I wouldn't put it in the bottom 5. It's chief sin is that it's boring.
It's as if, following DAF and LALD, they wanted to do a more grounded Bond, tried, found it lacking, and said "fuck it, let's throw in a flying car."
I've been considering doing another list, but my heart's not in it. But I do feel like listing the Worst Bond Movies!
#1 Diamonds are Forever
Sins:
Wasted follow-up to one of the best Bonds and certainly one of the best Bond story turns
Boring as fuck
Worst henchmen ever in Bond? I think so.
Connery clearly does not give a fuck about anything
Worst Bond Girl until Dr Christmas Jones comes along
Painful moments including referencing James Bond as a publicly known celebrity
Mitigating factors:
Charles Grey isn't half bad as Blofeld, even if the script is horrible.
Decent theme
#2 Moonraker
Sins:
Bond in SPAAAAAAAAAAAACE!
First half is really dull
Spandex-wearing Master Race
Mitigating factors:
Jaws may be corny as all get out, but he's fun at least.
#3 Die Another Day
Sins:
Invisible Car, Ice Hotel, Space Laser (again)
Parody-level villain with diamonds embedded in his face
Wasted potential of opening sequence
Mitigating factors:
The movie is almost good until halfway in.
It's not Moonraker or Diamonds are Forever. (I'm actually surprised this isn't the worst, I used to think so. The I tried to rewatch a lot of Bond and those other two really are worse)
#4 Octopussy
Sins:
Moore looks far too old for this.
Forgettable overall
Bond in Clown getup
Clumsy attempt to make Bond relevant as cold war dies down
Mitigating factors:
Maud Adams
#5 You Only Live Twice
Sins:
Ruined the flawless run of Bond movies that proceeded this.
Bond as a Japanese Man
Blofeld is just silly here, after being so meanacing as a man behind the scenes previously
Overall plays like a parody movie
Ruins the chance to adapt one of the more offbeat novels (not that it was without issues, but it would have been a hell of a thing, done right)
Mitigating factors:
Great theme
Honorable mentions
A View to a Kill could be here, but I have a soft spot for it as essentially a remake of Goldfinger, one of my favorites. And Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are great. But is almost in the bottom five.
Man with the Golden Gun escapes the bottom five for being primarily unoffensive. But it's boring, and that's bad.
Live and Let Die is pretty offensive in parts and ridiculous in others, but this is my Guilty Pleasure Bond. Yaphet Kotto and Geoffrey Holder are great, Jane Seymour is hot, and the theme song is fantastic. I could never regulate this to the bottom of the pile, but it has aged more poorly than any other Bond movie.