10 Movies That Borrowed a Little Too Much From James Bond
They shook, they stirred, they did everything they could with the formula of a spy movie that the James Bond franchise has been honing for many decades — and they're not subtle about it at all.
These movies have just enough originality to keep us from shouting about blatant plagiarism — and enough pizzazz to make them fun and enjoyable in a different way from the originals.
Ian Fleming did a great job when he created a charismatic hero surrounded by futuristic gadgetry, sneaky and over-the-top villains, and beautiful scenery.
This combination, especially paired with equally charismatic actors portraying the main character and protagonists, became extremely profitable, so it's no surprise that a lot of filmmakers, both in the 60s when the series debuted and in the years later, have been inspired by settings like that.
Some added more humor because James Bond himself was quite curt; others preferred to heighten the action to the level of physically improbable (literally, as is breaking the laws of physics).
There were even unique and surprising genre mixes, with some dipping into the thriller territory and some dabbling with Westerns. James Bond has created the perfect formula of a spy action, but others regurgitated it.