One of the most divisive entries in the history of James Bond movies is, without a doubt, 2002’s Die Another Day. I’m not immune to criticizing the film myself, but at the same time, I can see where some of its charms have been causing a massive reappraisal of Pierce Brosnan’s 007 swan song. That is especially true after speaking with the film’s director, Lee Tamahori and hearing his defense of one of its most controversial gadgets: the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
To be honest, I was never against the notorious invisible car, more commonly known as “the Vanish.” But when I got to speak with Lee Tamahori about his latest film The Convert, I did want to ask him about his time directing the final film of Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond run. During our conversation, Lee delved into aspects of the movie that have both familiar and new. This story falls into the camp of the former, as Lee Tamahori defended 007’s invisible ride to CinemaBlend, saying,
One of the things I never knew about the Bond franchise is that … everything that's in the Bond movies, anything gadget, everything that's used, cars, and machine guns, and invisible cars. I know there's been a lot of controversial comments around the Invisible car, but it's all based on scientific reality. These things have been made. Adaptive camouflage was developed by the Soviets so they could fool their adversaries into thinking the tanks were there when they're not there or they could hide.
I’ll admit, when it comes to the most ridiculous James Bond gadgets overall, this tricked out Aston Martin never entered into the list for me. For decades prior to Die Another Day, everything from Goldfinger’s ejector seat and revolving license plate to the cell phone-driven BMW in Tomorrow Never Dies was shown in the arsenal of MI6’s Q Branch. No one batted an eye at those sorts of things, but somehow the vanishing Vanquish was seen as a problem. And yet, after being introduced like any of those other devices by the Quartermaster, the Aston Martin of Die Another Day became something of a joke.
I'll admit, the vehicle's nickname is a rather cute touch, especially when delivered by John Cleese in this scene from the film:
Even another one of the picture’s more outlandish devices, the gigantic diamond solar powered laser known as The Icarus, adhered to screenwriter/producer Michael G. Wilson’s knack for taking nascent mil-spec technology and turning it into a spy-fi threat. Continuing his remarks, Lee Tamahori shared further background on the weapon used by James Bond villain Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) in his film, revealing the real life inspiration:
So even the [Icarus] ... That's based on another Russian attempt to bring sunlight into the winter months, by reflecting the sun's rays onto parts of Russia and be able to grow crops in the middle of winter. It never worked out, and it's too big an array to set up there to do so, but that's where it had its foundation in some solid science.
Today’s seemingly impossible gadget is tomorrow’s military contract waiting to happen. And one could imagine that sometimes, seeing something like Die Another Day’s Aston Martin V12 Vanquish inspires the minds who create such things to bring them to life – which only leaves less of a reason to argue against this Bond Gadget’s existence.
Much like picking who your favorite James Bond actor happens to be, the subject of whether a Bond Gadget is useful or ridiculous is absolutely subjective. So while I’m sold on an adaptive camouflage car being a neat set-piece driver, I’m not going to denigrate any fellow fans who disagree.
If anything, reviving discourse such as this is a good way to pass the time while waiting for Bond 26 announcements. And if you're really going to nitpick this movie, there are better things to pull apart. Like, say, Die Another Day's swordfight being shredded by a weapons expert.
Another good use of your time is going to see The Convert, which sees Lee Tamahori collaborating with star Guy Pearce. The film will be available on VOD as well as in theaters starting July 12. And while you're at it, check out Pearce’s James Bond comments about his own dance with the role in the past.
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