The long-running James Bond series has films with a distinctive stylistic template. They typically have complex plots with several twists, long conversations for 007 to show off his cutting wit, and lengthy action setpieces, be they fights or chase scenes. As a result, Bond movies often develop long runtimes, usually in excess of two hours. In fact, the most recent entry— No Time To Die— is the longest Bond movie yet, clocking in at a whopping 2 hours and 43 minutes.
This can be a daunting prospect, with many films this long losing momentum or failing to justify their runtime with adequate payoff. Some Bond movies do so, with every minute of the runtime contributing to a blistering plot but building up to a spectacular finale. Other Bond movies fall short, with derivative or unimaginative plots that have no need to be as long as they are.
10 Worth It: Skyfall Uses Its Half-Hour Climax Well
Skyfall tries to do a lot for a Bond movie. It is the first film to really try and dig into James Bond's background, while also performing a deep character study and telling intersecting stories of Raoul Silva's revenge plot against M and the a government enquiry attempting to find Special Operations obsolete.
Nonetheless, these disparate threads are woven together elegantly, with one aspect bleeding into another. Much of the film's long runtime comes from its lengthy climax, where Bond, Silva, and their respective allies do battle in Bond's ancestral home of Skyfall, throwing everything they have at one another. The epic finale stops anyone getting bored, even after two hours and twenty-three minutes.
9 Bloated: Octopussy Is Both Formulaic & Confusing
Standing at two hours and eleven minutes, Octopussy comes in about average for a James Bond film, far away from either its shortest or its longest entries. Run-of-the-mill describes a lot about it, in the eyes of many fans, as it has come to be considered a paint-by-numbers Bond film that does nothing to break the mold.
Despite this, it also has a confused and poorly-paced plot, throwing new characters into the mix with abandon. For much of Octopussy's long runtime, the only time viewers are unlikely to know what has happened next is when they don't know what's just happened.
8 Worth It: The Plot Of The Living Daylights Is Twisty But Enjoyable
The Living Daylights is the first outing for Timothy Dalton as James Bond, and features him setting out to assassinate a KGB director who has apparently resumed the old policy of "death to spies" set to increasing tensions between the East and West.
Through a lengthy plot filled with enjoyable action and character moments, the film is lengthened by a twist when Bond meets the seeming villain: That his entire mission is based on a lie. The defector who warned Bond about the policy was lying, and the whole thing is a plot to avoid arrest from Soviet authorities. The result is a unique Bond story that warrants its length.
7 Bloated: Die Another Day Is Overstuffed With Callbacks
Die Another Day is the final Bond film featuring Pierce Brosnan as the titular character and, released as the 40th anniversary celebration of the long-running franchise, seeks to pay homage to the previous films in the series.
In a better film, this could have worked, but Die Another Day would underwhelm fans with its unoriginal villain, predictable betrayals, and questionable action sequences. As a result, in the eyes of audiences, the inclusion of references to earlier films serves only to pad a film that isn't particularly enjoyable.
6 Worth It: The Spy Who Loved Me Is Moore At His Best
Only a hair over two hours, The Spy Who Loved Me is fondly-remembered by fans of the franchise, and Roger Moore in particular. Taking a break from the series' focus on Soviet vs West plots, it instead sees Bond ally with a Soviet agent to prevent reclusive megalomaniac Karl Stromberg from destroying the world to start over again.
The film's original plot sustains itself admirably throughout, providing enough twists and turns to stop things from going stale or the pace from stalling. Coupled with numerous action sequences against fan-favorite villain Jaws, the film does not outstay its welcome.
5 Bloated: A View To A Kill Shows The Perils Of An Aging Bond
Roger Moore's last film as James Bond, A View to a Kill puts the agent against tech magnate Max Zorin as he attempts to destroy Silicon Valley in a flood. In the film, Moore is nearly 60 years old portraying Bond, having been in the role for twelve years.
With the film's somewhat contrived and convoluted plot, the action sequences are unable to redeem it and keep audience attention due to Moore's advanced age, resulting in a film that drags on too long for many viewers. Were it shorter, Moore's age might not have been felt quite so strongly.
4 Worth It: Casino Royale Brought Bond Back
After the later films in Pierce Brosnan's era met with diminishing returns, the franchise underwent a reboot, introducing Daniel Craig as a younger and inexperienced James Bond that earned his 00 designation in the film's opening scene.
Long for a Bond film at two hours and twenty-four minutes, Casino Royale nonetheless maintains audience interest throughout with the captivating performances of Craig and Mad Mikkelsen, and a new style for Bond films that fans and critics alike believed revitalized the series. Despite its length, there is not a boring second.
3 Bloated: Moonraker Drags The Series Out Of Genre For Too Long
The James Bond films have always had an edge of science-fiction about them, with most of them outfitting James with high-tech gadgets beyond the technology of the day, and sending him up against villains with outlandish schemes and not always taking themselves too seriously.
Nonetheless, Moonraker spends much of its time building up to a climax, only for the finale of the film to take place in outer space with marines assaulting a space station with laser guns. For a film that, in the eyes of fans, underwhelms throughout, the strange climax is not nearly enough to make up for the two hours spent watching.
2 Worth It: No Time To Die Sends Craig Off With Fanfare
Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond is the longest film in the series to date, clocking in two and three-quarters hours. In the eyes of many, this would be too long for a lot of films, with pacing and tension being difficult to maintain over nearly three hours of screen time.
However, No Time To Die has been well-received by both fans and critics, considered to be a fitting end to Craig's tenure in the role. Although some critics found fault in the runtime, most were more forgiving, finding the film to be tense, fun, and exciting throughout.
1 Bloated: Spectre Buckles Under Its Own Weight
Spectre is already a long entry in the series, at nearly two and a half hours in length. For some Bond films, this time is filled adequately. However, in the opinions of many, Spectre falters by trying to use that time to try and tie the previous films in Craig's saga together, bloating the runtime in a fit of arc-welding that cheapens previous entries in the series.
At times, the film's own plot becomes an afterthought, resulting in an entry where, despite its sheer amount of runtime, the villain and his plot are underdeveloped and fail to hold the film together.
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