The 10 best and worst gadgets in James Bond movies

To celebrate 60 years of James Bond movies, Amazon is adding the entire back catalog of 25 action-packed outings of agent 007 to its Prime Video service across various territories, from the Sean Connery beginnings all the way through to the modern Daniel Craig era. 

Albeit a little more sparse in recent outings, one recurring focal point across the many years of Bond films has been the sheer assortment of gadgets the various Bond actors have been outfitted with. 

There has always been consistent staples in Bond’s arsenal, with the likes of his always cutting edge and high tech watches and cars, but as we prepare to binge our way through hours upon hours of spy movies, we’ve put together ten of the best and worst unique gadgets seen in the franchise over the years, regardless of whether Bond has been on the giving or receiving end of use. 

1. Best: Briefcase (From Russia with Love)

A simple and elegant design which most passers by wouldn’t take a second look at, this businessperson’s staple is packed to the brim, at least figuratively, with a whole host of lethal and handy tools for your average special agent. Its contents include an AR-7 rifle with concealed ammo and an easily accessible throwing knife, fifty gold sovereigns, and just for good measure, a nasty tear gas surprise for those nosy types who attempt to open the briefcase without following proper procedure.

2. Worst: Cigarette gun (You Only Live Twice)

This could simultaneously fall in the ‘so bad it’s good’ category, but smokers around the world can attest to the feeling of dry mouth they get from a cigarette. Imagine how it would feel to shoot a bullet out of your mouth – would you even have salivary glands left, let alone teeth? Sure, regardless of the implications on your oral health – you may be left wanting for one in the stereotypical situation of facing down a firing squad, but still, we’ll pass on this one. 

3. Best: Jetpack (Thunderball)

It’s goofy, it’s dated, and Sean Connery looks like a numpty in that helmet. Yes to all of the above. However, there’s just a certain universal appeal about donning a jetpack to make a quick getaway, or, to the general public, a cruisy way to get from point A to point B while dodging peak hour traffic. There’s a good reason many Grand Theft Auto players still have the cheat code to acquire a jetpack firmly embedded in their brains. 

4. Worst: Laser Polaroid (Licence to Kill)

In the same film that featured an equally ridiculous exploding alarm clock, we also saw this silly thing. On the surface, a regular old Polaroid camera. Point it, shoot it, and it instantly spits out a photograph. Give it a few shakes and it’s ready to stick on the fridge. Though in the case of this particular hoodwinking camera, its point, shoot, and murder your subject with a high-powered laser. It’s just goofy – and not in a particularly memorable way either.

5. Best: Dagger shoes (From Russia with Love)

These give would-be assassins quite the edge in hand to hand combat. The idea of the tables being fatally turned by an unexpected shin kick from these poison-tipped puppies is pretty high-stakes, and grim. Their debut in From Russia with Love looks rather clunky for its time, but their appearance would go on to inspire appearances in films outside of the Bond franchise, most notably in fan-favorite Batman flick The Dark Knight. 

6. Worst: Mini scuba tank (Thunderball)

Although similar technology does now exist in real life, and this gadget came in handy for Bond in a pinch, it still seems particularly far-fetched that this stick about the same size as an icy pole can provide its user with four minutes of air. The mere fact that Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace took inspiration from this gadget meant that this little device was perhaps a little too space-age for a spy movie with a more modern, albeit technologically advanced setting. Then again, we had high praise for the jetpack that appeared in the same movie, so who are we to judge?

7. Best: Pen grenade (Goldeneye)

This thing is simply cool. Three clicks to activate its explosive power, and another three clicks if you change your mind. All housed in an inconspicuous writing utensil. It certainly manages to get Bond out of a pinch in an absolute nail-biter of a scene, during which a captive Bond carefully watches a nervous Grishenko click away at it, who is completely clueless of the explosive power. In what was very much a 50/50 gamble, Bond manages to knock the pen out of Grishenko’s hand, causing an explosion and creating enough of a distraction to make his escape.

8. Worst: Sony Ericsson Phones (Brosnan era onwards)

Sure, some of the features in these otherwise innocuous cellphones prove to be quite handy for the budding spy, particularly in the Brosnan era, in which they contained fingerprint analyzers and lock picks. Though by the time the brand was still getting plugged in the Craig era, it was pretty much a standard issue Sony Ericsson device with a fancy camera. The simple act of placing the brand has dated the films quite quickly, considering one flagship iOS or Android device today has enough computing power to blow several of these out of the water.

9. Best: Walther PPK (Skyfall)

At face value, the Walther PPK seen in Skyfall is a fairly ordinary handgun. What sets it apart is a pretty interesting biometric feature, in that it will only fire when it detects Bond’s palms wrapped around it. There’s been many an action movie where a singular gun trades hands multiple times over the course over a close-quarters struggle, which can be titillating, but this feature would ultimately leave any would-be villain short of the mark when they realize this gun only answers to one decision maker. 

10. Worst: Alligator submarine (Octopussy)

Another which one could argue into the ‘so bad it’s good’ camp, but come on – seriously? I think the image says most of what needs to be said about why this one is just a little too far on the silly end of the spectrum.