Never Say Never Again

Rating:
Summary: Let's get the facts straight
Review: The movie was released by Warner Brothers, not MGM. I work for MGM and frankly our operators are tired of hearing complaints about the dvd version being bad when we had nothing to do with it.....

Rating:
Summary: Never Say Never Forever
Review: The return of Connery just one more time was made necessary by the growing silliness of the Roger Moore films. This was convincingly confirmed several years later by the worst of Bond movies: a "View to a Kill." Although a summation of many Bond scripts, "Never Say Never" contained just the right amount of wry humor and hint of believability that makes Bond great. It is a fitting tribute to the only real Bond. Connery proves that the proper formula for Bond is vodka and caviar not Broccoli. Perhaps we will be treated again to an aging secret agent who is still politically incorrect but always in vogue who never can quite say never!

Rating:
Summary: Shame, Shame, Shame
Review: Why can't let Sean Connery let the past be the past? "Never Say Never Again" is a laughable (for those who aren't too busy being ashamed) attempt at James Bond that proves to be the worst film to carry the 007 seal (although this isn't official). "Thunderball" far outshines this ridiculous romp that attempts to capitalize on past success with no substance. The film is silly at best and sacreligious at worst (their version of Desmond Llewelyn's immortal Q makes me want to cry or vomit, or both). The lesser of the real Bond films stand well above this remake. I know I'll never say "Never Say Never Again"...again.

Rating:
Summary: One last time...Just for fun
Review: Best if not taken seriously. All very tongue-in-cheek. A big-budget thinly veiled remake of Thunderball. This time, an aging 007 (Sean Connery greying a bit around around the temples) is pulled out of semi-retirement to track down Bond villain Emile Largo and two stolen nuclear bombs. The action moves from Nassau to the South of France to N. Africa. Of course, there are holes in the plot you could drive an Aston Martin through, the acting by most of the actors is barely acceptable, there isn't much sustained action, it runs out of energy before it runs out of movie and it lacks the nice touches and the class of the official Bond movies. I liked Claus Maria Brandauer as the sicko bad guy. Easily the best acting of the movie. Barbara Carrera and Kim Bassinger are beautiful Bond girls. Connery looks like he's having a lot of fun. Some of the scenes are quite clever; esp. the scene in which Bond and Fatima Blush (Carrera) write his memoirs. The World Domination videogame sequence is unique, to say the least. Look for Mr. Bean star, Rowan Atkinson, in an early role. I like this movie perhaps for the wrong reason. I don't expect much of it. It silly, its fun, its great to see Connery's Bond one last time and its fun to look at if only to compare it to the real Bond films.

Rating:
Summary: Missing Footage? You Can Get it Replaced.
Review: As some of the reviews here note, there is a large piece of missing footage on this DVD between chapters 19 & 20 (when the disc changes layers). Is yours missing footage? Here's how to check. Start at chapter 19 and follow Bond as he gate crashes the Casino and sticks the bouncer in the closet. If your DVD jumps from Bond leaving the bouncer in the closet with the "bomb" in his hand (Bond says,"Good boy"), to a scene inside the casino where Bond, Domino, and Largo enter the private game room (Largo saying, "These are my friends..."), then you've got a dud. What you should have seen is Bond going from the bouncer in the closet -- to a shot of Bond through the casino door peep hole -- he enters casino -- sticks gun in ice bucket -- enters video game room -- meets Domino ("My name is Bond, James Bond") -- meets Largo, etc. If yours is defective (and many of them where) the good news is you can return it and get a replacement DVD by calling MGMÕs customer service dept at 1-877-MGM-4YOU (or emailing them at [e-mail]) and following their instructions. I did this and I now have a new, complete NSNA DVD.

Rating:
Summary: THUNDERBALL 2
Review: People ask me what i liked about Never say Never Again,I say "Oh you mean Thunderball 2." It isnt an official Bond Film but it is great with the villians. Connery did a better job than Moore would of.Irvern Kishner(Empire Strikes Back)is the director.

Rating:
Summary: Very Sloppily Produced Disc
Review: Never Say Never Again is not one of the worst Bond films, but its simply mediocre and of the standard of all the Bond movies produced after their glory days of the 60 and 70's. However the worst aspect of the DVD version is not the film itself but the lack of quality control that went into making this DVD edition. Unexcusable is the fact that the makers of this DVD couldn't even bother to include the entire film on this disc! There is at least one large missing scene (i.e., just before the 'domination game' section of the film in the casino) and there may be others. Given this and the lack of any extras (save a trailer) makes this a disc to avoid. My advice to fans is to pass up on this edition and wait for a more definitive version in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Sean Connery Returns!!
Review: In 1983, millions of 007 fans were pleased and amazed that a new Bond movie was coming: With Connery in it! Although basically a remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again had its twists and turns. It's also now an OFFICIAL James Bond film! It's a great film, a Bond fan MUST-HAVE!!

Rating:
Summary: James Bomb - Double "O" Sham
Review: It is difficult for me to reconcile whose fault it was that this movie was so bad. I guess what's fair is to spread some blame around. A little (but not too much must go to Connery). In the entertainment biz, you just don't participate in projects to line your pockets. He was and still is one of the great screen actors but the role of James Bond had long since passed him after "Diamonds Are Forever". I liken his playing J.B. one more time to baseball player Cal Ripken continuing to play. We go and see both of them do what they do, but we realize (as in the case of N.S.N.A.) that they don't do it at the same level anymore. Sprinkle a little blame on Kevin McClory for even bringing the film into existence over his bitter feud with Ian Fleming, et al. And finally, the director (whose name escapes me)...after years of Cubbi Broccoli's highly polished productions, (except for Dr. No which is one of the greats but did not have a big budget so it's a little rough) N.S.N.A. looks like some 1970's B grade film shown before the main feature at the weekend drive-in.

On a personal level, the movie is hard to watch for me because it is a re-do of my fav J.B. film and novel, "Thunderball". As good as "Thunderball" is, is how bad "N.S.N.A." is. The controversy surrounding the script has been well documented so, I won't rehash it here.

In closing, although I gave it one star, I do encourage everyone to see the film at least once but, preferably AFTER you have seen all of the other films. To purchase it though, I would strongly suggest spending your hard earned money elsewhere. I speak from experience. I own the film myself, but because I enjoy the other films more, I have only watched it once or twice in the five years I've had it, compared with the 53 or so times I have watched "Thunderball"....of course that's just my opinion....I could be wrong.

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Rating:
Summary: Ditto: Major Mastering Mistake
Review: I've always had a preference for this admittedly flawed Bond outing, mainly because Connery's return as a middle-aged Bond somehow makes the character more believable than the overblown Roger Moore episodes. (Though in fairness, it should be pointed out that the more recent Brosnan films, with their slick and outdated pomposity, make both Moore and Connery look positively Shakespearean.) The cheeky, self-deprecating humor is the best thing this one has going for it, from Bond killing an adversary with his own vodka-poisoned urine specimen to Carrera demanding that she be added to 007's memoirs.

Having said that, it is simply incomprehensible that MGM would drop such crucial scenes as Bond formally introducing himself to Basinger--how do they expect viewers to forget the earlier health club scene, for which Bond owes Domino an apology?--and Brandauer's less important but amusing dialogue with Carrera about "underpaid" British agents.

This is one of the biggest blunders I have yet encountered in the supposedly "definitive" DVD format. Buy the VHS and don't get cheated.