The James Bond series is one of the only Hollywood blockbuster franchises whose name isn’t in the titles of its movies. Every Marvel movie is branded with the headlining superhero (or superhero team), while every Star Wars movie proudly displays the iconic Star Wars name. But Bond movies all have cool-sounding spy caper titles like Quantum of Solace and The Man with the Golden Gun.
Some of these titles are taken from Ian Fleming stories, like Goldfinger, while some of them are original, like No Time to Die. From Live and Let Die to The World is Not Enough to Casino Royale, some Bond movies have really badass titles.
From Russia With Love
Sean Connery starred in six official Bond movies (and one unofficial one) with a lot of cool titles, like You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever. But the one with the coolest title is the second one, From Russia with Love.
There’s an ironic bite to this title, as the villainous Soviet colonel Rosa Klebb feels anything but love for 007. SPECTRE assigns her to exact revenge against Bond for the death of Dr. No depicted in the previous movie.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
When Connery took a one-movie break from the Bond franchise, George Lazenby briefly took over the role. Lazenby’s performance wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but from a cinematic standpoint, his Bond movie – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – is one of the finest entries in the series.
It also has one of the franchise’s coolest titles. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service suggests that 007 is a part of an elite squad of covert agents working directly for the Queen.
Live And Let Die
Roger Moore’s first Bond movie, influenced by the then-popular blaxploitation genre, has the badass title Live and Let Die. The title switches out the second “live” in the self-help credo “live and let live” for the word “die.”
This title formed the basis of one of the most iconic Bond themes of all time. Wings’ “Live and Let Die” is one of the few Bond themes to become a pop hit outside of its connection to the movie.
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moore’s most acclaimed Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, also has the moodiest, most intriguing title. The title The Spy Who Loved Me hints at a romance storyline, but the past participle “loved” suggests that the romance is in the past.
In the movie adaptation, this past love is a reference to Anya Amasova’s relationship with a fellow agent who was assassinated by 007 on a previous mission. This conflict paves the way for one of the most compelling love stories in the Bond saga.
For Your Eyes Only
After Moonraker went to space to cash in on the sci-fi trend kicked off by the success of Star Wars, Moore’s next Bond movie returned to the series’ more grounded roots for a straightforward Earthbound revenge thriller.
For Your Eyes Only is a perfect title for a spy movie. It hints at the mystery and intrigue surrounding the work of secret agents. It’s also a subtle nod to the love story between Bond and the vengeful Melina Havelock.
A View To A Kill
A View to a Kill is a very awesome title for a very lackluster movie. It brought Moore’s tenure in the role of 007 to an unceremonious end with the ludicrous story of a tech mogul plotting to destroy Silicon Valley to monopolize the microchip industry.
The title A View to a Kill highlights the narrow-mindedness with which 007 pursues the goals of each mission. This time around, he’s got a view to kill industrialist Max Zorin, played with a delightful eccentricity by Christopher Walken.
Licence To Kill
Timothy Dalton only starred in two Bond movies: The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill. While The Living Daylights is a fun title, Licence to Kill sounds much cooler. It’s taken from the name of Bond’s government-sanctioned clearance to take human lives whenever it’s necessary during his missions.
Licence to Kill is one of the darkest Bond movies. It has the distinction of being the only Bond film to be rated 15 in the UK. 007 abandons his official MI6 investigation to pursue a personal vendetta against the drug lord who killed Felix Leiter’s bride.
The World Is Not Enough
Pierce Brosnan’s third Bond film, The World is Not Enough, is essentially a Bondian take on The Bodyguard with a surprising twist. 007 is assigned to protect an oil heiress after a notorious terrorist assassinates her father. But, as it turns out, the heiress is in cahoots with the terrorist.
The title sums up the megalomania of most Bond villains. They’re all so ambitious, with a “god complex” and delusions of grandeur, that even if they managed to take over the world, they still wouldn’t be satisfied – they would still want more.
Die Another Day
Die Another Day is another Bond movie that doesn’t deserve a title as cool as the one it has. Brosnan’s critically panned last hoorah culminates in a sequence where Bond surfs on a CG tidal wave.
The title Die Another Day suggests that on any given day, Bond isn’t ready to die. No matter how dangerous his mission is, he won’t die today; he’ll die another day.
Casino Royale
From Quantum of Solace to No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s Bond films had some great titles. But the Craig era never managed to top the title of his first film, Casino Royale, taken from the title of Fleming’s first Bond novel.
This is one of the few Bond movie titles that actually outlines what the story is about. The majority of Casino Royale takes place on a casino floor as 007 takes part in a high-stakes poker tournament. The inflection added by the E at the end of “royale” – the French feminine version of “royal” – gives this title a lyrical quality.