I have always seen Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger as the definitive Bond movies, and I suspect that many people will agree with me. Of course, a fourth outing of the British agent James Bond would not be as good as the three first. And it wasn't. Goldfinger marked the point where Bond movies would try to top the previous in any way possible! Not only would it hurt the movie, but it would't be very positively viewed by the fans. Thunderball was the first Bond movie trying to top the previous. And it just didn't work. Thunderball isn't a bad Bond film... it's just not that good! It doesn't has the same stylish feel as the others, and it isn't anyway near as entertaining or intense! It's also kind of forgettable! It went to become the second (and possibly last) Bond film to win an Oscar. It won for best effects, best visual effects.
Surprisingly, Terence Young directed Thunderball. While he directed Dr. No and From Russia With Love flawlessly, it's like he doesn't know what to do with this movie. Is he going to make another serious Bond film which resembles a spy thriller, or a silly but still entertaining Bond flick as Goldfinger was!
SPECTRE has stolen two atomic nuclear warheads, and are threatening to blow a city in USA or England up, unless ransom money are paid. As always it's Bond's job to prevent it all, find the warheads and disarm them. Not a bad plot. But the movie is just so bland! It lacks the suspense and intensity that made the the other three so great. But the movie isn't that bad! It's got some memorable action, some very beautiful women, good humor, etc. I suppose that it's because it precedes such good films as the previous. Had it been a later entry in the series it might have seemed better! But the movie could have been told better, and it could have been much more entertaining instead of much more bland!
Sean Connery is James Bond for the fourth time, and he's good as usual. But I do think that he sometimes looks bored, and this is the first film where he begins to show his age. But Connery is Connery and he is awesome! But I do think he could have been better and more sophisticated in this film! Claudine Auger is the Bond girl, Domino Derval! She's incredibly sexy, but she is kinda boring at times, and her acing isn't that good. But she's OK. She is relevant to the story, and you can't say that about many Bond girls! Adolfo Celi plays the films villain, Emilio Largo! He's SPECTRE nr. 2 and that's kinda cool! But he's just a middle aged man with an eye patch. When you compare him to the other Bond villains he's kind of a let down. Whatever, his performance is solid and he's an OK villain. But just OK. We don't really have an indestructible henchman, but we do have the femme fatale in the form of Fiona Volpe, portrayed by Luciana Paluzzi! She is one of the sexiest Bond girls in the entire series and she's a good actress! Her character isn't given much depth, but she's very cool! Desmond Llewelyn is awesome as Q, and Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell reprises their roles as M and Moneypenny, respectively. We also have the second appearance by Ernst Stavro Blofeld at a SPECTRE convention! He's still epic and awesome, and his scenes are one of the only scenes in this movie to be truly memorable!
Thunderball is kinda' bland, boring and forgettable compared to the three previous Bond flicks, but you do get the ingredients to a decent Bond film! I watch it sometimes and I think history has been kind to it. I like it more every time I watch it! The movie feels like Bond is on a vacation, and not stopping over the top villains. It doesn't quite work. But it is a decent Bond film, and hardcore Bond fans (such as myself) will find it watchable and enjoyable to a certain degree! Casual viewers my find it a bit boring, though. All in all Thunderball is a decent Bond flick, but not one of the best!
7/10
Surprisingly, Terence Young directed Thunderball. While he directed Dr. No and From Russia With Love flawlessly, it's like he doesn't know what to do with this movie. Is he going to make another serious Bond film which resembles a spy thriller, or a silly but still entertaining Bond flick as Goldfinger was!
SPECTRE has stolen two atomic nuclear warheads, and are threatening to blow a city in USA or England up, unless ransom money are paid. As always it's Bond's job to prevent it all, find the warheads and disarm them. Not a bad plot. But the movie is just so bland! It lacks the suspense and intensity that made the the other three so great. But the movie isn't that bad! It's got some memorable action, some very beautiful women, good humor, etc. I suppose that it's because it precedes such good films as the previous. Had it been a later entry in the series it might have seemed better! But the movie could have been told better, and it could have been much more entertaining instead of much more bland!
Sean Connery is James Bond for the fourth time, and he's good as usual. But I do think that he sometimes looks bored, and this is the first film where he begins to show his age. But Connery is Connery and he is awesome! But I do think he could have been better and more sophisticated in this film! Claudine Auger is the Bond girl, Domino Derval! She's incredibly sexy, but she is kinda boring at times, and her acing isn't that good. But she's OK. She is relevant to the story, and you can't say that about many Bond girls! Adolfo Celi plays the films villain, Emilio Largo! He's SPECTRE nr. 2 and that's kinda cool! But he's just a middle aged man with an eye patch. When you compare him to the other Bond villains he's kind of a let down. Whatever, his performance is solid and he's an OK villain. But just OK. We don't really have an indestructible henchman, but we do have the femme fatale in the form of Fiona Volpe, portrayed by Luciana Paluzzi! She is one of the sexiest Bond girls in the entire series and she's a good actress! Her character isn't given much depth, but she's very cool! Desmond Llewelyn is awesome as Q, and Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell reprises their roles as M and Moneypenny, respectively. We also have the second appearance by Ernst Stavro Blofeld at a SPECTRE convention! He's still epic and awesome, and his scenes are one of the only scenes in this movie to be truly memorable!
Thunderball is kinda' bland, boring and forgettable compared to the three previous Bond flicks, but you do get the ingredients to a decent Bond film! I watch it sometimes and I think history has been kind to it. I like it more every time I watch it! The movie feels like Bond is on a vacation, and not stopping over the top villains. It doesn't quite work. But it is a decent Bond film, and hardcore Bond fans (such as myself) will find it watchable and enjoyable to a certain degree! Casual viewers my find it a bit boring, though. All in all Thunderball is a decent Bond flick, but not one of the best!
7/10