Classical Twists on James Bond Movie Titles

Prepare for some very silly puns

I came across an old list I had cobbled together of James Bond movie titles changed into Classical allusions, and I’ll be honest, some of them were good! I went through a James Bond phase when I was young, so many of these came very quickly to me. I’ve given the list a refresh and some brief context, and now I present to you the 10 best examples I can come up with (please send any of your own suggestions too!) I’ll start with the worst/corniest ones, so make sure you get to the good ones at the bottom…

10. Sky Won’t Fall - Skyfall (2012)

A slightly contrived start here, but how could we skip over dear Atlas and his titanic efforts to hold up the heavens as punishment for his role in the rebellion against the Gods. I’m not sure even Adele could save this one.

9. Daemons are Forever - Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

A bit of a deep cut for fans of Socrates, who believed his inner voice was a divine spirit who warned him of potential errors. Not the coolest reference but an extremely solid pun.

8. ThunderBalls - Thunderball (1965)

Well, let’s be honest. If you were to distill Zeus down to two main characteristics, it would be his lightning and his lechery. This one captures them both quite neatly, without being too crass or demeaning. I hope…

7. My Liver Never Dies - Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Prometheus’ famed punishment was a real pain in the… lower abdomen, as his liver would be eaten by an eagle only for it to grow back anew each day. While not exactly a got fit for ‘tomorrow’, Prometheus was known for his foresight and the name is thought to be a play on that.

6. The Guy Who Loved Me - The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

I mean, take your pick out of Classical lovers but this one would surely fit neatly with Patroclus and Achilles. ‘Bromance’ forever!

5. Dr Nobody - Dr No (1962)

This one forms something of a pair with number 4 below, perhaps a run on sequel. Of course it’s a reference to the great trick Odysseus pulls on Polyphemus in the Odyssey, where he calls himself Nobody or No Man, so that when the Cyclops tells his brethren ‘nobody is hurting me,’ great hilarity ensues.

4. For Your Eye Only - For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Running on from 5, the Cyclops gets his own title focusing on his monocular features. Unfortunately for him, that eye doesn’t last…

3. The Man With the Golden Shower - The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)

Zeus makes a return on the list, and while I could have gone the more obvious route as with number 2, this one is a particular fun reference to the myth of Perseus, whose mother conceived him by Zeus via a ‘shower of gold’. I normally have to use that particular phrasing to avoid the icky connotations, but James Bond isn’t afraid of that!

2. Goldfingers - Goldfinger (1964)

King Midas, famous for not understanding basic inflation, had the Midas touch. Funnily enough. Everything he touched turned to gold, and boy did that not work out for him. This one writes itself, but cannot compare to the ultimate one:

1. Oedipussy - Octopussy (1983)

This is not only the best title in the sequence, it’s probably the only one that makes more sense as a title than the original. What was going on back then, really? Anyway, Oedipus as we know had an unfortunate fling with his mother and totally didn’t know about it so we can’t blame him! Unlike the people who called a movie Octopussy…

Honourable Mentions

We couldn’t quite squeeze in From Sparta With Love, Spectres, Live and Let Dive or The Girl is Not Enough. You can see why. Do you have any better ideas? Drop a comment below!

Thanks and see you again soon!