Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or her swag? Yeah, scholar Joseph Campbell noticed first—in 1949. He wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in which he outlined the 17 stages of a mythological hero's journey.

About half a century later, Christopher Vogler condensed those stages down to 12 in an attempt to show Hollywood how every story ever written should—and, uh, does—follow Campbell's pattern. We're working with those 12 stages, so take a look. (P.S. Want more? We have an entire Online Course devoted to the hero's journey.)

Ordinary World

Bond's so-called ordinary world is a flashy, high-stakes casino. If that's your ordinary world, um, well, lucky you.

Call To Adventure

When Strangways is killed, Bond is summoned away from the baccarat table to fly to Jamaica and investigate his death. We'd love a job that pays us to fly to Jamaica, just without the guns. And spiders. And threat of certain death.

Refusal Of The Call

Bond doesn't refuse the call, but he does delay it a bit, spending a brief moment of time with Sylvia Trench before catching his flight.

Meeting The Mentor

In Jamaica, the closest thing Bond has to a mentor is Felix Leiter, an American CIA agent who has more intel on Dr. No than Bond has. We "meet" Leiter before Bond does, as Leiter is scoping out Bond at the airport and trying to decide if 007 is a double-agent or not.

Crossing The Threshold

The threshold is the size of the Atlantic Ocean here. Bond's quest takes him from frosty London to steaming hot Jamaica. It's not as big a change as you might think. While the weather might be different, Bond walks into every place, even a foreign country, as if he owns it.

Tests, Allies, Enemies

Bond's mission to discover who killed Strangways forces him to second guess everyone he meets. Can he trust the driver? The secretary? The sailor? The CIA agent? The geologist? The bartender? (No. No. Yes. Yes. No. Yes.)

Approach To The Inmost Cave

The innermost cave is practically literal in Dr. No. The titular evil doctor lives in a subterranean lair beneath Crab Key. As Bond does his investigation into allies and enemies, all signs point to Crab Key. So off he goes.

Ordeal

The island of Crab Key is patrolled by what natives believe to be a dragon. You don't get much more of a traditional quest than a man heading to an island to defeat a dragon— even if it turns out to be a tank painted to look like a dragon.

Reward (Seizing The Sword)

Bond's reward is confirming that Dr. No was ultimately behind the death of Strangways. His real plan is to sabotage a U.S. missile launch. Bond manages to foil Dr. No's plans, kill the bad guy, and save the girl.

The Road Back

Even though Bond has saved the day, Dr. No's underwater lab is set to blow. Bond must retreat to the surface to get himself and Honey to safety.

Resurrection

Of course, Bond makes it above ground alive. He and Honey leap off of Dr. No's floating station and into a rescue boat, speeding away as the facility explodes into bits.

Return With The Elixir

While we don't see Bond return to the mainland to celebrate his victory, we do see him doing what he does best to relief his stress—spending time with a beautiful babe in a boat.