Some spy movies absolutely qualify as science fiction

After some thought, it’s time to admit certain spy movie franchises like James Bond and Mission Impossible are absolutely science fiction films.

When the topic of the Kingsmen came up on this site, some people believed that due to it being a spy movie that it doesn’t qualify as science fiction. As this is a Star Trek/science fiction site, making sure to honor the genre and not step out of the realm of that conversation is important. That’s why when some people brought up that spy movies aren’t science fiction, it had to be argued that they were wrong. Sometimes.

A lot of modern spy thrillers, your Mission Impossibles, James Bonds, and Kingsmen absolutely qualify as science fiction, mostly because they use science that is, well, fictional. If you look at say, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, that movie is nothing but science fiction. Devices that can cover and then engrave new door numbers? Window-sticking gloves? A bodysuit that can be controlled by a magnet? A remote control car that doesn’t flip over every 12 seconds?

All fictional. Especially the last one.

Changing gears and looking at something like James Bond, that film franchise has always been science fiction. From crotch-aimed-laser-beams to watches that can contain everything from a rope to, well, another laser, and of course the car that can transform into a boat and then a plane. All fictional. All science that doesn’t exist. Don’t forget that there was an entire Bond film set in space. He’s literally on a space station, with gravity, shooting lasers at people. That’s Star Wars but with sillier names (Holly Goodhead). James Bond is about four degrees of separation away from being Star Trek at that point.

Kingsmen had an umbrella that that turned into a high powered rifle with a digital screen on the inside of the folds, cross-continental drones, and the ability to make Lynyrd Skynyrd relevant. All science fiction. If not downright impossible.

Sure, a movie like the Bourne franchise may be more spy thriller than anything but the rest of the examples are all very much science fiction based. The only things they don’t include are aliens and let’s be honest, that’s probably a good thing if Tom Cruise is involved.