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James Bond had his 10th outing in this epic affair, which ushered in the new era of Bond as not just over the top but rather way, way, way over it. How far? The Spy Who Loved Me has Jaws, a villain that feeds detractors to sharks (in his underwater lair, of course), a gorgeous Russian spy (Barbara Bach) who helps Bond, stolen nuclear missiles, a scene in Egypt that -- in a rare moment of Bondian genius -- borrows the score from Lawrence of Arabia, and perhaps the best Bond gadget of all time: A Lotus that can turn into a submarine. I loved Spy so much in the 1980s (on video) that I lusted over Lotus catalogs. Oddly, I never found the sub option inside.
This is near-camp and its success sent a strong message to its producers about what audiences wanted to see: Bigger, bolder, louder, sexier. The next 10 films that followed simply one-upped this formula over and over again. Amazing.
Bond #10.
