History Film / JamesBond

* ThePornomancer: Bond. It's one of his defining traits. The Dalton and Craig eras, being DarkerAndEdgier, play with it. Bond practically has to be dragged into bed in the teaser for ''The Living Daylights'', and stays monogamous throughout that movie and more-or-less so in ''Licence to Kill''. In the Craig era, he actually '''doesn't''' sleep with or even romance the main Bond girl of ''Quantum of Solace'', a first for the franchise.

** For the third time, there is female [=00-agent=], in ''Film/NoTimeToDie''. However, unlike the brief, non-speaking appearances in ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'' and ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'', this one has a larger role--''she'' is the new 007.

** [[spoiler: A hallmark of the Craig era as a whole. Even ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' can only at best be considered a BittersweetEnding. The exception to this so far is ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', which has a [[EarnYourHappyEnding happy ending]] rather than a sad one.]]

** One of the biggest criticisms of ''Film/AViewToAKill'' was that Creator/RogerMoore was still playing Bond at age 57 (he was 45 he was first cast as Bond in ''Film/LiveAndLetDie''). Creator/SeanConnery himself said "Bond should be played by an actor 35, 33 years old. I'm too old. Roger's too old, too!" Even when he was first cast, Moore violated the canon of Creator/IanFleming's novels, which established that Bond faced mandatory retirement at age 45 (meaning Creator/PierceBrosnan was technically too old for the role for most of his time as Bond too, and the same about Daniel Craig for ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' and ''Film/NoTimeToDie'').

* '''''Film/DieAnotherDay'''''[[note]]Director: Lee Tamahori[[/note]] (2002) -- Bond thwarts the plans of a mad North Korean colonel and causes the latter's death. He gets imprisoned in North Korea, and once he's exchanged with terrorist Zao (Creator/RickYune), goes rogue to follow the trail of Zao. Once reintegrated into [=MI6=], Bond is sent to investigate the suspicious activities of billionaire Gustav Graves (Creator/TobyStephens), who built himself an ice palace in Iceland. He is aided by American NSA Agent Jinx Johnson (Creator/HalleBerry) and Graves' assistant, [=MI6=] undercover agent Miranda Frost (Creator/RosamundPike).

* '''''Film/{{GoldenEye}}'''''[[note]]Director: Creator/MartinCampbell[[/note]] (1995) -- Following the end of the Soviet Union, a mysterious syndicate known as JANUS steals a secret Soviet satellite weapon that can destroy electric devices in a large radius and threatens the United Kingdom with it. With the help of Soviet computer engineer Natalya Simonova (Creator/IzabellaScorupco), Bond goes up against JANUS, contending with both a FemmeFatale in Xenia Onatopp (Creator/FamkeJannsen) and the one person who is unquestionably his match: a fellow Double-0 agent, Alec Trevelyan (Creator/SeanBean).

* '''''Film/QuantumOfSolace'''''[[note]]Director: Creator/MarcForster[[/note]] (2008) -- From Italy to Bolivia, Bond follows the trail of the mysterious organization Quantum, which backed Le Chiffre in the previous film, and uncovers an engineered ecological disaster doing so. It's also a personal revenge affair for him, as Quantum helped orchestrate Vesper's fate. Along with brief appearances from Leiter, Creator/MathieuAmalric plays Quantum leader DominicGreene, and Creator/OlgaKurylenko plays Camille Montes, Greene's girlfriend with motivations of her own.

* '''''Film/LicenceToKill'''''[[note]]Director: John Glen (5)[[/note]] (1989) -- Bond helps his great friend from the CIA, Felix Leiter, to capture the most powerful and dangerous drug lord in the Americas, Franz Sanchez (Creator/RobertDavi), on Leiter's own wedding day. Sanchez escapes custody, maims Leiter and has his wife raped and killed. Bond goes rogue on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Sanchez, helped by CIA agent Pam Bouvier (Creator/CareyLowell).

Timothy Dalton's contract only lasted for six years, about half of which were eaten up by DevelopmentHell. Creator/PierceBrosnan was now free of his television commitments. Elegant, witty and handsome, he leaned more into the playboy aspects of the character. His Bond was also the first to truly modernize the franchise: his superior, M, was played by Creator/JudiDench, whose dialogue castigates Bond as "sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the Cold War", and the character was partially updated in light of TheNineties.

Creator/DanielCraig's films served as a period of major re-invention for the franchise. His first film shows Bond's SuperHeroOrigin (despite the presence of Dench's M), and the gadgets and CGI of Brosnan's era are replaced by practical stunts and CharacterDevelopment. Eschewing the NegativeContinuity of prior eras, Craig's films form a continuous arc focused on Bond's [[TheLostLenore Lost Lenore]], Vesper Lynd (Creator/EvaGreen), and the scars left on his soul by her death, as well as a SecondLove in Madeleine Swann (Creator/LeaSeydoux). Perhaps relatedly, the franchise began to be taken seriously from an acting perspective, with Craig being nominated for a UsefulNotes/{{BAFTA}} for ''Casino Royale'', and UsefulNotes/AcademyAward winners Creator/JavierBardem, Creator/ChristophWaltz and Creator/RamiMalek portraying villains in the latter three films.

* '''''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'''''[[note]]Director: Martin Campbell (2)[[/note]] -- In this {{reboot}} of the franchise's continuity, Bond, newly-promoted to 00 agent, must win a high-stakes poker tournament at the Casino Royale Hotel in Montenegro against the terrorist banker known as Le Chiffre (Creator/MadsMikkelsen) so [=MI6=] can capture him, after ruining several of his terrorist-attack plans. Bond is helped by Treasury agent Vesper Lynd, who becomes his FirstLove, and CIA agent Felix Leiter (Creator/JeffreyWright).

* '''''Film/{{Skyfall}}'''''[[note]]Director: Creator/SamMendes[[/note]] (2012) -- Cyberterrorist Raoul Silva (Bardem) attacks [=MI6=], and in particular M, as personal revenge. It's up to Bond to stop him and protect M, from Macau and the very heart of London to Scotland. Supporting characters include Creator/BenWhishaw as Q and Creator/NaomieHarris as Eve Moneypenny, re-introducing members of the Bond CastHerd that had not appeared since Brosnan's time, and Creator/RalphFiennes as politician Gareth Mallory.

* '''''Film/TheLivingDaylights'''''[[note]]Director: John Glen (4)[[/note]] (1987) -- Bond helps smuggling Georgi Koskov, a defecting Soviet general, to the other side of the Iron Curtain. But Bond feels something is wrong, and his investigation on Koskov's cellist girlfriend leads him to uncover a weapons and drugs smuggling ring that extends to Soviet-occupied Afghanistan.
* '''''Film/LicenceToKill'''''[[note]]Director: John Glen (5)[[/note]] (1989) -- Bond helps his great friend from the CIA, Felix Leiter, to capture the most powerful and dangerous drug lord in the Americas, Franz Sanchez, on Leiter's own wedding day. Sanchez escapes custody, maims Leiter and has his wife raped and killed. Bond goes rogue on a merciless revenge plot against Sanchez, helped by CIA agent Pam Bouvier.

Timothy Dalton's contract only lasted for six years, about half of which were eaten up by DevelopmentHell. Creator/PierceBrosnan was now free of his television commitments. Elegant, witty and handsome, he leaned more into the playboy aspects of the character. His Bond was also the first to truly update the franchise for the times: his superior, M, was played by Creator/JudiDench, whose dialogue castigates Bond as "sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the Cold War", and the character was partially updated in light of TheNineties.

* '''''Film/{{GoldenEye}}'''''[[note]]Director: Creator/MartinCampbell[[/note]] (1995) -- Following the end of the Soviet Union, a mysterious syndicate known as JANUS steals a secret Soviet satellite weapon that can destroy electric devices in a large radius and threatens the United Kingdom with it. With the help of Soviet computer engineer Natalya Simonova, Bond goes up against JANUS, not knowing it's a more personal case than he thinks.
* '''''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'''''[[note]]Director: Roger Spottiswoode[[/note]] (1997) -- Mad media mogul Elliot Carver is plotting to cause a global war to boost the audience of his networks. Bond is sent to investigate said networks, and soon works to stop Carver with the help of Wai Lin, a Chinese agent.
* '''''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'''''[[note]]Director: Creator/MichaelApted[[/note]] (1999) -- Bond is tasked to protect oil heiress Elektra King after the assassination of her father on the orders of the terrorist known as "Renard". Or so he thinks.
* '''''Film/DieAnotherDay'''''[[note]]Director: Lee Tamahori[[/note]] (2002) -- Bond thwarts the plans of a mad North Korean colonel and causes the latter's death. He gets imprisoned in North Korea, and once he's exchanged with terrorist Zao, goes rogue to follow the trail of Zao. Once reintegrated into [=MI6=], Bond is sent to investigate the suspicious activities of billionaire Gustav Graves, who built himself an ice palace in Iceland.

Creator/DanielCraig's films served as a period of major re-invention for the franchise. His first film, and to a certain extent the third, serve as a {{reboot}}, allowing Judi Dench to bow out as M and be replaced by Creator/RalphFiennes, playing a character much more similar to the M who presided over the other films. Instead of the episodic adventures of prior eras, Craig's five films focus on Bond's [[TheLostLenore Lost Lenore]], Vesper Lynd (Creator/EvaGreen), and the scars left on his soul by her death, as well as a SecondLove in Madeleine Swann (Creator/LeaSeydoux). Perhaps relatedly, the franchise began to be taken seriously from an acting perspective, with Craig being nominated for a UsefulNotes/{{BAFTA}} for Best Actor in a Leading Role for ''Casino Royale'' and UsefulNotes/AcademyAward winners Creator/JavierBardem, Creator/ChristophWaltz and Creator/RamiMalek portraying the villains in the final three films.

* '''''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'''''[[note]]Director: Martin Campbell (2)[[/note]] -- In this reboot of the franchise's continuity, Bond, newly-promoted to 00 agent, must win a high-stakes poker tournament at the Casino Royale Hotel in Montenegro against the terrorist banker known as Le Chiffre so [=MI6=] can capture him, after ruining several of his terrorist-attack plans. Bond is helped by Treasury agent Vesper Lynd, who becomes his FirstLove.
* '''''Film/QuantumOfSolace'''''[[note]]Director: Creator/MarcForster[[/note]] (2008) -- From Italy to Bolivia, Bond follows the trail of the mysterious organization Quantum, which backed Le Chiffre in the previous film, and uncovers an engineered ecological disaster doing so. It's also a personal revenge affair for him, as Quantum helped orchestrate Vesper's fate.
* '''''Film/{{Skyfall}}'''''[[note]]Director: Creator/SamMendes[[/note]] (2012) -- Cyberterrorist Raoul Silva attacks [=MI6=], and in particular M, Bond's boss, as personal revenge. It's up to Bond to stop him and protect M, from Macau and the very heart of London to Scotland.
* '''''Film/{{Spectre}}'''''[[note]]Director: Sam Mendes (2)[[/note]] (2015) -- Bond follows the trail of the mysterious Spectre organization, which has connections to his past, a former enemy of his (whose daughter, Madeleine Swann, he now protects), and the British government.
* '''''Film/NoTimeToDie'''''[[note]]Director: Creator/CaryFukunaga[[/note]] (2021) -- Despite having retired and a new agent having taken the 007 codename, Bond goes up against a new enemy, Lyutsifer Safin, who's armed with a deadly new bio-technological virus and has a past that's connected to his newfound love, Madeleine Swann.

A [[LongRunner long-running]] [[SpyFiction spy]] {{action|genre}} film franchise based on Creator/IanFleming's [[Literature/JamesBond novel series]] about [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Commander]] James Bond, code-named [[YouAreNumberSix 007]], British special agent of the 00 section of MI-6 (double "0" indicating his licence to kill). Over its decades long run, the franchise has featured [[TheOtherDarrin six different actors in the main role]] (soon to be seven) and ranged in tone from [[ToneShift lighthearted to gritty]].

The series has spawned [[FollowTheLeader legions]] of [[TuxedoAndMartini imitators]] and in many ways [[TropeCodifier defined]] most of modern SpyFiction and much of the ActionGenre, with Bond himself having become one of the most iconic and quintessential {{Action Hero}}es in fiction. In fact, many tropes featured in action films to this day can be traced back to the franchise, from the [[BadassInANiceSuit tuxedo]] and [[TrademarkFavoriteDrink martini]] to the [[BondOneLiner One-Liners]], StuffBlowingUp (outside of war films), the [[ShoePhone gadgets]], the {{cool|Car}} (and often {{weaponized|Car}}) car, and ActionFilmQuietDramaScene.

** Even Bond's WeaponOfChoice isn't immune to this. Walther is a big endorser of the films and, on two occasions, Bond's PPK is swapped out for the latest pistol Walther is trying to advertise.

** The film generally are rated PG-13. There was a famous sequence in ''A View to a Kill'' where Creator/ChristopherWalken mowed down dozens of miners with a [[CoolGuns/SubmachineGuns Uzi]], and they didn't even use squibs.

* UncannyValley: Used intentionally, as many of the villains have [[RedRightHand some unsettling defect or abnormality]] that [[ObviouslyEvil signifies their villainy]]. [[Literature/FromRussiaWithLove Red Grant]], [[Literature/LiveAndLetDie Mr. Big]], Literature/DrNo, [[Literature/{{Goldfinger}} Auric Goldfinger]] and [[Characters/JamesBondBlofeld Ernst Stavro Blofeld]] as described in ''Literature/{{Thunderball}}'' are prime examples.

* DeathBySex: Quite a lot of the women Bond sleeps with meet unfortunate ends.

** Just before Q explains Bond's gadgets, he'll start with, "Now, pay attention, 007..." He usually finishes the explanation with am admonition to Bond to bring his equipment back "in pristine order" (which Bond never does). And of course there's the ever-popular "Grow up, 007."

* CorruptHick: The first two Roger Moore films feature the same racist sheriff from Louisiana — even though the second film takes place in Thailand.

** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' when Bond makes up a porn-sounding alias for Vesper, "Stephanie Broadchest" (let's just say that [[AbsoluteCleavage it was very accurate]]), much to her annoyance.

* TheMagicPokerEquation: Very often, usually in baccarat, when Bond has a ridiculously high probability of getting 9 at any key point. Taken UpToEleven in the final poker hand in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'', [[spoiler: when the four remaining players show an ace-high flush, a full house, a better full house (Le Chiffre), and a straight flush (Bond).]]

* MetallicarSyndrome: James Bond's [[WeaponizedCar Aston Martin DB5]] could rotate the licence plates to choose between 3 different versions to distract the villains. Even as [[TheSixties the 1960s]] lacked computer databases of cars, even a thick-headed villain might have understood there couldn't have fbeen too many silver Aston Martins in a given town, leave alone in the relative poverty of most European countries at that time. A real London-based spy in 1964 probably would've driven a gray Morris Minor.

Creator/EonProductions, the company founded by [[Creator/AlbertRBroccoli Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli]] and Harry Saltzman, has produced the film series since 1962. Cubby's daughter Creator/BarbaraBroccoli and stepson Michael G. Wilson have been in charge since 1995. The series also made the British Creator/PinewoodStudios a household name for big budget filming.

The series has spawned [[FollowTheLeader legions]] of [[TuxedoAndMartini imitators]] and in many ways [[TropeCodifier defined]] most of modern SpyFiction and much of the ActionGenre, with Bond himself having become one of the most iconic and quintessential {{Action Hero}}es in fiction. In fact, many tropes featured in action films to this day can be traced back to the franchise, from the [[BadassInANiceSuit tuxedo]] and [[TrademarkFavoriteDrink martini]] to the [[BondOneLiner One-Liners]], StuffBlowingUp (outside of war films), the [[ShoePhone gadgets]], the WeaponizedCar and ActionFilmQuietDramaScene.

The series has spawned [[FollowTheLeader legions]] of [[TuxedoAndMartini imitators]] and in many ways [[TropeCodifier defined]] most of modern SpyFiction, with Bond himself having become one of the most iconic and quintessential {{Action Hero}}es in fiction. In fact, many tropes featured in action films to this day can be traced back to the franchise, from the [[BadassInANiceSuit tuxedo]] and [[TrademarkFavoriteDrink martini]] to the [[BondOneLiner One-Liners]], StuffBlowingUp (outside of war films), the [[ShoePhone gadgets]], the WeaponizedCar and ActionFilmQuietDramaScene.

* AdaptedOut: In many novels by Fleming, the villain is on the payroll of SMERSH, a (real, though actually dissolved in 1946) Soviet anti-espionage organisation that seeks to undermine Western powers at every opportunity. It wasn't until the [[Literature/{{Thunderball}} ninth book]] that he introduced SPECTRE, a criminal organisation with no political ties (because he worried Soviet villains would become dated). The films either make the villains independent entrepreneurs (''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', ''Film/LiveAndLetDie''), or outright change their SMERSH allegiance to SPECTRE instead (''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'', ''Film/DrNo''). The sole Soviet player in the films was the KGB until TheNineties, and its chief General Gogol (Creator/WalterGotell) was a ReasonableAuthorityFigure and advocate of the Détente policy with the West, cooperating with them when necessary.

* BodyCountCompetition: Bond probably has the highest on-screen body count of any film character ever, counting all 25 official movies. Unsurprisingly for an action hero/government assassin, he kills at least one person in every film, and more commonly ''a lot'' of people. Roger Moore has the highest body count of the Bonds, with 121 kills, which makes sense as he appeared in the most (official) movies (even if he was supposedly a lighter-and-fluffier Bond). Pierce Brosnan gets the close second with 103, which is quite remarkable because he appeared in three fewer movies than Moore and it was noted that Brosnan's Bond tended to get his hands on automatic weapons ''a lot''.

** Vesper Lynd, featured in ''[[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 Casino Royale]]'', remains plot-relevant in ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' and is mentioned in both ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' and ''Film/NoTimeToDie''.
** "Eve" (Naomie Harris) plays a sidekick role for the majority of ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', and only at the end is it revealed that she is [[spoiler:Moneypenny]], and she comes back in ''Spectre'' and ''No Time to Die'' as such.

* ChummyCommies: In one of the series' ultimate ironies, Bond, one of the prototypical Cold War Warriors, teams up with the USSR in an EnemyMine situation more often than working directly against them. In fact, ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'', the pre-titles of ''Film/AViewToAKill'' and the pre-titlers of ''Film/GoldenEye'' are the only times ''in the entire series'' where the USSR is outright antagonistic, and not a fellow UnwittingPawn that 007 must make a hasty alliance with in order to save the world. In both ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' (USSR) and ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'' (China), he even works together with a female communist agent to save the day.

** ''Film/DrNo'' lacks many of the trademarks that the franchise is known for. A [[TheTeaser Cold Open]], the CoolCar, gadgets and many others are all absent. ''Film/DrNo'' also contains the infamous scene where Bond murders Professor Dent. Even Fleming never had Bond act so cold-bloodedly in the books, and for all intents and purposes Bond wouldn't act this way again until 2006's ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'', which was, like ''Film/DrNo'', the start of a new continuity. Furthermore, unlike his successors, Connery's Bond never went skiing.
** The early films in general can come off at this, especially to younger viewers, since the series spans 50 years. Bond is very much a man of his time, and the Connery films being rooted in Rat Pack culture must seem odd for those who grew up with Brosnan.
** ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'' and ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' are this with the Moore era. The comedic elements that peppered Moore's run are there, but the writers at the time seemed indecisive about whether or not to make the series more humorous or to play them like the earlier films.

** ''Film/DrNo'' lacks many of the trademarks that the franchise is known for. A [[TheTeaser Cold Open]], the CoolCar, gadgets and many others are all absent. ''Film/DrNo'' also contains the infamous scene where Bond murders Professor Dent. Even Fleming never had Bond act so cold-bloodedly in the books, and for all intents and purposes Bond wouldn't act this way again until 2006's ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'', which was, like ''Film/DrNo'', the start of a new continuity.

*** Felix Leiter, who is last seen (not counting his reboot appearances in the recent films) in ''Film/LicenceToKill''. Though it can be assumed he was forced into retirement after being dismembered by a shark. His newlywed wife wasn't so lucky.

Roger Moore became the third actor to star as Bond in as many films (after Lazenby's single outing and Connery's encore). He had already made a name playing a charming, debonair playboy on television with ''Series/TheSaint''; to avoid getting typecast, he had the writers of his films shift in a more comedic and campier style. The result was a Bond who was a lot funnier, but somewhat less believable as an action hero.

Dalton's contract only lasted for six years, about half of which were eaten up by DevelopmentHell. Creator/PierceBrosnan was now free of his television commitments. Elegant, witty and handsome, he leaned more into the playboy aspects of the character. His Bond was also the first to truly update the franchise for the times: his superior, M, was played by Creator/JudiDench, whose dialogue castigates Bond as "sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the Cold War", and the character was partially updated in light of TheNineties.