James Bond tribute? Or just Amazon’s attempt to remind us all that they own the rights to the franchise? Only time will tell.
After longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson received honorary Oscars at the Academy’s Governors Awards this year, the Bond franchise got its moment in the spotlight at the Oscars with a musical tribute, featuring Margaret Qualley, Lisa from Blackpink, Doja Cat, and Raye.
The performance showcased a medley of some of the franchise’s most iconic songs, including Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger,” Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die,” Adele’s “Skyfall,” and Billie Eilish’s “No Time to Die.”
While many agreed the women looked stunning during the medley, the tribute itself was met with confusion and a fair share of online eye-rolls.
First, the timing of the tribute raised some eyebrows, especially since it was placed before the Oscars’ In Memoriam segment—traditionally dedicated to honoring the lives and careers of those the industry has lost in the past year. Many users not pleased with the Amazon’s acquisition of the franchise joked that maybe the tribute was the Oscars acknowledging that Bond is being put out to pasture.
“All that James Bond tribute when we could’ve gotten a full David Lynch one,” one disgruntled X user wrote.
Then, the tribute began to feel less like a celebration and more like a massive Amazon-sponsored advertisement, as the company recently bought full rights to the Bond franchise.
“Love this in-Oscars ad for the idea of James Bond,” one user quipped, while another joked, “Jeff Bezos is definitely behind this.”
Finally, some viewers simply found the tribute… well, bad.
“This entire Bond tribute is strange and kinda bad,” another X user declared.
“What’s the purpose? I thought they’d at least name the new Bond…but no. Just odd. They cancel the Best Original Song performers… for this?!” wrote one confused Oscars viewer.
In the end, the Bond tribute might’ve been more memorable for the Twitter roast than the performance. But hey, at least Amazon got its money’s worth!
