Every so often, I come across a social media post from a new Bond fan asking about the best order to watch the James Bond movies. Should they be watched in order, skip the “bad” ones, stick with the modern films, or perhaps watch every other Bond movie? Every answer except “chronologically” is completely wrong – sorry, not sorry.

From a simple satisfaction standpoint, watching only a selection leaves plenty of loose ends that will eventually make you want to fill in the gaps anyway, so why kick that can down the road? Imagine watching Die Another Day without seeing the previous movies and missing out on the satisfaction of understanding all of those Q Branch throwback references, because that would be downright shameful. There’s also something incredibly satisfying about watching Bond evolve from movie to movie and decade to decade, even when the changes are subtle (don’t forget the unofficial movies in their proper places too, including the 1954 Casino Royale, the 1967 Casino Royale spoof and 1983’s Never Say Never Again!).

If you’re going to take the James Bond journey, you might as well take the scenic route and watch them all in chronological order.