Thunderball

Rating:
Summary: " You Shouldn't Have Opened That Car Door By Yourself..."
Review: Thunderball!

Yes it is definately one of the best movies in the Bond saga. ( The thought of the remake, Never Say Never Again, ohh lets not even remember how bad it was..).

Ok, unforunately by this point the Connery had started to lose his hair and it shows, but it doesn't detract from the fact that Connery is, was and will always be James Bond. He carries the role so effortlessly that whoever is the " new " James Bond, they are always measured by Connery and quite rightly so..

But, to the movie. Connery returns again to the screen to save the world from the terrorist organisation of SPECTRE. The opening sequence, the the rocket pack at the chateau in France and the marvelous fight sequence between Bond and the Colonel set the tone and the pace for this fantastic movie. Tom Jones wails out the wonderful theme song amazingly well, although when Jones sings it now it's afew keys lower.

Not to spoil the plot, but once more our fantastic hero is called in once more to find two atomic weapons, stolen by SPECTRE, before they are detonated in a major city if a ransom is not paid. The plot takes Bond to the Bahamas where he meets Domino Durval ( played by the gorgeous Claudine Anger ) and the architect of the SPECTRE scheme, Emile Largo.

The only minus point I have for the movie is that with the large amount of underwater action it is hard to mantain a high leveled action movie pace at times and it shows. However, such small concessions considering the scale of the picture.

The DVD features are marvelous, as we are becoming use to with the MGM Releases of the James Bond movies. Documentaries, trailers and the marvelous Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack! That alone makes it worth the purchase if you have the system to appreciate it.

On the whole no movie collection should be without Thunderball. Even if it was a stand alone movie, outside of the Bond collection, the story, action and the delivery make it worth owning at the least.

After all this...... "I think you'll get the point..."

Rating:
Summary: very good solid film , for the first hour
Review: you can watch this film for about an hour, but after that the "action" starts, and it looks pretty pathethic nowadays when You see modern action films. usually what is left from these old movies nowadays is acting, and acting is for the first hour only.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, exciting Bond adventure
Review: One of my personal favorites in the Bond series. Thunderball has always been deservedly popular with Bond fans. Not as good as FRWL or Goldfinger but still quite good. A little better than Dr. No and a very solid entry in the Bond canon and great for those who have never seen a Bond movie. I can't give it five stars because it is a little ponderous in parts and there are noticable mistakes in editing. Almost five stars but more like four and a half. Unlike most Bond films, Thunderball is set almost entirely in one place; Nassau in the Bahamas. The director, Terrence Young, takes full advantage of its beautiful setting. He's certainly not afraid of the water. Sean Connery's Bond is in and out of the water throughout the film. The underwater scene near the end is long but exciting. Adolpho Celi is excellent as the merciless villian, Emile Largo. Largo is a top agent for a terrorist organization who has stolen two nuclear missles and holds them for ransom. Celi plays him as ruthlessly as possible. Claudine Auger is one of the prettiest Bond girls. She plays Largo's mistress and brother to a man Largo had murdered. Auger does well with what she is given. Mostly she just looks great in one bathing suit after another. Connery is, of course, excellent. Even when he isn't at the top of his game, he's still the best Bond. Thunderball is one of his best performances. Alas, it was the last very high quality 007 outing of Connery's career. I guess there's only so much you can do with a role beflore you start to feel redundant. YOLT and DAR were strictly middle of the pack Bond entries. If you only buy a few Bond movies, be sure to get this one.

Rating:
Summary: Big Bond
Review: One of Bond's most beautiful films ever. The underwater footage, specially the one when the Vulcan is "buried", is amazing. Memorable, a classic. The plot is very well orchestrated too. The DVD contains valuable extras, with things that'll make you consider how hard a life Sean Connery had when facing real sharks just to be Mr. Bond. Maybe that's why he IS Bond. Maybe that's what made these films a great entertainment even 30 years after its first release. Maybe that's why computer generated acting, like on Star Wars: Episode One, is so frustrating, boring and dissapointing after you've seen REAL action films like this. Certainly a must buy, along with Goldfinger and Golden Eye, for those who like James Bond films. Or just wonderful films.

Rating:
Summary: The best Connery bond film
Review: ...And one of the best films in the entire series. Thunderball is a superb film with a fantastic mix of action and humour, Sean Connery is simply magnificent as 007 (in his 4th outing) and was really the last time we see him enjoying the role before he became tired of playing the British secret agent. There are those who say that Goldfinger was his finest hour, yes Goldfinger was an excellent film but in Thunderball Connery is able to do virtually anything with the movies vast budget. People argue that the underwater scenes drag, I have to agree to some extent on this point, but the rest of the film more than makes up for it. If you are going to watch any Connery related bond film, make it Thunderball.

Rating:
Summary: Thunderball: Connery, King of cool
Review: Although Goldfinger is said to be the best bond of all time i would agree with those who believe thunderball is better. It's the quintessential connery/bond film. The main reason for its appeal is adolfo celi's largo who is a far better bad guy than goldfinger (the best bad guys have to have a shark pool). The scene at spectres HQ is also one of the most memorable in the series and John Barry's score is superb. Anyone who doesn't take an interest in bond would surely be swayed by this one. In one word it's BIG.

Rating:
Summary: They don't make them like this anymore.....
Review: This was the first Bond film I ever saw (on ABC in the late 70's) andhas always been my favorite. Recently, I purchased a James BondAnniversary CD which has a radio ad promoting this film's release andbest describes my thoughts. It goes something like,"DR.NO.....BIG!.....FROM RUSSIA WITHLOVE.....BIGGER!.....GOLDFINGER....EVEN BIGGER!....AND NOW COMES THEBIGGEST BOND OF ALL!......THUNDERBALL!"

What I think is afabulous testament to "Thunderball" is the fact that younever really hear people say bad things about it. Sure, there arepeople who don't like it, preferring one of the other 19 (andcounting) films. But, overall, the film is liked by most and reveredby even more. Even here at Amazon there are no bad reviews or peoplesaying "Don't buy this!".

I won't go over the film's plotas it is covered very well elsewhere, but as many other reviewer'shave said, the action sequences, underwater filmography, music, andacting were what makes this the finest in the series. I read a storythat Adolfo Celi after being casted as Emilio Largo told his agent hehad never read one of the Fleming novel's or seen either of the firsttwo films. Celi bought a copy of "Thunderball" the book, atthe airport duty free store on his way to begin filming the movie andliterally (by several accounts) got off the plane foaming at the mouthto play the part.

Also of note: we hear John Barry's theme calledsimply "007", it is not the bass line which we normallyassociate with Bond, but it has more of a "newsroom" or"teletype" sound to it. We first hear it when Bond is at theairport on his way to look for the missiles in the Caribbean. Thistheme is heard in part or whole, in all subsequent films. Finally,let's not forget it took every available "00" agent to trackdown Largo, as we see in the large conference hall scene to which Bondis late and M quips, "Now that we are all here....let's getstarted."

In closing, if I had to own one Bond film, this wouldbe it. Many people seem to feel Goldfinger is the best and I thinkeveryone is entitled to his opinion however, Thunderball thoroughlyheightened the world's interest in Bond. Marketing, from toys, models,collectibles, to lunch boxes was at an all time high and we have beenon a steady plateau/decline ever since....just my opinion, I could bewrong...

Rating:
Summary: FORGET GOLDFINGER
Review: Most people say "GOLDFINGER" is the best Sean Connery film, and some say its even the best bond ever. I dont agree, I think "Goldfinger" is much to over rated. This Bond movie has it all. A great opening scene, a terrific title song by Tom Jones, beautiful girls, exotic locations, humor, sinister villans, and tons of action. Thunderball is Sean Connery's best and is at the top of the list of all Bond films. Give this one a try your sure to enjoy this classic Bond film.

Rating:
Summary: The Sexiest women, the Sexiest Bond film
Review: Thunderball is in the water, which is a metaphor about sex, and this is the sexiest of the Bond films. Its a film about becoming one with the elements and a woman, more than an action picture, per say...the film makers want you to FEEL like you are in the Bahamas going underwater, attending the Mardi Gras and making love to the series two hottest women, which it succeeds in doing. If you really were participating in an actual James Bond-type adventure there would be long hours of detective work, swimming around, driving/flying around that movies generally can't spend time depicting in real time. So in a way its an audience mood film, great for a date.

There are 3 action sequences worthy of special note; the jet pack escape, the ParaScuba infantry assault into the water and the Fulton STAR "SkyHook" recovery when Bond/Domino are "snatched" by a rescue B-17 bomber..these are real things and not make-believe devices like employed in the later remake; "Never Say Never Again". Read Ian Fleming's Thunderball and compare which picture captures his essence better.

At the film's end you realize that this is an end of an era, a mood that will never be likely to be seen again, and the later on Connery Bond films don't seem to quite capture the care-free, watery magic the Claudine Auger/Bond chemistry creates, though "You only Live twice" does create a nice Eastern reflective mood to events. Thunderball captures the mood, look/feel of the watery 007 play/battleground Fleming intended.

Rating:
Summary: James Bond Underwater
Review: After a one-film hiatus SPECTRE returns. So has Sean Connery as he was finally groomed to perfection as the definitive screen incarnation of James Bond in "Goldfinger." Terence Young is also back as director. However, he seems to have been influenced over the fine-tuning that Guy Hamilton brought to the main character and overall tone of "Goldfinger." Due to that film's success Young seems to be floundering here being diverted from his vision of the character that he helped bring to the screen. Young is 180 degrees from being the auteur he envisioned himself to be.

The film seems loosely constructed and leisurely acted. Adolfo Celi as Emilio Largo looks the part but he never seems a real threat to Bond. In fact he seems to lose every encounter with Bond whether it be at the gambling tables or engaging in idle banter on the merits of women vs. guns. Bond outdoes him in skeet shooting without even looking at the target.

What makes the film very memorable is John Barry's rich score and Lamar Boren's beautiful and colorful underwater photography. The two went hand in hand. I also thought the villains' plot to hijack a Vulcan jet was extremely well filmed and executed. This film has a very British feel to as it should have.

This film has always been a favourite with diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. I met a very young couple this summer at the beach club. I happened to mention James Bond. These two half my age immediately said, "Thunderball!" Do you like "Thunderball?" I replied, "Absolutely. And by the way I see you are drinking Red Stripe Beer. Did you know that when Bond tosses Quarrel into those corrugated cartons in "Dr. No" those are cases of Red Stripe Beer?" And so I met some new Bond fans.

As for the DVD, I liked the fact that they re-mastered the film in stereo, but it somehow is too overbearing in spots. I also liked the end titles on the British version much better with the original music that Barry had scored for this sequence.

All that being said, I still always liked this film.