Dr No introduced the many recurring themes and features associated with the suave, witty, and sophisticated secret agent: the distinctive James Bond Theme, the gunbarrel sequence, Bond girls, exotic locales, the criminal organisation SPECTRE, narrow escapes, Bond’s astonishing good luck and skill, Bond’s signature Walther PPK and his licence to kill, an over-ambitious villain, quirky, villainous henchmen, and the first meeting with Felix Leiter of the CIA.

In fact, many characteristics of James Bond were introduced in this film (or brought in from the books), ranging from Bond’s idiosyncratic introduction (as “Bond. James Bond.”), to his taste for fine champagne, vodka martinis (shaken, not stirred), women, and weaponry.

This film established the tradition of venturing from Fleming’s original novels to include topical references of the day. During the film series’ forty year history, only a couple of films would remain substantially true to their source materials; Dr No has many similarities to the novel, but almost as many differences.