. The movie features Bond going against a terrorist group named Quantum, who want to contaminate the water supply of Bolivia to initiate a coup.

25. Skyfall

• Release Date: October 26, 2012
• Director: Sam Mendes
• Cast: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Judi Dench

Skyfall is possibly one of the best Bond films ever made, so it’s no wonder it’s still the highest-grossing film within the franchise. The film was not only praised for the performances from the cast or the action sequence, but fans and critics also loved the film because of its musical score. The film brings back Daniel Craig as Bond, who must let go of his retirement idea and investigate the data leaks targeted at MI6. Just when the enemies thought that Bond was too old to fight, the British Spy surprises everyone by taking down an entire terrorist organization.

26. Spectre

• Release Date: October 26, 2015
• Director: Sam Mendes
• Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, Ralph Fiennes

Spectre was the fourth James Bond film to star Daniel Craig in the titular role, and like in the previous films, the actor impressed the fandom with his performance in Spectre. The movie did great at the box office despite having a narrative that went all over the place. The movie features a plot that is more personal to Bond, as it not only brings Ernst Stavro Blofeld back into the picture but also confirms that the villain is Bond’s adoptive brother. Yes, the leader of the notorious terrorist organization Spectre turns out to be Bond’s brother – it’s safe to say that no one saw that coming.

27. No Time to Die

• Release Date: September 30, 2021
• Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
• Cast: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes

No Time to Die marks the end of Daniel Craig’s James Bond, and it was surely a great farewell from the actor. The James Bond franchise rebooted with 2006’s Casino Royale, and well, No Time to Die concludes the arc that began in 2006. We saw Spectre back in play and Bond being targeted by the terrorist organization. In the end, Agent 007 has to come out of retirement and get back into action one last time to stop a bioweapon from getting launched. This move is heartbreaking for a lot of reasons, one of them being the fact that Bond gets infected by the bioweapon. Still, he chooses to complete the mission by destroying the entire lab, sacrificing himself in the process.

How to Watch James Bond Movies in Release Date Order

While the majority of cinephiles always want to watch the films of a franchise in chronological order, some show curiosity in following the release date order. So, here, we mention the release date watch order of the James Bond movies:

1. Dr. No- October 5, 1962
2. From Russia with Love- October 10, 1963
3. Goldfinger- September 17, 1964
4. Thunderball- December 29, 1965
5. Casino Royale- April 28, 1967
6. You Only Live Twice- June 12, 1967
7. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service- December 18, 1969
8. Diamonds Are Forever- December 30, 1971
9. Live and Let Die- July 6, 1973
10. The Man with the Golden Gun- December 19, 1974
11. The Spy Who Loved Me- July 7, 1977
12. Moonraker- June 26, 1979
13. For Your Eyes Only- June 24, 1981
14. Octopussy- June 6, 1983
15. Never Say Never Again- October 7, 1983
16. A View to a Kill- June 13, 1985
17. The Living Daylights- June 13, 1987
18. License to Kill- June 13, 1989
19. GoldenEye- November 24, 1995
20. Tomorrow Never Dies- December 12, 1977
21. The World is Not Enough- November 26, 1999
22. Die Another Day- November 20, 2022
23. Casino Royale- November 16, 2006
24. Quantum of Solace- October 31, 2008
25. Skyfall- October 26, 2012
26. Spectre- October 26, 2015
27. No Time to Die- September 30, 2021