Every Bond Movie Pre-Title Scene Ranked - Worst To Best
5. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
It may be a tad overlong, but the mammoth opening sequence of The World Is Not Enough makes a great case for being the best scene in the entire film.
As a case of episodic action, this is a real doozy as Bond tracks an assassination from Bilbao to London, with a briefcase of recovered money in tow. When the cash explodes in MI6 headquarters, however, it’s up to 007 to chase down the perpetrator in a speedboat set-piece along the River Thames.
It’s an inspired choice of location which, for the first time in the Bond films, stages a glorious action sequence on MI6’s own turf. The Thames and the surrounding London streets make for a massive movie playground, put to terrific use here. Land and river are combined as Bond quickly finds extensive uses for all the functions of Q’s freshly painted, fully decked out boat.
The scene is also a fitting time capsule of the era, with the brand new Millennium Dome extensively showcased on the banks of the Thames. English icon 007 even christens the pristine roof with a few thumps after dropping from a hot-air balloon.
It’s a bumper-sized treat of an opening.
Best moment: Bond adjusts his tie underwater after taking his speedboat for a quick dive to avoid incoming torpedoes. It’s incredibly cheesy, but leaves you grinning from ear to ear.