Imagine a world where James Bond, the epitome of suave and sophisticated espionage, suddenly… forgets his gun? That's precisely what happened when Amazon Prime Video unveiled updated poster art for the James Bond film collection, coinciding with James Bond Day last week. But here's the kicker: the iconic Walther PPK, Bond's signature firearm, was conspicuously absent from every single image.
Terrence O'Brien, The Verge’s weekend editor with over 18 years of experience (including a decade as managing editor at Engadget), reported on this peculiar alteration. Fans immediately noticed the rather clumsy attempts to Photoshop the guns out of the posters. In the Dr. No and Goldeneye posters, Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan were depicted awkwardly holding… nothing. It was as if their weapons had vanished into thin air, leaving them looking strangely out of character.
The changes didn't stop there. In the Live and Let Die artwork, Roger Moore appears to have undergone a bizarre body transplant, while in A View to a Kill, his arms were unnaturally elongated, seemingly to obscure the missing firearm. The result? A collection of posters that looked, well, wrong. And this is the part most people miss: it wasn't just about removing the guns; it was about the quality of the removal, which many found to be amateurish and jarring.
Unsurprisingly, this digital disarmament of 007 sparked outrage among fans. Some were simply baffled that Amazon would tamper with such an iconic and beloved franchise. Others accused the company of being "woke," suggesting the move was driven by political correctness. But here's where it gets controversial... Was this a genuine attempt at sensitivity, or simply a misguided marketing decision that completely missed the mark? It's a question that continues to fuel debate.
Since the initial uproar, Amazon has quietly updated the thumbnails, replacing the altered posters with stills from the movies. But even these selections haven't escaped scrutiny. Fans were quick to point out that many of the chosen stills were also gunless, and at least one, the still for Skyfall, still appeared to have been subtly altered to remove a firearm. At the time of O'Brien's publication, Amazon had yet to issue an official response or explanation for the changes.
On a lighter note, Pierce Brosnan's empty hand in the altered Goldeneye poster has become a source of amusement, inspiring countless memes and jokes across social media. It's a testament to the internet's ability to find humor even in the face of questionable artistic choices. For example, some memes replaced the gun with comically large bananas or rubber chickens.
So, what do you think? Was Amazon right to remove the guns from the James Bond posters, even if the execution was less than perfect? Or did they fundamentally misunderstand the character and appeal of 007, a character who, for better or worse, has always been associated with firearms? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Let's discuss whether this was a step in the right direction or a misstep that tarnished a cinematic icon. Is it possible to update classic imagery for modern sensibilities without losing the essence of what made it iconic in the first place?
)
