When anything gets popular, imitators enter the market. This was especially true for the British spy thrillers when they first started picking up steam. The early Bond films were so popular that they spawned an entire genre of Eurospy films that were all trying to capture the essence of what makes a great Bond film.
There are dozens upon dozens of movies that tried to emulate the famous spy films, and unsurprisingly, many of them are unwatchable. However, there are some shining examples that found ways to do some of the same things without being so derivative that they can't stand on their own. Here are five Bond ripoffs that are still worth seeing, and five others to avoid at all costs.
AVOID: Secret Agent Super Dragon
This ripoff features an American spy from the thrilling location of small-town Michigan. The agent is sent to Amsterdam to thwart an overly confusing plot.
The movie is painfully trying to create an American Bond, but the lead actor just exudes zero charisma. He delivers lines that are supposed to be mysterious and sexy like he's in an amateur improv scene. Despite a wild title, and the promise of deadly windmills, karate, and lethal vases, this spy “thriller” is an absolute chore to get through.
WATCH: For Y'ur Height Only
It's worth noting early on, that a lot of what makes a Bond ripoff worth seeing, is simply doing enough differently to be interesting, without doing so much different that it doesn't belong on the list. This film hits the exact middle of that Venn diagram.
It's a typical Bond rip, only this time the super-sleuth is played by three-foot-tall martial artist and actor Weng Weng. The film was a Phillipino take on the subgenre, and can at least state with confidence it is truly unlike the onslaught of spy films that came before and after it. More than that, it manages to exude some genuine comedy and heart without ever delving too far into exploitation or offensive territory.
AVOID: Never Say Never Mind
This movie uses the typical Bond formula as a vehicle for the Swedish Bikini team. It is just as bad as it sounds, landing somewhere between a Bond parody and a Charlie's Angels ripoff. The movie looks like made-for-TV garbage and considering that it was greenlit due to the women involved having a successful beer commercial, that makes sense.
Nothing really happens in the movie and when the action finally does start, it's unexciting. While some of the films on this list may sound like they are so bad they could be fun to watch, this one misses that mark too, and lands on just bad.
WATCH: OSS 117: Cairo, Nest Of Spies
Before The Artist, French director Michel Hazanavicius made two parodies of 1960s spy films with his OSS 117 series. While both films are worth a watch, the first film from 2006 makes the list. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel in regards to mocking the Bond series, the humor is mostly solid.
The real treat on display is the filmmaking techniques. The movie is stylized like the films it mocks and looks like it could have been released in the '60s or '70s. There's a charm to it that makes it a great choice for anyone looking to feel the nostalgia of the older Bond films, but with more modern wit and satire.
AVOID: Licensed To Kill
Coming a decade before an actual Bond film would use almost the same title, this is another spoof that doesn't try to hide its connection to the more famous spy. It boasts that secret agent Charles Vine "has the same fine taste as the higher-priced secret agent." Presumably, this is an attempt to tell audiences that the film will be similar to a Bond movie despite its smaller budget. However, the film ultimately proves this to be a lie.
The movie is boring and suffers from the greatest crime on this whole list. It introduces an anti-gravity weapon, and never fires it. While most of the film is sub-standard spy fare, the act of never using such a wonderfully ridiculous weapon is simply unforgivable.
WATCH: Never Too Young To Die
A beautiful B-movie product of the '80s, this gonzo action film is clearly trying to do a young, rookie Bond-type. Played by John Stamos, the hot new agent is sent out to stop a villainous gang leader named Von Ragnar, played by KISS frontman Gene Simmons.
The movie is almost inept at times, but that is exactly what keeps it entertaining. The action scenes are ridiculous, and the plot is standard fare, but the whole thing is still great. Add in the quick cameo by George Lazenby that is clearly supposed to be the man himself, and this Bond ripoff reaches heights that many don’t.
AVOID: Casino Royale
Not to be confused with the excellent 2005 film of the same title (or the 1954 film of the same title), this one is a poorly written James Bond parody… featuring a canonical James Bond. While it technically includes the same James Bond character that the long-running series is about, this movie is not considered connected to those films in the slightest.
Loosely based on one of Ian Fleming’s classic novels, the film was made by an American production company in an attempt to mock the already super popular British film series. The film's humor, unfortunately, flops at nearly every turn, despite cheesy performances by both Orson Welles and a young Woody Allen.
WATCH: Our Man Flint
One of the more popular Bond clones of the '60s saw James Coburn as Derek Flint in the American action-comedy series. Flint is a smooth, cultured, intelligent super-spy, and he goes on an adventure to stop ecoterrorists hoping to take over the world by controlling the weather. A plot that could be lifted and placed right onto a Bond movie comes with a character that could do the same.
Flint is a clone, from the way he dresses down to his manner of speaking, making the only key difference the nationality. Our Man Flint is the better of the two Flint films and has enough charm to stand alone as a good spy romp, but the movie’s humor is, unfortunately, still a little too dependent on the Bond films for it to be considered an original film.
AVOID: Operation Kid Brother
Alternatively titled Operation Double 007, this rip off went to great lengths to clone the British superspy series.
First off, you have the same actors that were playing M and Moneypenny at the time playing similar characters, without mentioning their names, of course. Then, when terror strikes, the pair try to reach the British spy that usually handles these things. He goes unnamed as well and is never shown as he is unavailable. So the team does the logical thing and brings in the spy’s civilian brother and puts him on the case instead.
Here is where the film reaches a meta-layer that almost makes it great. The lead character of spy’s brother is played by Neil Connery, famous Bond actor Sean Connery’s younger brother. Neil had not acted before the role and was cast purely on his name and relation to Sean, in the hopes that it would pull the audience of the actual Bond films.
WATCH: From Beijing With Love
The insane brain of Stephen Chow is known for kung-fu comedies like Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. His movies combine over-the-top fight choreography with over-the-top gags and From Beijing With Love is a prime example.
A much more comedic take on the Bond mythos, this film shows what it would be like if Bond's alcoholism, mysticism, and dependence on eccentric gadgets made him one of the most incompetent spies in the world as opposed to the best.
The humor is genuinely funny most of the time, and the action will surprise you, plus, with the tropes being used for satire, this film feels less like a derivative cash-in of the Bond films, and more like a nice send-up.