ON JAMES BOND GADGETS TOO 20TH CENTURY?

THE THRILL IS GONE

Cable TV channel AMC has been running yet another one of those round-the-clock "Bond-Fests" for the last few days, all of which should be all too familiar to Bond fans.  (For a witty, edgy, informative and concise history of the Bond saga, see this article at Rotten.com)

Glancing at the line-up, it occurred to me that although the James Bond Franchise continues to go strong at the box-office ($3.8 billion worldwide for 20 films over 40 years), the gadgets in the Bond movies of late seem relatively un-inspired.

Perhaps it's the fact that the basic Cold War themes of many of the Bond films seem increasingly historical. 

Or maybe it's that we're just too jaded and over-familiar with the types of gadgets that Bond usually gets:  fancy car, trick watches, all-seeing eyewear, etc.

Or maybe it's that in an increasingly networked, "Web 2.0" world, we're more used to multi-function, network-enabled gadget magic than "standalone" gadgets that only provide single-function applications.

It sometimes seems that the crime-fighters on the TV series like CSI have cooler gadgets and databases than good-old James Bond.

For example, look at the gadgets in the last two of the twenty Bond films spanning four decades to date, courtesy of Wikipedia:

"The World is Not Enough

• Wristwatch - Contains: 1) Grappling hook with fifty feet of high-tensile micro-filament; 2) A high intensity lighted bezel.
• Multifunction Lock Pick - Concealed in a normal looking credit card with a removable strip that activates a spring-loaded multifunction lock pick.
• Eye-glasses (#1) - Remotely detonates an explosive "flash-bang" charge.
• Eye-glasses (#2) - Enables X-ray vision for checking for concealed weapons.
• Ski Jacket - Conceals a escape pod which inflates into a sealed sphere made of aluminum-coated plastic and kevlar reinforcement. This feature appears to be based on the Zorb.
• Bagpipe - Contains a flamethrower and a machine gun (was only in testing).

Die Another Day

• Ring - A "standard issue" ring for the finger which, is actually a "Ultra high-frequency single digit sonic agitator unit". This can shatter bullet-proof glass.
• Surfboard - Contains a sliding panel with a hidden compartment containing communications equipment, explosives, detonators and a Walther P99 firearm.
• Wristwatch - Contains an explosive detonator and laser beam cutter. The new Q states that this watch is Bond's 20th, which is a reference to the fact that Die Another Day is the 20th James Bond film.
• Mini Re-Breather - Similar device as used in Thunderball, which provides a few minutes of oxygen.
• Virtual Combat Training Simulator - This device allows the user to enter a virtual environment with the assistance of four computerized columns, a special pair of sunglasses, and a special weapon, this training simulator is tested by 007..."

I mean there are no PDAs, cool cell phones, web-enabled databases, voice-recognition and/or ink-enabled ultra lap-tops, 3-D GPS navigation systems, MP3 Players with built-in mini-nuclear devices etc.

To be fair, the last two movies were released in 1999 and 2002 respectively, very much in the "Web 1.0" days.  So maybe THAT's the reason the gadgets seem SO TWENTIETH Century.

It'll be interesting to see if the next chapter in the Bond movie franchise with Daniel Craig as Bond in Casino Royale later this year revs up the Gadget Game  for the new Bond.

Hopefully it updates the definition of gadgets to include the kind of network-enabled and empowered gizmoes to we  geeks are increasingly getting addicted.

I hope so, otherwise the Bond franchise's license to thrill may be revoked.

Comments

[criminal records]

facinating article

[gadget geek]

bond's gadgets have gotten lame....they have no imagination anymore

[candice]

This immediately brings to mind the awesome car-controlling cellphone in Tomorrow Never Dies. It hasn't really gotten anywhere since then, though.

(I suppose I'm just happy that the girl in Goldeneye was a programmer.)