DVD review: 'James Bond Gadgets'
Just in time for the 50th anniversary of the “Dr. No” premiere on Friday and as preface to the release of “Skyfall” on Nov. 9, A&E Entertainment has cobbled together three short cable TV documentaries under the title “James Bond Gadgets” that offers spotty behind-the-scenes insights into the diabolically clever gizmos and spy toys that British Secret Agent 007 employed in his numerous clandestine cinematic missions to save the world from evil.
Two of the documentaries on the DVD aired on the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels” series in 2002 as “The Gadgets of James Bond.” The third, “Ian Fleming,” aired in 2004 on A&E’s fine “Biography” series and offers a brief but pithy look at the life and adventures of the author/raconteur who dreamed up James Bond and in 14 novels turned him into literature’s most enduring super spy.
Armed with an international playboy’s charm (no matter what actor portrayed him), Agent 007 always carried along the most advanced, high-tech spy tools known to man. A long-standing feature of each Bond movie involves 007’s visit to the top-secret tech labs where he’s briefed on the particular arsenal of deadly gadgets the he’ll be equipped with for his assignment.
Given the patchwork nature of this DVD, the information contained here is scattershot and incomplete. Hardcore Bond fans will find no new revelations; casual fans might find it an entertaining primer.
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