10 Times James Bond Movie Franchise Went Too Far

You thought the invisible car was the dumbest thing about Bond? Think again.

Bond Spectre
MGM

Nowadays, every movie feels like it has a cinematic universe, a dozen spin-offs, and countless sequels. But there was a time when James Bond was the only dominant film franchise.

After six decades, Ian Fleming's most iconic creation is more popular than ever, which is a miraculous achievement considering how many popular franchises have faded during that period. After 25 official movies (and two unofficial ones), fans just can't enough of the badass action, cheesy one-liners, and witty charm of the iconic secret agent.

However, one could argue that James Bond has become a victim of his own success. To make sure each film outperforms the previous one, the series has to keep cooking up more wacky gadgets, awesome cars, and creative fight scenes. But there are times where it tries way too hard. Even though 007 is meant to be effortlessly suave, it's impossible to take him seriously when he's dressed as a clown, surfing on ice, or shooting goons in outer space.

There is no question that James Bond is a phenomenon in the cinematic world but it doesn't change the fact he has had some less than stellar moments.

10. That Stupid Whistle - The Man With The Golden Gun

Bond Spectre
Eon Productions

Using humour in a non-comedic film is always tricky. If humour isn't implemented enough, the film can be dull. If humour is incorporated too often, it can be distracting and annoying, even if the comedy is genuinely funny.

But another thing that's important is knowing when to inject humour. And one of the worst timed comedic moments in cinema is in The Man with the Golden Gun. While Bond drives after a group of criminals, he realises his car isn't fast enough. He then notices a broken bridge that will allow him to catch up with his target if he drives across it. Zooming off the edge, Bond performs a corkscrew flip, causing his vehicle to seamlessly land on the other side.

This stunt was so complex, the human mind alone couldn't figure out how to do it, forcing the crew to work it out on a computer. Because of this, the corkscrew flip is the first stunt in history that was performed by a computer program.

Despite this technical and technological accomplishment, the director thought the sequence was too over-the-top and so, thought it fitting to insert a cartoony sound effect, ruining the scene.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows