Issue 149

The Films That Spoofed Me

20th November 2006

With titles such as Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, picking my top three Bond Spoofs was not going to be an easy task. But here goes.

1966's Our Man Flint is the American version of Bond ("If James Bond was an Aston Martin, Derek Flint is a drag racer") who beds beautiful women, teaches ballet in Moscow and is an expert in electronics and dolphin speech. Throw in a devious enemy with an over-elaborate plan for world domination and you've got a movie. The film is full of clichés and stereotypical roles, all delivered to comic effect. Our Man Flint keeps the familiar Bond elements but with an American twist.

Our second Bond spoof is the original Casino Royale, a film which had intentions of being the ultimate spoof, out-doing the Bond films themselves; but ultimately, too many creative minds proved detrimental.

Finally, cream of the crop when it comes to Bond spoofs, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Rich with slapstick humour and the traditional Bond clichés, Myers makes fun of the oneliners, the goofy cockiness, the cars, the popularity with the women and even the theme tune resulting in a hilarious and popular film.

In spite of the detractors, the Bond series remains strong and even the spoofs cannot change the fact that the reason people watch James Bond films are the same reasons that the spoofs are made.

Jane Matthews