One of my most persistent criticisms of the modern Bond era and in particular the Craig era, is the deliberate downgrading of James Bond’s gadgets. This issue is most conspicuous in Skyfall, when Bond complains with the above line to Q that his latest issue consists of little more than “a gun and a radio.” While the line is clever and fitting in his conversation with Q, it underscores a broader creative reluctance to embrace one of the franchise’s most enduring pleasures.

The same problem resurfaces in Spectre, where the audience is again teased rather than rewarded. Bond is introduced to a new Aston Martin, only to be told it is unfinished and reassigned to 009, still mid-configuration. Bond eventually steals the car and we get to see it in action, but it feels less like a triumphant return to form and more like a consolation prize since most of its gadgets don’t function properly and aren’t exactly streamlined with their primitive label maker labels.

It is difficult to understand the rationale behind repeatedly presenting incomplete or deliberately underwhelming gadgets, which creates a lose-lose situation: Bond is deprived of the tools that traditionally elevate his ingenuity, and the audience is denied the spectacle and imagination that have long distinguished the series.