This James Bond Movie Has The Highest Rotten Tomatoes Score In The Franchise
In /Film's ranking of every James Bond movie, we rightly placed "Casino Royale" in the number one spot. Of course, those confused on the subject will likely disagree with this ranking. After all, Daniel Craig's Bond wouldn't exist without Sean Connery's iconic portrayal of the super spy, right?
Connery established the Bond blueprint when he starred in the film that kicked off cinema's most enduring franchise, 1962's "Dr. No." But the Scottish star didn't actually have that high opinion of the literary Bond and took it upon himself to somewhat reinvent the spy's persona for the big screen. It's also worth noting that much of the suave sophistication we've come to associate with 007 didn't all come from Connery. In fact, we have director Terrence Young to thank for much of Bond's urbanity. The "Dr. No" filmmaker was, as Connery once put it, somewhat of a "bon vivant," and taught the young working-class actor everything he needed to know about the finer things in life, from tailoring to keeping an air of sophistication to his general demeanor.
But when it comes to discussing the Bond blueprint, "Dr. No" is often not cited as the real source of 007's trademarks. That distinction is frequently bestowed upon 1964's "Goldfinger," which defined so much of what we think of when we think of England's greatest spy. From the gadgets to the elaborate death traps to the Aston Martin DB5, this was the movie that really solidified the idea of James Bond and the various tropes associated with his adventures in the public consciousness. It also happens to be the 007 movie with the highest Rotten Tomatoes score.
Goldfinger is the gold standard according to Rotten Tomatoes
Ah, the Tomatometer. The great arbiter of our collective movie taste. According to this almighty adjudicator, there are only two perfect horror movies ever made, only two perfect sci-fi movies ever made, and, if you can believe it, Tom Cruise's worst film is apparently "Cocktail." But if only two films in the entire history of sci-fi filmmaking can claim to be perfect, what hope does Commander Bond have at attaining that elusive perfect score? Well, none apparently. But "Goldfinger" is close.
On Rotten Tomatoes, "Goldfinger" currently sits at a 99% critic score. That makes it the highest-rated James Bond movie on the website. The critical consensus reads:
"'Goldfinger' is where James Bond as we know him comes into focus — it features one of 007's most famous lines ('A martini. Shaken, not stirred.') and a wide range of gadgets that would become the series' trademark."
A quick look at the RT rankings reveals that 1963's "From Russia with Love" is a close second with a 97% critics score, followed by "Dr. No" with 95%. Only then do we see the actual best Bond movie, "Casino Royale," entering the rankings with a 94% rating. Still, many Bond fans will be in absolute agreement with "Goldfinger" being on top.
Don't take the Goldfinger Rotten Tomatoes ranking too seriously
Many will not quibble with these rankings. "Goldfinger" is often hailed as the best Bond and it's easy to see why. Aside from introducing many of the Bond trademarks we've come to love, the film features one of the all-time great Bond villains in Gert Fröbe's Auric Goldfinger. His delivery of "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!" will forever remain a classic villain line, and is just one of many elements in "Goldfinger" that have propelled it to the top of these RT rankings.
It should go without saying but the Rotten Tomatoes rankings are not the be-all and end-all of movie criticism — though we've all found ourselves falling prey to their allure. Seeing an infamous RT splat on a film is usually a quick way for us to move away from said film and continue the hard work of sifting through the sea of "content" in which we find ourselves adrift. But the fact that "From Russia with Love" is ranked higher than "Dr. No" according to the Tomatometer should illustrate the point that these percentages don't necessarily represent any sort of prevailing wisdom. Sure, the second Bond film is excellent, but there's no shortage of fans who would rank "Dr. No" higher — this writer included.
So, rather than taking any of the RT rankings to heart, maybe just use this as a reminder to rewatch some classic Bond while we all wait to find out who the heck is replacing Daniel Craig in the franchise's next installment.