Movie Commentary

Bond for Glory

From ''Dr. No'' in 1963 to ''Die Another Day'' in 2002, we track all the peaks and valleys of 007's onscreen life
Photo Credit: The Spy Who Loved Me: Everett Collection; Casino Royale:Greg Williams; Die Another Day: Keith Hamshere

Bond for Glory

There is no such thing as a perfect James Bond movie. Like diamonds, they all have their flaws, even the ones that sparkle brightest. Of course, there's another way Bond films are like diamonds — they're forever. It's not merely that new ones keep popping up — the 21st, Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig as the latest Bond and Eva Green and Caterina Murino as the Bond girls, just arrived (see the EW review here — but that the old ones never die. Just as the closing credits promise, James Bond always returns — not only on movie screens, but also on TV, videotape, and, nowadays, regular DVD reissues (including four new collections released to coincide with the new movie). And that's why we're ranking all 20 official 007 movies.

The end of the Cold War, the rise of feminism, the casting of Timothy Dalton — somehow the franchise survived it all. Certainly, changes were made over the years. In the '70s and '80s, Roger Moore gave the series a lighter, frothier feel; in the '90s, Pierce Brosnan updated it to compete in a more crowded action-movie marketplace — a genre, incidentally, that barely existed before Bond burst onto the scene. But no matter who wore the tuxedo or what the politics of the day happened to be, some things about the character never changed. Even now, with Casino Royale giving Bond his most radical makeover in ages (expect fewer gadgets and better acting from this grittier, more violent 007), the core remains remarkably untouched. He still drives an Aston Martin, still orders drinks shaken not stirred (sort of), and still introduces himself the same way he did when he first sauntered into U.S. theaters 43 years ago in Dr. No, last name first.

''The simple fact is, the character was pretty much fully formed from the start,'' explains Mr. Bond himself, Daniel Craig. ''Sean Connery nailed it from the beginning. Bond's single-mindedness. His toughness. His ruthlessness. He wasn't infallible, but he always knew the answer, always knew exactly what to do in any situation. And he always knew how to wear a suit. He pulled it all off with such glamour. And that's really the essence of the character. Always has been.''

Always will be.

Next page: The countdown begins...