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James Bond watch order: How to watch all 007 movies in chronological and release order
Do you like your martini shaken or stirred? Or, do you just not give a damn? Here's how to watch all the James Bond movies in chronological and release order.
This year, James Bond celebrates his 70th anniversary. Ian Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale, debuted in 1953, introducing Agent 007 to the world as a spy extraordinaire and a Cold War icon. The first Bond movie, Dr. No, followed in 1962.
Eon Productions has produced 25 Bond films over the past 50 years; there are two "unofficial" films, Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again (1981) that exist outside of the Eon canon due to licensing issues. Taken together, the 25 Eon earned a combined $19.2 billion box office gross.
Currently, the franchise is on hiatus. Daniel Craig, who played Bond in the last five movies, is done. The creative team needs to figure out who and what is next; they haven't announced a new script, let alone the casting of a new Bond. So until we get some new news, this is an excellent time to catch up on what we've missed. If you're doing a watchthrough of all the Eon 007 films, we've got you covered. Here's how to watch all the James Bond movies in chronological and release order.
The James Bond 007 Franchise in Chronological Order
Image credit: MGM
Here's how to watch the James Bond 007 franchise in Chronological Order:
Here's how to watch the James Bond 007 franchise in Release Order:
Dr. No (1962) - Connery
From Russia with Love (1963) - Connery
Goldfinger (1964) - Connery
Thunderball (1965) - Connery
You Only Live Twice (1967) - Connery
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - Lazenby
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - Connery
Live and Let Die (1973) - Moore
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) - Moore
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - Moore
Moonraker (1979) - Moore
For Your Eyes Only (1981) - Moore
Octopussy (1983) - Moore
A View to a Kill (1985) - Moore
The Living Daylights (1987) - Dalton
License to Kill (1989) - Dalton
GoldenEye (1995) - Brosnan
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - Brosnan
The World Is Not Enough (1999) - Brosnan
Die Another Day (2002) - Brosnan
Casino Royale (2006) - Craig
Quantum of Solace (2008) - Craig
Skyfall (2012) - Craig
Spectre (2015) - Craig
No Time to Die (2021) - Craig
How many timelines does the James Bond franchise have?
There are at least two timelines. The most recent one—which we'll call the Modern Canon—stars Daniel Craig as James Bond. It comprises five films over 15 years, and it is a capsule story that follows the journey of one James Bond, starting from when he first earns his 00 agent status and license to kill. These five films do make loose reference to the earlier Bond films in the form of Easter Eggs and verbal callbacks, but we're meant to believe that the Craig films are self-contained from the rest of the franchise.
Then there's the prior, larger timeline, which we'll call the Classic Canon. The viewer is meant to believe that Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan are all playing the same Bond character, who retains all the memories and experiences from his prior adventures.
Within the Classic Canon, there is a soft reboot when Brosnan takes over the Bond character in Goldeneye (1995). He brings the look and feel of the franchise into the modern era. But even Brosnan's Bond is part of a single narrative continuity that began with Connery.
How do we know that Sean Connery's Bond is the same as Pierce Brosnan's Bond in the Classic Canon?
Image credit: MGM
We know because of how each Bond recalls or refers to past events.
In On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Lazenby's Bond continues his hunt for Ernst Blofeld, who was a main villain to Connery's Bond in From Russia with Love (1963), Thunderball (1965), and You Only Live Twice (1967). We also see props from prior films (like the booby trap suitcase in From Russia With Love) during the scene where Lazenby cleans out his office. At the end of OHMSS, Blofeld murders Bond's new wife Tracy, ending the film on something of a cliffhanger
This murder becomes a touchstone that links all the Bonds together. The next Connery-led film Diamonds are Forever (1971) begins with Bond tracking Blofeld, presumably for revenge after Tracy's death.
Moore's Bond visits Tracy's grave in For Your Eyes Only (1981). Her headstone even has the last words that Lazenby's Bond says to Tracy. "We Have All The Time in The World," sung by Louis Armstrong, is also the musical love theme for the couple.
The subsequent Bonds made subtle references to Tracy as well. Dalton's Bond looks noticeably pained at Felix's wedding in License to Kill (1989), and Felix explains it by saying, "He was married once. But it was a long time ago. And Brosnan's Bond changes the subject when Elektra King asks him if he ever truly loved someone in The World Is Not Enough (1999).
How can Goldfinger (1964) and Die Another Day (2002) possibly star the same character? Shouldn't Bond be in his 80's by that point?
Image credit: MGM
Admittedly, it doesn't make a lot of sense. You just need to use your imagination.
The Classic Canon Bond exists in what many observers call a "floating timeline," in which the characters do not age, even as the world and its technological advancements change around them.
The idea of a floating timeline is not new. One of the most famous floating timelines takes place in The Simpsons, in which Bart is forever 10 years old, and Lisa is forever 8 years old. Similarly in Pokemon, Ash Ketchum is ten years old, which he has remained for over two decades.
Whenever we see Bond again, it will likely be in the context of a third timeline, separate from both the Classic and Modern continuities. To learn more about what's next for the Bond franchise, read our roundup article: James Bond won't get a new face anytime soon. And vote below in our reader poll for your favorite candidate for the next Bond actor.
