From wristwatches to briefcases, James Bond has utilized whatever you can think of during his missions. However, Bond isn’t the only one with techy tricks up his sleeve, as many of his enemies also have various gizmos that have made his days into nightmares. The world of James Bond is littered with incredible features that make each film that much more exciting to watch. Here are our favorite James Bond gadgets from the movies!
7. The Exploding Pen
GoldenEye was a movie laden with gadgets, even ones we never got to see (like Bond’s BMW). But the exploding pen wasn’t just an awesome gadget to have—it was crucial to the story. When Alec Trevelyan’s code breaker Boris is trying to crack Natalya’s codes during the film’s climax, he has Bond’s pen in his hand, twirling it about and clicking it as he does. What Boris doesn’t know is that three clicks will arm the device. When he clicks three times, Bond knocks it from his hand… and the resulting explosion allows Bond to escape. The exploding pen functions as a usual pen, looks suave, and fits right in your pocket. It remains one of Bond’s coolest weapons.
6. The Briefcase
From Russia With Love is one of the best Bond movies in the series. The second film of the franchise sees Bond go up against the evil forces of Spectre while he attempts to steal a key piece of technology for the British government. For his mission to Turkey, Q gives Bond a new briefcase with a few modifications. It features exploding gas canisters (should the wrong person try to access it) as well as a hidden knife, gold sovereigns, and ammunition for Bond’s foldaway rifle. The briefcase proves useful when Bond is held at gunpoint by Donald Grant, as Bond dupes him into opening the case… thus setting off the gas and allowing Bond to engage in hand-to-hand combat. It might be old news now, but that briefcase is still awesome.
5. The Golden Gun
For those who remember playing the video game GoldenEye 007, the Golden Gun was the ultimate weapon—a one-shot-instant-kill piece that was unstoppable in the right hands. That weapon came from the film The Man With the Golden Gun and belonged to the professional hitman Scaramanga, whose island was the scene of one of Bond’s best face-offs. The Golden Gun itself was able to be taken apart and doubled in pieces as a lighter, a fountain pen, a cigarette case, and a cuff-link. That’s how Scaramanga was able to get away from the scene of the crime without suspicion. Having a gun that came together from these various components was incredible to see, and kids everywhere attempted to do the same with various bits of cardboard after the film’s release.
4. The Ericsson Mobile Phone
In terms of sheer technological coolness, Tomorrow Never Dies takes the gold medal of Bond movies. The amount of gadgets and weapons featured in the film is extraordinary, with various implements thrown on screen by both good guys and bad guys. Of them all, Bond’s Ericsson mobile phone is the stand-out of the film. With it, he can unlock doors, stun enemies, scan fingerprints, and drive his kitted-out BMW. The film’s car sequence is entirely navigated by Bond using his phone, as he fires every weapon imaginable while using the trackpad to steer, with the screen showing him where he’s going. At a time when mobile phones weren’t half what they are now, that Ericsson was way ahead of its time!
3. Little Nelly
Few items in the Bond franchise are as iconic as Little Nelly. First shown in You Only Live Twice, Little Nelly is a small helicopter that can be assembled anywhere for use by Bond. In the film, Bond has Q fly out to Japan and they assemble the mini helicopter together. Nelly is initially ridiculed by Tanaka, who offers Bond his larger helicopter instead—but Little Nelly has a few additions that make her quite deadly. Alongside the missiles, she also has machine guns, flamethrowers, and heat-seeking projectiles. Bond takes out a squadron of armed helicopters with Little Nelly, and in the process, she left her mark on the Bond series.
2. The Jetpack
Thunderball was the first Bond movie that wasn’t critically adored upon release. In fact, it’s one of the more forgotten Bond films and hasn’t been critically re-appraised since. However, the sequence in which Bond shoots off with a jetpack is simply bonkers. It marks the first time you think a Bond movie has jumped the shark in terms of its gadgets. Sean Connery’s Bond wears the jetpack to get away from the henchmen chasing after him, then lands near his trusty Aston Martin DB5 and makes a quick getaway. It’s a silly moment, but Thunderball would be a less memorable film without it.
1. Aston Martin DB5
While the other gadgets mentioned so far are used for a specific purpose, the Aston Martin DB5 is something else altogether. First seen in Goldfinger when Q walked Bond through the various modifications made to the vehicle—which included rockets, machine guns, slicks, a metal gun barrier, and the ejector seat—the Aston Martin DB5 is now an intricate part of the Bond franchise. Since then, it has appeared across many Bond movies and is the personal car of Agent 007 himself. The sequences in Skyfall, GoldenEye, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and No Time to Die remind us that even though he disposes of countless cars, gadgets, and weapons, the Aston Martin DB5 is his most treasured of them all—and one he always keeps close at hand. Read next: The coolest James Bond 007 cars
