Every James Bond Finale Ranked

Skyfall's finale might seem like an odd choice for number one. Most Bond finales see him taking on a ruthless villain who's trying to wreak global havoc, but Skyfall's climax is a more low-key affair. It's a home-siege in which Bond, M (Judi Dench) and Bond's former guardian (Albert Finney) defend Bond's childhood home from a group of mercenaries who are trying to murder M.

Nonetheless, Skyfall's climax is arguably the best a Bond film has ever had, for a variety of reasons.

For starters, it is an enthralling, visually stunning thrill ride regardless of how small-scale it is, and all of this action is extraordinarily effective, but the thing which takes it to the next level are the sky high emotional stakes.

Thanks to audience investment in both Bond and M, it's an almost unbearably tense affair and viewers will care so much about everything that is happening. Of course, we've then got M's heart-breaking death at the end, which makes an already phenomenal finale even more powerful.

Factor in the amazing acting, Roger Deakins' gorgeous cinematography and the generally emotional vibe running through the whole thing and you've got a near-perfect action finale that is as emotionally powerful as it is exhilarating. As such, in spite of the huge competition from the other Bond films, it feels fair to call this the greatest Bond finale of all time.

How the hell will the franchise ever top it?