Why is James Bond So Appealing?

James Bond has been featured in 22 films. The film series has grossed over $4 billion (£2 Billion) (nearly $11 billion when adjusted for inflation) worldwide, making it the highest grossing film series ever. Why has it been so successful?

You have guns and hot babes. You have the guy that kicks all of the other guys' butts and looks sexy while doing so. You have the chase scenes in expensive cars. Women desire James Bond and men desire to be like James Bond who get all of the ladies.




Bond is depicted as a member of a higher class because of his exclusive job and the nice cuts suits he always wears. He's smooth: he always knows what to say whether is be to his enemy or the "Bond girl." He can total cars and live. He can be poisoned and live. He can be tortured and live. And he can face every imaginable bad guy, kill them, and live. James Bond= invincible. Everybody wants to live forever when they're young. James Bond is the embodiment of that vision.

James Bond is one of the most commodified characters in the history of popular culture. Bond is a part of movies, books, posters, clothing, cars, everything. Anything depicted in his movies are automatically connected to Bond's appeal and will sell because of that connection. The Bond movies are instant hits when they come out, the reason being nothing more than because they ARE Bond movies.

With all of the sexy men playing Bond and all of the sexy "Bond girls", who isn't turned on by these movies? The culture industry really knows what they're doing when they pic the next characters for the bond movies, let me tell you. If the Bond movies don't shape and reflect consumer desires, I don't know what does. It reflects our desires for eye candy and shapes what we see that eye candy as: girls with accents or the latest Aston Martin they every Bond fan would die to drive.