The entire James Bond franchise is known for its stylish opening credits sequences and their original songs, and all 25 can be ranked from worst to best. Regardless of how good the actual movie is, James Bond fans are almost guaranteed to be in for a treat with the franchise’s intro credits. Every James Bond actor was ushered into their films with stunning visuals, catchy and moving songs, and mood-setting sequences.
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There are quite a few factors that go into making a compelling intro worthy of James Bond. The visuals have to be excellent and invoke both the image and feel of a legendary spy, the music has to be sufficiently moving and grand, and it has to set up and fit with the mood of all the adventures 007 is set to go on. Every title in the franchise, from the worst to the best James Bond movies, excels in at least one of those areas, but some presented a more complete package than others.
25 On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Music & Composition By John Barry
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George Lazenby’s one and only outing as 007 in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was surprisingly impressive in a number of ways, but its intro was not. Lazenby’s film went with a rather simple method of showing bits of footage draining out of an hourglass. The intro to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service refused to take risks, and its animations, silhouettes, and almost exclusively blue coloration fell far short of being impressive. One of the few highlights of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service‘s intro was John Barry’s orchestral theme, but that alone was not enough to salvage the uninspired visuals.
24 You Only Live Twice (1967)
Vocals By Nancy Sinatra & Music By John Barry
Sean Connery’s fifth James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice, wasn’t his best showing, and it also wasn’t his best intro. The credits of You Only Live Twice do have some things going for them, such as Nancy Sinatra’s title song and some beautiful volcanic scenery, but that’s about it. The main problem with You Only Live Twice‘s intro is that it just isn’t very memorable. It wasn’t a marked improvement over Thunderball‘s introduction, and Bond films before and after had much more interesting visuals.
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23 The Man With The Golden Gun
Vocals By Lulu, Lyrics By Don Black, & Music By John Barry
Aside from the titular weapon, there isn’t much in the intro to The Man with the Golden Gun that stands out among Bond intros. There are a few somewhat impressive moments, like the pyrotechnics, but other than that, the intro felt like a standard beginning to a Roger Moore-era film. There are also more moments that don’t work in the intro than those that do, such as the women flashing across the screen as water lazily ripples across their images. Lulu’s song also deviated from the tried and true style of music typical to the franchise, yet it didn’t have enough energy or excitement.
22 Die Another Day (2002)
Vocals & Lyrics By Madonna
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Pierce Brosnan’s time as 007 had quite a few ups and downs, and so did his intros. Die Another Day‘s intro is an example of a particularly rough low point in his tenure as Bond. Despite being the last Brosnan movie, the visual effects in Die Another Day‘s intro seem to have regressed. Madonna’s title song is also proof that sometimes leaning too heavily into the trends of the time doesn’t work for James Bond. Everything about the opening of Die Another Day screams that it was trying too hard to keep up with the times, and it was left in the dust instead.
21 Quantum Of Solace (2008)
“Another Way To Die” Vocals By Jack White & Alicia Keys, Lyrics By Jack White
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Daniel Craig’s second turn at 007 felt like a step backwards in many ways, and Quantum of Solace‘s intro is no exception. Its visuals weren’t impressive enough to live up to the standard Casino Royale had created for the modern era of Bond, and its Alicia Keys and Jack White song did not convey the somber and grumpy story that was in store. In fact, the entire intro to Quantum of Solace failed to fit the movie’s tone at all, and it almost seems like a disconnected music video spliced into the opening scenes of the film. Stylish visuals can only take an intro so far.
20 Dr. No (1962)
“James Bond Theme” By John Barry Orchestra
Though it did kickstart the entire James Bond franchise and set the precedent of visually impressive credits sequences, Dr. No‘s intro hasn’t aged as well as other films’. John Barry’s orchestral score is always appreciated, but after 60 years and 24 movies that incorporated the same tune, Dr. No‘s intro song doesn’t spark much intrigue. Likewise, while the simplistic colored dots and boxes with text on a black screen was striking at the time, it feels a bit underwhelming in comparison to 007’s later entries. Still, however, credit is due to Dr. No for starting one of the biggest franchises in film history.
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19 For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Vocals By Sheena Easton, Lyrics By Michael Leeson, Music By Bill Conti
If The Man with the Golden Gun was an example of how Pierce Brosnan’s movies misused water elements in the intro, For Your Eyes Only is an example of how they used them correctly. The underwater theme of the intro fit perfectly with Sheena Easton’s echoing, almost ethereal vocals, and it made the unprecedented decision to include the singer in the intro work. It also worked well with For Your Eyes Only‘s maritime setting. The intro to For Your Eyes Only won’t win any awards, but it took some risks and still managed to start the film on a positive note, which is commendable.
18 The Living Daylights (1987)
Vocals By A-ha, Music By Pal Waaktaar & John Barry
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James Bond movies are always a microcosm of the time they were created in, and no intro proves that better than The Living Daylights. Complete with a title song performed by A-ha and women with the biggest hairstyles possible, the intro to The Living Daylights is quintessential 1980s nostalgia. Whether that works or not is a matter of personal preference, but the film also had the visuals and moodiness to back up such a modern intro. One of the only ways The Living Daylights‘ intro could have been improved was by better signaling just how gritty Timothy Dalton’s debut would be.
17 Moonraker (1979)
Vocals By Shirley Bassey, Lyrics By Hal David, Music By John Barry
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The opening of Moonraker may be the closest James Bond ever got to making its audience feel like they were watching the film in a cocktail lounge 007 himself could have frequented. With its darker lighting, muted colors, and Shirley Bassey’s more reserved vocal performance, Moonraker‘s intro feels almost anticipatory. Neither Moonraker nor its intro made huge waves in the franchise as a whole, but it’s a more than serviceable way to begin a James Bond film, and it feels perfectly in keeping with Roger Moore’s tenure as the legendary spy.
16 Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Vocals By Sheryl Crow
In many ways, the intro to Tomorrow Never Dies was ahead of its time. From women standing in X-ray images of bullets to Sheryl Crow’s modern voice in a classically-composed song, Tomorrow Never Dies lived up to the precedent GoldenEye set for Pierce Brosnan’s films. Impressively, and unlike Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies also managed to strike the perfect balance between CGI and live-action footage, and it married the two styles very effectively. Its digital motifs also fit perfectly with Elliott Carver’s (Jonathan Pryce) cyberterrorism, making it a great way to set the film’s tone.
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15 The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Vocals By Garbage, Lyrics & Music By David Arnold & Don Black
The intro to The World is Not Enough toes a very fine line between relying too heavily on computers and finding a unique style in the digital age and the turn of the millennium, but it just manages to teeter into the latter category. Some of the visuals may not have aged well, but at the time, they were impressive feats of technology. It also set a bold, experimental tone for the film, and Garbage’s title song gave The World is Not Enough an updated version of the crooning songs the franchise is mainly known for. It’s experimental, and the experiment was mostly a success.
14 No Time To Die (2021)
Vocals By Billie Eilish, Lyrics By Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell
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Daniel Craig’s final James Bond movie and the franchise’s most recent didn’t have a tremendous intro. Billie Eilish’s Bond song deservedly won an Oscar, but even her vocals couldn’t save the largely indecisive intro. No Time to Die‘s intro starts with some compelling visual elements that call upon Ozymandias‘ description of an empire in ruin in the sand, yet it abandons that style halfway through. Instead, No Time to Die‘s intro feels like it couldn’t decide how it wanted to send Craig off, or how it wanted to use Eilish’s song.
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13 Octopussy (1983)
“All Time High” Vocals By Rita Coolidge, Lyrics By Tim Rice, Music By John Barry
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Roger Moore’s time as 007 wasn’t universally acclaimed, and there were several valid points of criticism his films faced, but the intro to Octopussy was a great glimpse into what made him such a good Bond. Octopussy‘s credit sequence is fun, colorful, sexy, and more than a little bit goofy, all of which can be used to describe the Moore-era. The film was heavily critiqued for making a “mockery” of 007, but there’s also a certain charm to Moore’s antics. Octopussy‘s credit sequence leaned into Moore’s reputation as the goofy James Bond, and it paid off in the grand scheme of things.
12 From Russia With Love (1963)
Written By Lionel Bart & Composed By John Barry
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Though later James Bond entries benefited from improved technology and techniques, From Russia with Love proved that execution could be just as important, if not more so. There’s nothing technically stunning about the intro – it’s simple close-ups and light – but that didn’t stop From Russia with Love from delivering a sublime example of the franchise’s mastery over color, composition, and experimentation. While its intro music was a bit lacking among John Barry’s other orchestral pieces, that’s barely a footnote holding From Russia with Love back.
11 Thunderball (1965)
Vocals By Tom Jones, Lyrics By Don Black, & Music By John Barry
Thunderball may not be a great James Bond movie, but it definitely knew how to make a James Bond intro sequence. Thunderball essentially became the template for the following decades of 007, and it proved to be for good cause. Everything about it, from Tom Jones’ vibrato to the effortlessly cool silhouettes of women, scuba divers firing harpoons, and the colors, made Thunderball into the example of a James Bond intro. While the movie wouldn’t live up to that start, the intro itself can’t be faulted for that, and on its own, it’s nearly a masterpiece.
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10 A View To A Kill (1985)
Lyrics By Duran Duran & Music By Duran Duran & John Barry
Roger Moore’s final film as 007 gave him another great intro, and A View to a Kill brought the franchise’s visuals up a notch. Like The Living Daylights, A View to a Kill benefited from being made in the 1980s, as its neon highlights provided the perfect pop of change to make it distinct from previous entries. Duran Duran’s title song also helped modernize the franchise and give it more sex appeal and coolness. There’s a reason the intro to A View to a Kill feels special among the rest of the James Bond movie intros: it is special.
9 The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Vocals By Carly Simon, Lyrics By Carole Bayer Sager, & Music By Marvin Hamlisch
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A good intro sets the tone of a Bond movie, and The Spy Who Loved Me is one of the best examples of how the franchise’s intro sequences can immediately establish an atmosphere. Carly Simon’s emotional lyrics combined with Marvin Hamlisch’s enchanting yet melancholic piano make for an incredible Bond song. That, combined with the interpretive and trampoline-filled choreography and the moody background hues makes The Spy Who Loved Me one of the best intros in 007’s history. It’s a great setup to the often contentious but nonetheless compelling relationship between Bond and Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach).
8 GoldenEye (1995)
Vocals By Tina Turner, Written By Bono & The Edge
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GoldenEye had the longest hiatus between Bond films ever – at least until the upcoming Bond 26 – but the wait created an opportunity for its intro to make a huge technical leap forward. Luckily, unlike some of Brosnan’s other Bond intros, it paid off, and the intro to GoldenEye was one of the more innovative things about a movie that largely returned to form after Dalton’s more grounded take on the agent. As soon as a digital bullet flies out of a CGI gun and Tina Turner’s vocals begin, it’s clear that GoldenEye wanted to hit the ground running, and it accomplished that goal.
7 Casino Royale (2006)
“You Know My Name” Vocals By Chris Cornell, Lyrics By Chris Cornell & David Arnold
If GoldenEye was a renewal for the James Bond franchise’s intros, then Casino Royale was a complete reinvention. Gone were the naked women, the moody interpretative dances, and the live-action footage tinted in primary colors. Replacing them were a silhouetted 007 fighting bad guys, highly stylized designs splitting across the screen, and a clever combination of the movie’s focus on gambling and action. It was the perfect way to signal just how different Daniel Craig’s take on Bond would be, and just how well the franchise could keep up with the rapidly changing 21st century.
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6 Licence To Kill (1989)
Vocals By Gladys Knight, Written By Narada Michael Walden
Though it was Timothy Dalton’s second and final appearance as 007, Licence to Kill felt like the culmination of the entire Roger Moore era of Bond in its intro. It has everything Bond intros were known for in the previous 16 years, from smoky, colorful visuals, gun-wielding women, and a certain pop-culture feel, but Licence to Kill turned it all up to 11. That also fit the film’s extremely dark intro and tone perfectly, and Dalton’s final outing as Bond earned the film noir look of its intro. It’s one of the franchise’s more fitting farewells to a 007 actor.