8 Most Underrated James Bond Films

There is no franchise out there with as many underrated films as the James Bond series.

Maybe that isn't surprising as this series does have an awful lot of films, but it's still frustrating how this franchise's films don't get the credit they sorely deserve. This is exacerbated by how, with many of the franchise's most underrated flicks, the criticisms seem to revolve around them not being enough like James Bond (whatever that means) or because they weren't as good as the film that preceded them, which aren't really fair criticisms; every movie should be taken and reviewed on its own terms.

More irritatingly still, some of these following instalments are ripped on for no clear reason.

The following eight films, which come from every era of the franchise except for the Connery one - people give those movies the love they deserve, so that's something - really deserve a re-evaluation from both critics and audiences, for they are so much better than they're often given credit for. Next time you want to watch a Bond film, give one of these a revisit and the chances are, you might just be pleasantly surprised...

This one is in last place on this list because it has received better reviews in recent times but it still sometimes gets overlooked and that's pretty outrageous.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the best Bond films ever made. A stunning combination of awe-inspiring action and a heartfelt dramatic love story that concludes with a crushing dramatic wallop that still stings to this day, OHMSS is a franchise classic without a doubt. It's got an incredible Bond Girl in the form of Tracy (Diana Rigg), the franchise's best Blofeld (Telly Salvales) and masterful action sequences that legitimately shame many of today's chase scenes - those moments really have aged exceptionally well.

It can be slow and George Lazenby's performance as James Bond is pretty weak (although he does do better with the emotional moments) but such flaws are more than forgivable considering how good the rest of the film is.

The criticisms of the film mainly seemed to focus on Lazenby's performance - fair enough, but that doesn't ruin the film - and it being too different from the rest of the series. That is not a fair criticism at all.

Yes, OHMSS is a franchise outlier since it's tonally different and Tracy Bond's death was rarely mentioned in subsequent films (a huge error but on the franchise's part, not this film's), but this doesn't make the film any less terrific.