It’s that time of year, 007 fans! While the 2024 movie schedule doesn’t have a new adventure in store, it’s time for fans of the James Bond movies to celebrate the anniversary of Dr. No first crossing the gun barrel in 1962. With Global James Bond day arriving on October 5th, Prime Video has already made your celebration plans much easier to execute! However, with this joyous news also comes a firm reminder of the issues I’ve had with streaming the world of 007.
The James Bond Series Is Streaming On Prime With Some Promising Bonuses
Let’s start off with the good news, which is that as of today, Amazon’s streaming platform is boasting all 25 James Bond movies for convenient access. The announcement went public earlier, with the following post hitting Prime Video’s social media presence:
All 25 007 films are now streaming on Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/L7mWihsQcMOctober 1, 2024
Before anyone asks, yes I do own all of the James Bond adventures on disc; and my Bond 50 box set is still falling apart. But what that set can’t offer you is the new bonus features that Amazon MGM Studios have put together for the occasion.
If you head over to Prime Video’s James Bond landing page, you can not only get access to most of the 007 library, but the first of several new featurettes, “007 Destinations,” is currently playing. With three more pieces of bonus features awaiting, it's safe to bet that these beauties will be doled out once a week.
Also, you read my contradictory claim correctly. As of the time of this writing, not all of the James Bond movies are available to Prime Video subscription holders. At least, that’s true for those of you who don’t have a Paramount+ add-on already handy. Which leads to a mini-rant about the issues I’ve had with 00-streaming in the past four years.
The State Of James Bond Streaming Continues To Confuse
As you can see by logging onto Prime Video, as of October 2024, you need a Paramount+ subscription to enjoy the first of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies, Casino Royale. Once again, the fractured nature of various pockets of 007 titles rears its head, despite Prime Video’s claim to have all 25 online. Which leads me to believe that one of two things has happened.
The two cases that may help this claim maintain validity are that either Casino Royale is leaving Paramount+ in the days to come, or Amazon’s nature as a portal to various subscriptions means that this promise comes with some extra strings. In either event, it helps remind me of why I’m annoyed that Amazon MGM Studios isn’t leveraging its position to keep the entire James Bond collection in its streaming library on a more permanent basis.
That is, of course, setting aside the reason of licensing the pictures out to other platforms, in the name of sweet, sweet revenue. Which I can't fault the company for doing, as we all should believe in a reasonable rate of return. However, even that brings up a lack that we've seen recur whenever Amazon has held court with all 25 EON Productions flicks
While I know that Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again are unofficial James Bond movies, they’re novelties everyone should be able to partake in. The same goes for the 1953 episode of Climax! that saw Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel adapted with American agent Jimmy Bond as its lead. Long out of print in physical media, easy streaming access would be a win for everyone since newly-minted fans or diehards who haven't seen these oddities would be able to join in on the long held discussions of their eccentricities.
Looking at the wider picture, I’m glad that almost the entire James Bond legacy is present on Prime Video’s platform. I still remember when 007’s early pandemic streaming debut was a joy for everyone bummed out over quarantining at home, and I was certainly one of those parties. But we’re in a different age now, and those who’ve stood by this landmark saga for over six decades are ready for something new.
If we still don’t have any word on what’s going on with Bond 26, or when we’re going to get a remastered box set of everything up to No Time To Die in 4K, a dependable streaming platform for the entire lot is the least us fans should be able to enjoy.
Thankfully, we can mostly do just that thanks to 24 of the 25 James Bond movies currently being available to stream on Prime Video. While you’re at it, I highly recommend watching 007: Road to a Million, which is also available on the platform. The competition reality series is a spectacular stopgap as we await James Bond's return.
