The Correct Order To Watch Sean Connery's James Bond Movies

There are countless ways to enjoy the James Bond series, and every 007 aficionado has their preferred method. And they'll talk your ear off about it. Some suggest starting with the highlights, the best of the best, and then doubling back to fill in the gaps. It's the most fun way to do it. Others will tell you to take a deep breath, lean into the wind, and just watch the whole shebang straight through in chronological order of release. It's the most rewarding way to do it (even though you'll suffer through some serious stinkers).

A similar logic applies to each individual Bond era. Some, like Timothy Dalton's brisk run as the world's most dashing secret agent, are over in the blink of an eye. Others, like Daniel Craig's modern reboot, actually demand a specific order to be fully appreciated. But Sean Connery, the first James Bond actor and the one every subsequent 007 gets measured against, is just long and weird enough to offer a viewer flexible options. Over a half-century later, Connery's take on Bond commands the screen: a debonair and dangerous man, quick with a quip but also a terrifying force of violence. There's an edge to his Bond that gets softened by many other actors, an air of cruelty and casual sadism that demands your attention. He's a man of his time, unleashed upon the world.

Depending on what you want to get out of your James Bond viewing experience, there are several ways to approach the Connery era, which is simultaneously a thrilling time capsule and a wince-inducing window to a very different time. (I promised you a Bond fan would talk your ear off about this.) But you're in too deep now. Let's talk about how you, the new fan or the seasoned fan looking to introduce someone to the series, should go about watching these early James Bond movies.

But what if you don't have the time for all of that? Or what if you have just one movie to convince someone to check out additional James Bond movies? That's where you need to get selective. Thankfully, the early Bond films don't require much attention to continuity — each of them largely stands alone. While certain motifs or running gags emerge, they can be enjoyed in any order, and references to past adventures are kept to a bare minimum. After all, this was many years before blockbuster cinema started asking moviegoers to keep track of a half dozen storylines between entries.

So, where do you start if you want a quality-first approach? Simple: "From Russia With Love" is the best of the Connery Bond films, and one of the best espionage movies ever made. Some viewers may find it a tad slow, but allow yourself to luxuriate in its pacing, its blend of actual spycraft and lunatic action, and Connery's sensational, steely performance. Anyone who's going to embrace early James Bond movies at all would be hooked by this one.

From there, "Goldfinger" is the next logical choice, as it's so friggin' famous, and fabulously entertaining (if not as consistent as its predecessor). After that, you're entering "dealer's choice" territory. If the goofy aspects of Bond are winning you over, the outrageous pop art chaos of "You Only Live Twice" is the next step. If you want something with a bit more of a sharp edge, "Thunderball" is the way to go. "Dr. No," despite being the first movie, is just pretty good at best, and should be enjoyed later on.