The James Bond franchise may be one of the biggest in the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s immune to some trite clichés.
Since last year’s film “No Time to Die” is considered another success of the franchise, which is still hugely popular after 60 years, James Bond remains an icon of cinema. James Bond movies can have incredible action sequences, but what sets the British spy franchise apart is how cool this character is.
However, there are some things that make the franchise a little less cool. There are clichés in almost every Bond film, and they range from minor distractions to serious problems. These are just some of the clichés that are present in almost every Bond film.
Journey around the world
There would be no conspiracy or conspiracy of world domination in the world of James Bond if it weren’t for the most exotic and glamorous places in the world. Whatever the reason for the story, the super spy invariably flies between different countries and even continents during the course of the film.
Even Skyfall, a relatively internal affair mainly set in London, managed to cover at least 5 different countries. However, one of the benefits of this cliché is that it evokes the visual appeal of movies, and a James Bond movie that doesn’t look pretty is likely to disappoint viewers looking for escapist action.
The dead tell stories
Bond’s habit of fighting first, asking questions later may not be a trait highly valued by intelligence agencies in real life, but it rarely has unpleasant consequences for a spy with a license to kill. On the contrary, criminals and murderers from the world of James Bond always seem to leave marks on their bodies that could become a clue to Bond.
Whenever it seems that the case is heading for a dead end with no clues, there is often a rather incompetent henchman who dies, leaving behind an important key to the plot’s progress. Many action films use this technique and Bond films are no exception.
The perfect gadget for the occasion
While recent James Bond films have reduced the spy’s reliance on gadgets, or at least made them a little less over the top, they remain an important part of the films. Bond wouldn’t be the same without the gadgets he gets from Q. However, there is an element of too much convenience in the way gadgets are used.
As a rule, if Q gives Bond gadgets, they will all be used during the movie and there is an ideal situation where gadgets are needed. Plus, even though they’re as revolutionary and useful as Bond Brosnan’s invisible car in ‘Die, but Not Now’, gadgets will almost certainly never be seen again.
“The name is Bond. James Bond.”
An elite secret agent with a keen fashion sense and a taste for the best things, James Bond can get away with a lot more than other characters and still look cool. Lines that would normally be cheesy, like a bad pun after killing a bad guy, don’t seem so bad when spoken by a cool character like Bond.
Unfortunately, the novelty of some of these lines has been lost over time, including Bond’s iconic opening line. Perhaps the old Bonds were better able to draw a line, but these days a character pronouncing his last name before clarifying seems a bit clumsy and unnatural.
Everyday sexism
While the situation improved after characters like Nomi in “No Time to Die” broke boundaries and put women at the forefront of the series, this wasn’t always the case. Women in James Bond movies, in particular, have traditionally been used as nothing more than objects that only exist to show how gracious the main character is.
Despite this, there have been some great Bond girls who have shown that this is more than just a woman that Bond goes to bed with. However, female characters in Bond films were usually one-dimensional and at times treated horribly, especially in older films like The Man with the Golden Gun.
James Bond becomes a scammer
The main character derails and comes into conflict with his own organization – an image that seems to exist in almost every action film. Bond often manages to avoid this, although his independent nature, impulsiveness and extravagant taste often cause tension in relations with MI6 and M. in particular.
However, sometimes a character goes further and challenges his own organization. For example, in “License to Kill,” Timothy Dalton’s Bond is suspended from MI6, but continues to pursue drug lord Franz Sanchez alone. More recently, Bond ran into his employers in Skyfall when he apparently failed their fitness tests.
Too talkative villains
Villains have a bad habit of planning their own downfall in the Bond franchise. Even iconic villains like Auric Goldfinger, who own all the cards and need only to make sure Bond is dead to complete their master plan, somehow manage to save defeat from the jaws of victory.
When the villains must get rid of Bond, they instead arrange lengthy dramatic monologues while revealing the full extent of their plans and how exactly Bond is to prevent them. This cliché has been key to many Bond films, but it’s hard to imagine how easily the villains could win if they didn’t feel the need to talk for so long.
Defuse a bomb at the last minute
A disappointing movie cliche that Reddit is eager to get rid of, Bond films are not immune to the countdown reaching the last number before the main character can save the day. In Octopus, for example, Roger Moore’s Bond pulls the detonator from the bomb when the timer hits exactly 0, and the situation is made even more absurd by how childishly simple he manages to defuse the bomb.
While a clock ticking script can add a lot of suspense to a movie, there are certainly right and wrong ways to do it. However, given how many times viewers have seen the bomb timer ticking so low, it’s hard to feel any sense of suspense when it can only end one way.
Terrible Hints
Proof that not everything Bond does is always cool, banal hints are an iconic part of the character’s story, though many viewers might wish they weren’t. While not all of them are as bad as the infamous “Re-entry” phrase at the end of “Moon Racer,” the series has never shied away from cheap double entendres.
In the era of tougher Bond performed by Daniel Craig, this may be an image that is already starting to fade from the franchise as dry jokes have become the norm. However, over the years, hints have been one of the defining clichés of Bond films.