“Moonraker”
Plot: Bond heads for the stars (or at least, Earth orbit) as he squares off against a fascistic industrialist who plots to fire chemical weapons from an orbiting space city in order to destroy the world and then remake it in his own demented image.
The Good Stuff: Featuring some incredible model work and set design, "Moonraker" may have been riding on the coattails of "Star Wars" but the tone is its own goofy blend of 50s sci-fi pulp and modern (for their time) space race trappings. Also, the sequences in Rio de Janeiro are pure Bond goodness.
The Bad Stuff: Ultimately the whole endeavor suffers from a silly desire to make a sci-fi blockbuster, not least an over the top (even for Bond) space-set laser battle climax. The biggest mistake, though, was in listening to all the little kids who wrote the producers begging for iconic henchman Jaws (once again played by the always-welcome Richard Kiel) to be made into a "goodie" instead of a "baddie", leading to a ridiculous last-minute conversion to the forces of good for a guy who, just one movie ago, was tearing a guy's throat out with his teeth.
Timeless Message: If you're planning to destroy the Earth, don't get the ball rolling by doing something that will draw the entire world's attention to you.

“For Your Eyes Only”
Plot: Bond teams up with a lovely archaeologist in a quest for a rogue piece of cold war technology as well as revenge against the leader of a powerful international smuggling ring.
The Good Stuff: Perhaps sensing that they'd gone a bit too far with the last movie, the filmmakers bring this one back down to Earth and keep the tone closer to the earlier Fleming novels. Interestingly, the pre-credits sequence also definitively wraps up the Bond vs. Blofeld story arc in an amusingly offhanded way that may not be particularly satisfying, but does deliver one of Bond's more memorable kills.
The Bad Stuff: While the film's tone is more gritty and less fantastical this time, the story itself remains fairly forgettable stuff, with more than a few scenes and plot points that seem lifted from "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".
Timeless Message: When pleading with James Bond for your life, offer him something more appealing than his own "diner in stainless steel".

“Octopussy”
Plot: Bond's investigation of a stolen Fabergé egg leads him into conflict with an exiled prince, a traitorous Soviet general, and a seductive circus owner who leads a dangerous octopus cult.
The Good Stuff: While Moore's Bond flicks were getting pretty goofy by this point, the filmmakers still make it a point to dish out some impressive action sequences, and manage to make the final "stop the bomb" chase sequence fairly exciting. Also, charismatic tennis star Vijay Amritraj makes for an appealing ally who gets dispatched by one of the cooler gadgets in a Bond flick: a buzz saw yo-yo.
The Bad Stuff: Perhaps signaling their desire to make these flicks more kid friendly, the film literally puts Bond in a clown suit for part of the climax (plus he does a Tarzan yell while swinging through some trees... ugh.) Octopussy herself (played by Maud Adams) may be the title character, but she's primarily memorable for the fact that her name is a double entendre for "vagina" and not because she's particularly interesting.
Timeless Message: A blue-ringed octopus does not make for a very good pet.

“A View To a Kill”
Plot: Bond squares off against a psychotic business tycoon who intends to detonate the San Andreas fault in order to destroy Silicon Valley.
The Good Stuff: Christopher Walken gamely sinks his teeth into the role of the villain, while Grace Jones makes for a strange but memorable “evil Bond girl”. This one thankfully downplays some of the sillier aspects of the series, while ratcheting up the intensity to sometimes shocking levels… Walken’s controversial climactic machine-gunning/drowning of his own men counts as one of the most violent sequences this side of Daniel Craig’s Bond.
The Bad Stuff: By this point, Moore is getting a bit too creaky to play Bond convincingly… he looks like M, not 007. The storyline strains credibility too, particularly when it comes to Walken’s ultimate plan to create a giant earthquake, while Jones remains fairly under-used in her role.
Timeless Message: Watch out for blimps… apparently they can sneak up on you.

“The Living Daylights”
Plot: Timothy Dalton takes over the Bond role for a departing Moore in this convoluted tale of Soviet espionage, political double-crosses, Afghani freedom fighters and international romance.
The Good Stuff: Timothy Dalton’s brief tenure as Bond was characterized by a seething undercurrent of darkness… he may have tossed out quips and one-liners, but underneath the flippancy was a legitimate sense of menace. There are also some fabulous locations this time around, including Vienna, Tangiers and the Rock of Gibraltar.
The Bad Stuff: Tonally, this one’s a bit of a mess – the filmmakers don’t seem entirely sure what to do with Dalton’s more intense take on Bond, so they try to shoehorn in moments of humor that don’t entirely work.
Timeless Message: Those with a Napoleon complex should know better than to build models of Waterloo.

“License to Kill”
Plot: Bond goes rogue when his best friend gets mangled by a sadistic drug lord, setting him off on a quest for vengeance that may end up compromising his loyalty to King and country.
The Good Stuff: A solidly entertaining Bond adventure that was underrated when it was first released, this film took additional brickbats for its bloody violence… it’s the first Bond to be given a PG-13, a rating it handily earned. Its dark edge, though, was perfectly in step with Dalton’s crueler Bond, and gave the story a real sense of menace and tension. A young Benicio Del Torro sizzles in a small role as a knife-wielding henchman, while Robert Davi exudes an almost palpable mixture of charisma and sleaze as the main villain. Also, watch for Wayne Newton in a great bit as a slimy televangelist.
The Bad Stuff: Again, the humor sometimes feels out of step with the darker tone.
Timeless Message: You should not, in fact, disagree with things that can eat you.

“Goldeneye”
Plot: A ghost from Bond’s past comes back to menace all of Britain with a devastating space-based weapon.
The Good Stuff: Following a five year hiatus, Bond gets a solid comeback courtesy of action specialist Martin Campbell and particularly Pierce Brosnan, who confidently inhabits the Bond role with a nice blend of Connery’s suaveness, Moore’s twinkle and Dalton’s mean streak. Under Campbell’s solid direction, “Goldeneye” feels like both a slick, modern action flick and a pleasant throwback to the “Goldfinger” days.
The Bad Stuff: There’s an unnecessarily goofy edge to some of the comedy (for instance, Alan Cumming hams it up a bit too much as an obnoxious Russian hacker). Also, could Tchéky Karyo please be allowed to survive to the end of just one movie?
Timeless Message: Driving a tank is not only easy, it’s fun.

“Tomorrow Never Dies”
Plot: Bond must foil the schemes of a ruthless media baron who seeks to spark an international war in order to boost his own power and influence.
The Good Stuff: The filmmakers graciously allow action ace Michelle Yeoh, as a high-kicking super spy, to share considerable screen time with Brosnan, and she makes the most of the opportunity… her character is so strong one hesitates to even think of her as a traditional “Bond girl”. Jonathan Pryce makes for a memorably mock-cheerful villain, while the motorcycle/helicopter chase across the rooftops of Saigon is an action highlight.
The Bad Stuff: “Turner & Hooch” director Roger Spottiswoode may have apprenticed for action movie master Sam Peckinpah, but he seems to have inherited none of Peckinpah’s skills behind the camera. Here, he directs action with an almost squeamish distaste for violence, resulting in several potentially showstopping sequences playing out as soft-pedaled and underwhelming. It’s a Bond movie, for crying out loud.
Timeless Message: That big whirly thing with gnashing metal teeth? Don’t stand in front of it.

“The World is Not Enough”
Plot: Bond finds himself up against a mortally wounded former KGB agent turned nuclear terrorist who is all the more dangerous because he has nothing to lose.
The Good Stuff: Villain Renard isn’t just another menacing Bondian sociopath… as played by the always excellent Robert Carlyle, he’s strangely sympathetic, even tragic. If he wasn’t trying to commit mass homicide, he’d probably qualify as the film’s underdog. Sophie Marceau likewise makes a memorable impression as a tough but sensitive romantic foil for Bond who may be more than she seems. It’s also nice to see Judi Dench’s M given a meatier role this time around, while the title theme song by Garbage is one of the better ones.
The Bad Stuff: Director Michael Apted doesn’t seem entirely comfortable doing a large scale action movie, bringing little personality or zest to the big set pieces. Denise Richards stumbles her way through the badly-written and pointless role of Bond girl Christmas Jones, who ends up being one of the series’ worst.
Timeless Message: Fizzy ice in your cocktail means something bad is about to happen.

“Die Another Day”
Plot: Bond teams up with a highly-skilled female agent to try and thwart a brilliant young diamond tycoon who is secretly plotting to shift the lines of global power.
The Good Stuff: Conceived as a loving homage to all the Bond films that had come before, “Die Another Day” is crammed chock full of clever references to everything from Honey Rider’s iconic surfside appearance in “Dr. No” to the shoe blade in “From Russia With Love”. Director Lee Tamahori brings considerable flair to the numerous action showstoppers, while Halle Berry acquits herself nicely as a Bond girl who can take care of herself.
The Bad Stuff: The film often flirts with being too absurd for its own good, particularly by the time the villain has strapped on an electricity-spewing robo-suit for a climactic showdown on a burning airliner. The copious use of CG is a detriment… it just looks fake, undermining some moments and flat out ruining others. Also, Madonna's gratuitous cameo not only stops the film cold, but her auto-tune-mangled title theme plays like a parody of a Bond song.
Timeless Message: Having diamonds embedded in your face might look kind of cool, but seriously, dude. Tweezers.