Divisive James Bond Movie Cracks the Franchise's All-Time Best in Bold Ranking
A ranking of every James Bond movie has placed one of the franchise's most divisive entries among its very best chapters. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was named as one of the greatest 007 movies, ahead of films that are typically celebrated by the series' many dedicated fans, including From Russia with Love and Skyfall.
The Bold Ranking That Put a Divisive James Bond Movie Near the Top
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The James Bond franchise has been so successful over the years because it has attracted legions of devoted fans who are invested in every detail of the series. As a result, there are a lot of people who care about every new Bond update, like when Hollywood heavyweights support shocking actors to be the next 007. Even more notably, fans tend to have extremely strong opinions about which films from the series are among the best.
In May 2025, the team at Consequence.net published what they called "a definitive ranking" of every James Bond movie. Most of that list felt safe and uncontroversial. For example, even people who disagree wouldn't be shocked to learn that Casino Royale and Goldfinger were the top two choices. However, the fact that On Her Majesty's Secret Service was listed in third place was a bold choice. After all, the film has received such a divisive response over the years that weighing in so clearly on one side of the argument could have easily courted controversy.
‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ Has Inspired a Lot of Love and Hate From James Bond Fans
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For decades, On Her Majesty's Secret Service was often viewed as one of the James Bond franchise's lowlights. To this day, George Lazenby's only outing as the superspy in that movie is often panned. In fact, lists from Den of Geek, WhatCulture, AOL, and Gentleman's Journal are only some of the many examples of times when Lazenby has been named the worst 007.
The film itself has also faced a lot of criticism from the start. The New York Times once included it on a list of the worst movies of 1969. The outlet also called some of its dialogue "terrible" and everything else about the movie "dull and foolish" in comparison to its one highlight, Diana Rigg's performance. There are also still modern detractors, as a Reddit post calling it the worst Bond movie shows.
More recently, On Her Majesty's Secret Service has undergone a major reappraisal. It has even been called the franchise's best film by Steven Soderbergh and Christopher Nolan. In the years to come, it will be interesting to see if the fans or detractors will win the debate, or if the film's legacy will continue to be a source of arguments. Either way, there is no doubt about which side the team at Consequence.net agrees with.