Depending upon my mood, the great middle section can move around, though the top two never change for me, and because I’ve never cared for Craig, I tend to put them in the bottom. Your ranking Moonraker 3rd is a puzzlement, as most consider it the nadir of the pre-PB era (and seeing GF so far down is also a surprise, since that’s what defined JB as a franchise to me). I rank AVTAK 15th, but for a guilty pleasure, it is really in my top 5. I put DAD as dead last, because I thought it was just plain atrocious (which even Rosamund Pike couldn’t elevate). QoS was only marginally better, but I’ve only watched it once and it doesn’t even seem like a Bond film. Otherwise, your rankings generally jibe with mine.
1. OHMSS (****)
2. Goldfinger (***1/2)
3. For Your Eyes Only (***)
4. From Russia With Love (***)
5. The Living Daylights (***)
6. Thunderball (**1/2)
7. You Only Live Twice (**1/2)
8. Never Say Never Again (**1/2)
9. Licence To Kill (**1/2)
10. Dr. No (**1/2)
11. The Spy Who Loved Me (**1/2)
12. The Man With The Golden Gun (**1/2)
13. The World Is Not Enough (**1/2)
14. Diamonds Are Forever (**)
15. AVTAK (**)
16. Octopussy (**)
17. Live And Let Die (**)
18. Moonraker (*1/2)
19. Casino Royale (1967 Comedy) (*1/2)
20. GoldenEye (*1/2)
21. Casino Royale (2006) (*1/2)
22. Tomorrow Never Dies (*)
23. QoS (*)
24. Die Another Day (*)
Like DJ said “Depending upon my mood...”
I break down my favorites and least favorites based on who's playing 007, but again, picking one film as “the best” (and I've tried over the decades) eludes me.
Anyway, here's my attempt to rank them:
Connery: The original and best Bond, period. I also include Never Say Never Again.
Best: Tie between all of them (minus Diamonds Are Forever). Loaded gun to my head, I go with either From Russia With Love, Goldfinger or You Only Live Twice.
Worst: Diamonds Are Forever. Yuck.
Lazenby: What could have been... N = 1.
Best: OHMSS
Worst: N/A
Moore: I like Moore better than most, but he had some crap scripts to work with.
Best: The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, and yes, A View To A Kill.
Worst: Tie between Moonraker and Octopussy. Even with Michael Lonsdale or the still hot GILF Maud Adams, both are utter crap.
Dalton: What could have been... N = 2.
Best: License to Kill
Worst: The Living Daylights (I just can't get into it.)
Brosnan: The more I've watched the Brosnan flicks, the less I generally like them.
Best: Tomorrow Never Dies. Best of a mediocre bunch.
Worst: Die Another Day (Even with Halle Berry, the invisible car, DNA swapping and the Madonna cameo were too much. Puke on film.
Craig: N/A. Haven't seen either of his 007 flicks yet.