Thunderball (Special Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Thunderball (Special Edition)
Movie Review: What sharp little eyes ya got. Wait 'til you get to my teeth
Summary: 5 Stars
After a rousing success the previous year with Goldfinger, the folks at Eon Productions had their work cut out for them, attempting to carry the momentum the Bond series further. 1965's Thunderball was a terrific movie to push the ante and in my opinion, it was Thunderball that cemented the Bond franchise into a "dynasty", so to speak. Following from the Goldfinger formula, Thunderball was loaded with a plot of epic proportions, more gadgets, more action sequences, more engaging villains and of course, more voluptuous women. Probably what makes Goldfinger a rank higher than Thunderball is that in all aspects of the film (gadgets, villains, women) aren't as memorable and captivating as Goldfinger. And not to mention, the movie tends to drag on a bit more and hence, the longer duration (2 hr. 10 min. compared to Goldfinger's 1 hr. 53 min.).The storyline is pretty straightforward. 007 is recovering at a spa resort as SPECTRE is planning a wild scheme while he's at it. An agent of SPECTRE, Count Lippe keeps tabs on Bond and even attempts to kill him so that our hero doesn't figure out what SPECTRE is concocting. SPECTRE is successful in gassing a test pilot, Francois Derval, otherwise nicknamed Thunderball, and replacing him with a SPECTRE agent, who is known as Angelo, a frontman who has been under the knife extensively to be Derval in every way. Angelo takes Derval's slot in a test flight of a British bomber plane, the Vulcan, which carries two atomic bombs. As expected, Angelo hijacks the Vulcan into Bahaman waters, where Number Two, A.K.A. Largo (Adolfo Celi) retrieves the bombs and holds the U.S. and the U.K. at ransom. All double agents including Bond are called up on the task and when Bond reveals that he had seen Derval's corpse at the spa, he intuitively believes the bombs are elsewhere, perhaps in Nassau. It is there where Bond encounters the lovely Domino (Claudine Auger, who in my opinion is the best-looking Bond girl in the Connery era), who turns out to be Largo's mistress and the sister of Thunderball. With her help, Bond works from within to bring down Largo and his cronies, which leads into a climactic underwater fight off Miami between U.S. Coast Guard divers and SPECTRE.
Thunderball is a very entertaining film although there are some scenes that tend to drag (i.e. the underwater scenes) and even some of the drama is sucked out of the enormous underwater battle. The characters are solid, but again they don't offer as much intrigue as the cast of Goldfinger did. Largo is a suitable villain, ruthless but not as convincing as Goldfinger, although throwing people to the sharks does sound very maniacal. Largo's henchmen, Yanni and Vargas are a little way too stoic, but they serve their purpose. Fiona Volpe is a reckless, fun-loving villainess that likes to floor a 64 1/2 Mustang, in the likeness of Pussy Galore, but she's more of the one you'd love to hate. Despite her good looks and stunning body, Domino lacked the impact that the three previous Bond girls had before her.
However, despite the minor flaws in the film, Connery establishes Bond's status of a superhero and he plays it with an arrogant swagger about himself, as if he were invincible but he maintains that aura of mystery as well. It is his prime peformance that makes Thunderball nothing short of a non-stop action classic Bond flick and to this very day, it stands as one of the very best in the series.
Movie Review: Connery At His James Bond Best in THUNDERBALL
Summary: 5 Stars
"Thunderball" is the fourth entry of the James Bond series and in terms of box office was the most successful Bond film of the 1960's. Coming fresh off the heels the very successful "Goldfinger", producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, armed with their largest budget to date, set out to produce a blockbuster film, filmed for the first time in a widescreen format. The advertising blitz for Thunderball helped produce an air of great anticipation among the moviegoing public. Thunderball did not disappoint them.Ironically, Thunderball was originally intended to be the story of the first James Bond film but problems negotiating with Keven McCrory, who owned the film rights to Thunderball, force the producers to use "Dr. No" instead. It is perhaps it was all for the best that things turned out the way they did. With Sean Connery back again as James Bond and Terence Young returning the director's chair after skipping "Goldfinger" as well as writer Richard Maibalm, Thunderball was able to capture James Bond at his peak. The cast of supporting character also returned with Bernard Lee as "M", Lois Maxwell as Miss MoneyPenny, and Desmond Llewelyn as "Q". The character of CIA agent Felix Leiter also returned though played by yet a different actor, Rik Van Nutter.
In Thunderball, that evil organization SPECTRE is back and this time, it is playing for the highest stakes. Its number two agent, Emilio Largo (played by Aldolfo Celi) plans to steal two atomic bombs from NATO and hold Britain hostage for 100 million pounds sterling. Aided by the beautiful but lethal Fiona Volpe (played by Luciana Paluzzi), Largo succeeds in obtaining the bombs. James Bond, following a hunch, succeeds in meeting Largo in the Bahamas through his mistress, the lovely Domino (played by Claudine Auger). Can Bond locate the bombs before time runs out?
The large budget for Thunderball allowed the production team to stage and film James Bond's latest adventure in the most lavish manner. The use of widescreen cameras made many of the scenes filmed at Pinewood Studios, M's conference room for example, appear larger than life. Thunderball also pioneered a number of underwater photography techniques, which paid off when filming the underwater battle royale. In fact, Thunderball is best seen in its widescreen format as the standard TV format shows less than half the frame.
But just as important as the production values were the performances and the chemistry of the cast. Aldolfo Celi's portrayal of Largo is superb and the banter between Connery and Luciana Paluzzi is both suspenseful and amusing. There is plenty of action, too starting with the fight in the opening sequence, to the underwater battle, and the hydrofoil racing out of control.
Thunderball is considered by many Bond fans, including this one, as Sean Connery's tour de force as the sauve secret agent. Though Connery starred in two more Bond films for Broccoli and Saltzman, these films never seem to click with audiences as well as this one did when it was released in 1965. If one had to choose only one Bond film of the 1960's keep in one's film collection, Thunderball would be an excellent choice.
Movie Review: A Must Own on DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
Explosive action, stunning locales, a tight plot and Sean Connery's most convincing turn as the world's favorite spy make Thunderball one of the finest-- if not the finest -- entries in the James Bond film series. Add to that a DVD package chock full of dynamic extras such as "behind the scenes" documentaries and two highly informative audio commentaries and you've got yourself a must own movie.The most visually stunning of all Bond films, Thunderball's sheer cinematic beauty comes glistening through on the remastered DVD print. The light, tropical hues of The Bahamas radiate like never before and the vast scope of the dazzling underwater scenes are fully appreciated on the widescreen transfer. Having personally viewed this Bond classic at least 200 times on standard video, I felt as though I was seeing it for the first time via widescreen DVD.
The plot involves Emilio Largo(Adolfo Celi) as sinister SPECTRE baddie #2 who threatens to nuke Miami unless paid a hefty ransom by the British government and NATO. Of course, Bond has just four days in which to save the world -- four days filled with such distractions as an array of willing women, killer sharks, and exploding cars and boats!
Celi is absolutely captivating as Largo,the eye-patched criminal mastermind. Deliberate and understated, Largo catches on to Bond, and his intent, early on. The ensuing cat and mouse chase begins cordially before turning deadly. The pursuit of Bond through the Junkanoo Parade in the streets of Nausau is positively nerve-wracking. Ditto a pair of horrific scenes in Largo's swimming pool which convieniently doubles as a deadly shark tank.
Italian actress Luciana Paluzzi nearly steals the show as Fiona Volpe a femme fatale killer who yearns for Bond in more than one way. Paluzzi lights up the screen, oozing equal parts temptation and evil.
Former Miss France, Claudine Auger turns in a fine performance as Bond's main love interest Domino. The fact the Domino just happens to be Largo's mistress doesn't stop our favorite super-spy from pursuing her.
Rik Van Nutter's portrayal of CIA operative Felix Leiter is perhaps the series' finest. Of course, Moneypenny, Q and M all flawlessly reprise their respective roles.
A perfect blend of From Russia with Love's suspense and Goldfinger's fun-filled explosiveness, Thunderball is undoubtedly one of the best Bond films. MGM did a great job on the DVD, thus making Thunderball a necessary addition to every Bond fan's collection.
Movie Review: You seen the rest now see the best Bond ever in Thunderball
Summary: 5 Stars
"Thunderball" is the fourth Bond movie in the franchise and after viewing its release on DVD with its restored and remastered print, it can safely be proclaimed that this motion picture is the definitive James Bond flick. Ironically, Ian Fleming had originally wrote "Thunderball" as screenplay and it would have been the introduction of James Bond to the big screen but circumstances forced him to rewrite as a novel and "Dr No" would gain that distinction. It is just as well. When "Thunderball" finally went into production, actor Sean Connery, director Terance Young and the producers were comfortable with the world of James Bond, enabling them to "Thunderball" into a classic film, something that almost certainly would not have happened a few years earlier.This film included all the important elements such as seeing SPECTRE in action, an excellent villain in the evil Largo as portrayed by Adolfo Celi, and perhaps the best female villain ever, Fiona Volpe as played by Luciana Paluzzi. There were certainly plenty of the beautiful Bond women and the exotic locations in the Bahamas to offset the plot where Bond tries to foil an attempt by SPECTRE to use hijacked nuclear weapons for blackmail. These elements plus the special effects and the extensive use of underwater photography combine to create a fine motion picture.
If there is one Bond movie that should never, never be seen in a standard televsion format, it is this one. It is like comparing night and day. Many scenes were shot at the huge sound stage at Pinewood and uses the full screen to effect, and the underwater scenes where people are swimming horizontally use the entire frame. This widescreen version on DVD is worth its price on this count alone. If you like "Thunderball" and have never seen a widescreen version, get one and you'll agree that you'll never want to watch any other way.
As to the other features on the DVD, the movie trailers, and the TV and radio spots come off as annoying and repetitive. The three documentaries are good but I wish they were a little longer and informative. There are two commentary tracks but neither seem to blend well with the movie.
In this reviewer's humble opinion, if one was had to pick just one movie to introduce someone to the James Bond genre, "Thunderball" would be the best choice. Make sure this DVD gets into your library.
Movie Review: Bond Mania at its best
Summary: 5 Stars
Thunderball was released in 1965, at the height of Bond-mania from the blockbuster smash that was Goldfinger. If Goldfinger was the first film to bring all the classic Bond elements together, then Thunderball is the first time where these elements are truly refined and meshing together. It's all in the little touches, such as how Connery is now in the gun-barrel and the transition to the teaser is smoother, how the budget is now big enough to support all the epic action that Goldfinger sometimes faltered on, and how the whole film is presented in glorious panavision widescreen. It's not hard to see why this film is still a record-holder when you adjust for box-office inflation.
The plot, surprisingly, is probably my least favourite aspect of the movie. This isn't to say that it's bad, but only that a leaner screenplay could've been written. The world's in danger, yet you get no real sense of urgency from Bond, who goes about business like usual. The underwater scenes, for all their superb imagery and cinematography, are long, drawn out, and get tedious (especially when John Barry's score isnt there to boost things). I'm sure they were jaw droppers in 1965 when this kind of filming was still innovative, but today it's fairly common (though no less beautiful). Still, everything else is there. Connery puts in a great performance - he looks a little weary from all the Bond-mania, but the passion is still there, unlike his later entries. And the Bond girls are jaw-dropping beautiful - I'm usually not a sucker for the older Bond girls, but Claudine Auger definitely makes my top 5 list, and I'd have an even bigger crush on her if this film wasn't now 40 years old (though I'm sure she's still got that elegant charm).
MGM's given us a great disc to enjoy Thunderball with. I wish the picture had been restored, as it contains a little too much dirt and grain, but the audio got a good 5.1 mix, and the supplements are very extensive. Of particular interest are the two documentaries and one of the audio commentaries that plays the alternate "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" song over the titles. There's a rumour that MGM will release all the Bond movies again in remastered hi-def versions to coincide with the next Bond film, and Thunderball is definitely one of the ones I'm willing to buy again. Bond Mania at its best indeed.