Ranking Every James Bond Film - From Worst To Best

3. Skyfall

The only Bond to truly delve into the character's backstory, Skyfall, the first Bond film from director Sam Mendes (whose filmography I recently ranked here to see where Spectre placed), splices open the James Bond mythos to deliver a film rife with Bond soul-searching. By pitting 007 as a man at odds with a world which doesn't seem to need him anymore - one that has all but done away with manual espionage in an age of cyber-spying and modern technology - Mendes presents a much more personal Bond film, one in which "for Queen and Country" plays second fiddle to 007's own personal resurrection. Daniel Craig's finest Bond performance comes here, and he's bolstered by an all-star cast, with Ralph Fiennes, Judy Dench (in her best role as M), and Javier Bardem all supporting the tied-best (with Connery) Bond as he goes through the emotional wringer as well as the familiar psychical one. The best looking Bond to boot (as shot by DoP Roger Deakins), Skyfall never lets up, with one great set-piece after another, all of which are perforated by moments of pathos on Bond and M's part. Tinged with moments of skin-tingling nostalgia (the reveal of the old DB5 in particular), Skyfall is an instant, undeniable classic.