Très Bond

For this, the 40th episode of our James Bond podcast, we have decided to celebrate such an auspicious anniversary by reviewing something non-Bond. That's right! We're putting the podcast on Cruise control this week and watching the film that kickstarted a rival action franchise... Mission: Impossible. Just accept it.

Upon completion of his fourth James Bond novel, Ian Fleming wrote: "I baked a fresh cake in Jamaica this year which I think has finally exhausted my inventiveness as it contains every single method of escape and every variety of suspenseful action that I had omitted from my previous books." Well, slow down there, Mr Fleming! We three dirty devils might have something to say about that. We also might not. I don't know. Just listen to our review.

The original Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64 is often credited as the game that started the first-person shooter genre but what about this one? Released in 2010 as a Wii exclusive, this remaster of a classic 007 story was subsequently re-released on the PS3 and XBOX 360 in 2011. Is it a serious contender or a flabby pretender?

The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success; the distance between being a Top 5 Villain and a dishonourable mention is the whim and fancy of three dirty devils in Australia. This week we are taking on 007's job and tackling the villains of the Bond canon. Delicious!

The importance of a film's opening sequence can not be understated. It is the introduction of a movie to its audience. It establishes the tone, the style, and the energy of the images to follow. The James Bond pre-title sequences are some of the most famous in cinematic history and have become an integral part of the Bond formula. So, which one's the best? Well, you dirty devils, we'll let you know.

Spite is never lonely; envy always tags along. So said Mignon McLaughlin who passed away the same year as Kevin McClory's second attempt at a Bond film was released. It's hard to say how this film is rated within the Bond community. Some say it's an admirable effort and a return to Connery's wonder years. Others deride it as a project driven by the two green monsters; envy and money. One thing, however, is certain: Très Bond are gonna let you know what they think!

This novel and its film adaptation couldn't be more dissimilar. The latter being decidedly camp and full of Star Wars envy; the former hailed as one of the defining pieces in the Bond literary canon. But what say three young lads from down under? How does Fleming's third adventure stack up against its predecessors? Is it still, like it's villain, a 'nail-biter' or will it fail to launch?

James Bond video games have a hallowed legacy. In 1997, a James Bond game took the world by storm and, subsequently, changed the first-person shooter genre. Fifteen years later, were the 007 games still pioneering new ways of playing or had the world moved on? 007 Legends was the last video game to be made based on the Bond franchise and is, partially, blamed for the collapse of a storied studio... could it really be that bad?

If music be the food of love then the Bond franchise is well-fed. Norman, Barry, Martin, Hamlisch, Conti, Kamen, Serra, Arnold, Newman, and Zimmer. More men have scored Bond's films than have played the secret agent himself but which of them is the composer king? Which soundtrack sits atop this mountain of magnum opuses?

Casino Royale '67 lays claim to an impressive troupe of talent both on and off the screen. It also had a larger budget than the official Bond film that opened in the same year. So our one question is: what the hell happened? Strap in for a psychedelic, eclectic and baffling experience as three best mates from down under try to make sense of the sensory overload that is Casino Royale '67.