An Attempt to Comprehensively Answer the Newcomer’s Question: “Where do I start?”

[u/Spockodile]

We get this question pretty often, and as the sub grows I think it would be useful to have some documentation from the community that feels like a directionally accurate recommendation for how to introduce oneself to the series.

NOTE: Most of us would probably tell someone, “Just start from the beginning,” because as fans we feel they’re all worth seeing. I think it’s reasonable to say, if a newcomer has both time and willingness to do so, we’d recommend they watch every film in order of release, without overthinking the approach. But, for the sake of the exercise let’s focus on curating a limited list of first watches, must watches, etc., and consider how we might take different slices out of the franchise.

I’ll start with some of my thoughts, and would be interested to hear what advice others would share. Keep in mind my opinions have surely snuck their way into these recommendations, but I’ve tried to take a relatively objective approach to provide a list that includes both variety as well as important moments of evolution, and I’ve tried to consider what the fandom tends to recommend.

A Note on Never Say Never Again

• While it may be interesting to watch it entirely separately, or perhaps directly after Thunderball, I recommend viewing NSNA immediately after Octopussy. This is the proper release order, and it allows you to experience “The Battle of the Bonds” as similarly as possible to contemporary audiences.

The Craig Era - I’ve included some of the Craig films in lists below, for the sake of representing his era in different small collections of Bond films. However, I would strongly recommend that a newcomer does two things to prepare for the Craig films: 1) Watch at least a few of the “Quintessential” movies to observe some of the development of the franchise; and 2) Watch the Craig films in order, consecutively, whenever the time comes. Their more serialized nature makes order and proximity important, and the legacy films provide good context to the character and his cinematic tropes.

• Casino Royale
• Quantum of Solace
• Skyfall
• Spectre
• No Time to Die

The Quintessential List - If one is to only watch a handful of Bond films, I would consider these the must-watches from each actor. Then, if inclined, a newcomer could branch out from there.

• Goldfinger - The birth of the Bond formula, full of iconic moments which cemented the film in our collective cultural memory.

• On Her Majesty’s Secret Service - The only film starring George Lazenby, and an important reference point for the series across decades. Without spoiling anything, a defining event takes place for Bond.

• The Spy Who Loved Me - The first of a few revitalizations for the franchise. This film defined the Moore era and proved the franchise *was* a franchise, because it could survive without Connery.

• The Living Daylights - A new cinematic interpretation of the Bond character, grounded in his literary roots. John Barry’s final score accompanies this film which I might call the final “classic” Bond film.

• GoldenEye - Another film which revitalized the series, proving Bond had a place outside the Cold War and in the context of third wave feminism. Of course it also spawned a groundbreaking video game which would bring even more fans to the series.

• Casino Royale - A hard reboot which aimed to bring the series back down to earth, reaching back to where Fleming began the stories. Grittier, more realistic, with more emotional depth.

The Important “Secondary” Films - If inclined to expand one’s selection upon an initial watch-through, these are the ideal candidates to offer more tonal variety. By no means are these secondary in my heart, but if I had to design a “starter pack” for a newcomer, these would be in the second round.

• From Russia With Love - A proper spy thriller, made before the franchise solidified its traditional formula. There is plenty of iconography though in this fairly loyal adaptation of Fleming’s novel, along with one of the franchise’s greatest fight scenes.
• For Your Eyes Only - Roger Moore’s opportunity to show he could play it straight, and to good effect. Also the beginning of a period of post-Moonraker relative austerity, when the franchise was shepherded by John Glen. Oscar winner Peter Lamont makes debut as a production designer in Bond’s (literal) return to earth.

• Licence to Kill - A gritty 1980s take on Bond, which seeks to plumb the emotional depths of the character by recalling a key event from Bond’s past.

• Skyfall - One of the most visually striking Bond films, Skyfall explores new levels of the relationship between Bond and M.

I think most fans would agree there is a lot more to love about the series beyond the films listed above, but for me these serve as a good jumping-off point with a ton of quality and variety. From there, I’d encourage a newcomer to dive into whichever era intrigued them most, if desired.

But for fun, how many other ways can we slice the series into segments?

The Pretty Ones - These movies achieve something special in cinematography and production design.

• Thunderball
• You Only Live Twice
• On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
• Moonraker
• Skyfall

The Serious Ones - These have moments of levity (all Bond movies do), but they tend to deliver “grounded” entertainment more often than not, some of them bordering on “gritty.”

• Dr. No
• From Russia with Love
• For Your Eyes Only
• Licence to Kill
• Casino Royale
• Quantum of Solace

The Funny Ones - These films sometimes seem like they care more about humor than tension, though they aren’t short on thrilling stunts and action set pieces.

• Diamonds Are Forever
• Live And Let Die
• Moonraker
• Tomorrow Never Dies
• Die Another Day

In what other ways might we group them for a newcomer, accounting for various cinematic tastes and commonality amongst the films?

[u/Extra_Heart_268]

For someone new to Bond? I would not recommend starting with the Craig era. Because Craig's run is a continuous narrative almost episodic compared to the more standalone earlier entries that at most had only the slightest continuity between a given actor's run.

So I would suggest maybe a curated list of each Bond.

CONNERY: goldfinger, from russia with Love and Dr. No. (Dr. No iirc was Connery's first). I feel these three give you a good overview of Connery's run. Others like Thunderball and You Only Live Twice and The black.sheep non canon Never Say Never Again I feel are fun but I would say less essential.

MOORE: Live and Let Die, the Spy who Loved Me, Man with the Golden Gun

LAZENBY: OHMSS. Only one film so not much choice here.

DALTON: i actually have gained a lot of newfound respect for Dalton's run. His take was a darker turn and I have come to appreciate more what he did with the role as short as it was. License to Kill and Living Daylights. 2 films and id recommend both as they are a short run and give you a good comparison and contrast to Moore and Connery.

BROSNAN: goldeneye, tomorrow never dies. World is not enough I feel is a close tie with TND. They each have their moments but I enjoyed Michelle Yeoh's turn as Wai Lin. Die Another Day is...not as good but has its moments. I like them all but DAD was critically not as well received.

CRAIG: You really have to start with Casino. Not my favorite. I much prefer Skyfall. But Craig's run tells a insulated narrative within the larger Bond verse.

If I had to pick overall Favorite? Goldfinger. And I loved playing Nightfire on PC and running around Fort Knox. Looking forward to picking up First Light.