I don't think the series has been in a rut to be honnest. With the release of Goldeneye they practicly had to re-introduce Bond to the public since it had been quiet for a long time. They modernized the setting a bit. New HQ, new M, same old Q :P.
The reason that they drifted off the novels as years progressed is because the novels were becoming to complicated to make a film out of. At least in those times. I'm not sure what movie was the last one that was based on the novels, but I know they dropped the concept after a few movies and wrote new stories.
In all fairness, you can't keep a series like James Bond in it's 1960's touch for ever. Even though they tried to a little with the last few movies with Timothy Dalton.
Every series needs modern touch up every once in a while and I think they stayed true to the Bond formula dispite those touch ups. Goldeneye, Tommorow never Dies, TWINE and Die another Day were all great movies IMO. With Pierce being one of the best actors next to Sean Connery to ever play the role of 007.
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