James Bond is one of the most successful and enduring film series of all time, but upon closer examination, certain aspects don’t make sense. Kicking off in 1962 with Sean Connery in Dr. No, these adaptations of Ian Fleming’s writings have become entrenched in popular culture and have had a profound influence on action movies and cinema in general.
From Connery’s tenure right up to Daniel Craig’s era, the James Bond movies kept audiences enthralled with intense shootouts, epic gadgetry, and memorable villains. As a series that thrived on heightened reality and absurd situations, even though these aspects don’t make much sense, it doesn’t stop Bond from being a true icon.
Is Each James Bond Actor Playing The Same Man Or Not?
The continuity of James Bond has long been a topic of debate, as viewers struggle to reconcile whether this is supposed to be the same character across different eras. With a floating timeline that occasionally references the past while ignoring details from others, the official stance is that Sean Connery’s to Pierce Brosnan’s tenures are all linked.
However, Daniel Craig’s era represented a hard reset for the franchise as it established new origins for the MI6 spy and provided a fresh start for characters and storylines. While this feels definitive, the continued inclusion of Judi Dench as M in Craig’s Bond movies means that this doesn’t feel like an entirely fresh start.
Blofeld’s Nonsensical Scheme In Diamonds Are Forever
As Sean Connery’s final outing as James Bond in an Eon production, Diamonds Are Forever represents the end of an era for the franchise, as it was forced to continue on without its main star. However, looking back on the film today, one issue stands out, and that’s just how nonsensical the villain Blofeld’s overall plan was.
The plot of Diamonds Are Forever concerns Bond stopping Blofeld from using diamonds to build a satellite capable of destroying nuclear weapons. As a needlessly convoluted scheme with implausible technology, it’s hard even to figure out how Blofeld’s plan would help SPECTRE achieve global dominance, as it would likely just set off a worldwide military conflict.
That MI6 Would Keep Giving Bond Aston Martins
The Secret Service agent James Bond has his missions funded by the UK’s foreign intelligence service, MI6, which is where he gains access to so many gadgets, technology, and vehicles. One consistent thing throughout the franchise has been Bond’s use of Aston Martin-branded cars, which he seemingly has an endless supply of.
Even if we ignore the fact that Bond continually destroys his vehicles, it still raises the question of why an agent who’s supposed to be discreet would allow himself to be so prominently associated with one brand. While this connection has been great for marketing Aston Martins, in reality, it would just make Bond stick out like a sore thumb.
Blofeld Being Behind Every Villain In Daniel Craig’s Era
The revelation in Spectre that it’s Ernst Stavro Blofeld who was behind everything that had happened to James Bond in the Daniel Craig era was a major twist that recontextualized previous films. While this was exciting in the moment, upon reflection, it really doesn’t make a lot of sense and lessens the impact of previous villains.
For this to work, Blofeld would have had to be able to coordinate an enormous variety of schemes across continents without detection, and, although his vendetta against Bond is emphasized, it really is pushing things a bit too far. To change so much of the series’ lore after the fact created more inconsistencies than it solved.
Villains Explaining Their Entire Plan
The concept of villains explaining their entire philosophy and scheme to the hero has become a major movie trope, and no series has utilized it more than James Bond. A prime example of this was in Goldfinger’s iconic laser scene, where Auric Goldfinger’s long-winded explanations only served to give Bond enough time to concoct a plan and escape.
It’s understandable why the Bond movies fall back on this trope so often, as it builds suspense and the dialogue allows for important exposition to be explained to the viewer. But, in reality, this would serve the villain absolutely no purpose, as it removes the element of surprise and gives their adversary the critical intelligence they need to defeat them.
The Exact Right Gadget For The Exact Right Time
One of the most notable supporting characters in the James Bond franchise is Q, the head of MI6’s top-secret field technology division. Q is usually the one who gives Bond the various gadgets that he uses through the series, but one aspect of this that doesn’t make sense is how Q always knows the exact right gadget Bond will later need.
Without foreknowledge of Bond’s needs, Q’s provision of everything from ejector seats to underwater breathing apparatuses suggests near-psychic foresight. This trope is so common that audiences can often predict plot twists based solely on the gadgets Bond receives, turning these perfect-timing devices into a predictable hallmark of the franchise.
There’s Luck, and Then There’s James Bond-Level Luck
While James Bond always has the right gadget, which might seem convenient, this was nothing compared to his extraordinary luck. Despite constantly finding himself in catastrophic situations with a near certainty of death, it seems Bond’s plot armor is so strong that no matter what happens, he always makes it out alive.
From always finding the opening he needs to succeed against his enemies to consistent chance encounters with the exact person he’s looking for, Bond’s fortitude defies all logic. This consistent luck was what made No Time to Die such a surprise, as its definitive ending gave viewers something they had never previously seen in the franchise.
The Fact That There Are Only Two Timothy Dalton Movies
There are many in-universe things about the James Bond franchise that don’t make any sense, but from a behind-the-scenes perspective, the Timothy Dalton era stands out as the most puzzling. With Dalton as a mature and gritty reimagining of the MI6 agent, it’s shocking that his tenure did not go down well at the time and was cut short after just two films.
Looking back on Dalton’s time as Bond with the power of hindsight, it’s clear that his performance pointed the way forward for the series. These films hold up better than any other Bond movies from the 1980s, and Craig’s portrayal of the character owes a lot to seeds planted by Dalton.
Die Another Day’s Invisible Car
The James Bond franchise has always thrived on implausible technology, but the crucial part of this was that it never felt entirely outside the realm of reality. This was where Die Another Day strayed a bit too far, as Bond’s invisible car signaled a jumping of the shark moment where the franchise started to feel less like a heightened espionage series and more like sci-fi.
This invisible car pushed things too far for the James Bond series and was a prime example of the issues seen throughout Pierce Brosnan’s tenure. While Brosnan consistently gave a great performance as Bond, technology like the invisible car has not done the legacy of his era any favors.
A Not-So-Secret Agent
One of the most unbelievable aspects of the James Bond franchise was just how little its title character was concerned with keeping a low profile. Even his iconic catchphrase of “Bond, James Bond” already leaves us scratching our heads, as what kind of spy would be using his real name while going on covert international espionage expeditions?