The Single Biggest Mistake Every James Bond Film Has Made

No gadget could've prevented some of these disasters...

The Man With The Golden Gun Ending
MGM

Unfortunately, No Time to Die has been delayed yet again. Now not set to hit cinemas till at least April 2021, all of us will have to wait a bit longer for Bond's 25th outing. The talent on board and the trailers seen so far suggest good things and hopefully, it'll be better than the disappointing Spectre.

Speaking of which, No Time to Die is in a position many Bond films have previously found themselves in: course-correcting the franchise after a disappointing instalment. James Bond is a wonderful franchise in many ways, but it is also an inconsistent one and it's been a real roller coaster of ups and downs over the almost-sixty years the franchise has been going.

In order to succeed, No Time to Die must learn from Spectre's flaws, but there are also many, many other huge mistakes it can learn from within the other 23 Bond flicks.

But what is the biggest flaw in each James Bond film? Which movie dropped the ball the most? From plot holes to awful performances, from terrible writing to flat action scenes, here's the worst thing in every single one of the franchise's 24 films.

Starting from the very beginning...

24. Dr No: The Uneven Pacing

The Man With The Golden Gun Ending
Eon Productions

The first James Bond film ever made in the official series, Dr No is a very solid start to this legendary franchise that offers plenty of terrific escapism and Sean Connery's superb turn as James Bond.

Unfortunately, it is also dating rather awkwardly.

This is kind-of inevitable since it's nearly 60 years old now, but Dr No would hold up better than it does were it not so sluggishly paced. In particular, the first half is far too slow and many of the action sequences are all too brief.

Nevertheless, the second half is stronger and keeps the momentum going throughout, so Dr No remains a good start for James Bond even if these issues with pacing and unevenness prevent it from reaching greatness.

Contributor

Film Studies graduate, aspiring screenwriter and all-around nerd who, despite being a pretentious cinephile who loves art-house movies, also loves modern blockbusters and would rather watch superhero movies than classic Hollywood films. Once met Tommy Wiseau.