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18. Die Another Day (60%)

Entertaining as it is, Die Another Day featured some of the Bond series' most ludicrous spectacles. Among the absurdites: Bond driving an invisible car through a hotel made of ice, and outmaneuvering a death ray from outer space while piloting a parasail. But despite the silliness, there's much to enjoy here. Halle Berry smolders as Bond girl/sidekick Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson; the sexually-charged milieu of Cuba evokes the settings of classic Bond films; and overall, Die has the high-tech thrills and roguish charm of earlier installments. "What makes this the best Bond in years is the surefootedness of Brosnan's performance, as well as [director Lee] Tamahori's fanboy insistence on covering all bases. Finally, a Bond film has once again found that crucial balance between modern action and some good, old-fashioned Bond fun," wrote Steven Snyder of Zertinet Movies.

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17. Moonraker (62%)

With Star Wars still fresh in the minds of moviegoers, the Bond series responded with Moonraker, which makes previous installments look as subtle and realistic as The Bicycle Thief. However, that's not to say it doesn't have its pleasures. This time, 007 is investigating the theft of a space shuttle, which leads him to quasi-fascist millionaire Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), who plans to replace humanity with his breed of super-humans by delivering poison from outer space. Naturally, 007 has to blast off into the heavens to thwart Drax, but he runs into old nemesis Jaws (Richard Kiel) along the way. Of course, it's ridiculous, but it's plenty of fun; this may be the most gadget-obsessed Bond film, and it goes so far over the top that it's never boring. "It's exactly that ridiculousness that makes it so enjoyable," wrote Christopher Null of Filmcritc.com.

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16. Never Say Never Again (63%)

One of the two non-canonical Bond films we've included here, Never Say Never Again was essentially a remake of Thunderball, with one important twist: it marked the (ultimately brief) return of Sean Connery to the role that made him a star. (The title originated from a conversation between Connery and his wife, during which the star said he would never appear in another film as 007.) Never boasted a more impressive pedigree than most Bond films; it was directed by Irving Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back), it featured a breakout role for Bond girl Kim Basinger, and the rest of the cast was stocked with noted thespians such as Max Von Sydow, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Edward Fox, and even Rowan Atkinson. If the plot is by-the-numbers, and if the aging Connery isn't quite the superspy he once was, Never Say Never Again still succeeds because of Connery's world-weariness and iconic presence. "Brandauer is a great Bond villain, and the role still fits Connery like an old tux," wrote Rob Thomas of Madison's Capital Times.