"Thunderball" is an average entry in the 007 franchise. Connery plays a downright brutal Bond, dishing out plenty of punishment to the SPECTRE henchmen and killing quite a number of other baddies. He's also quite a showoff here; making what has got to be record time with the ladies and memorably playing dumb while shooting trap with Largo. This features the jetpack escape in the opening scene, which is cool but pointless.
Largo as SPECTRE #2 is a lukewarm villain and his threat to use two nuclear bombs on cities unless he gets paid a ransom is lame. He's a bank robber, basically. Bond's mission was made more enjoyable by the help he got from other agents and the CIA. It played a bit like the squad from the "Mission: Impossible" series.
"Thunderball" features plenty of underwater action and the climax of the movie features an underwater war followed by a brawl onboard the Disco Volante. The boat narrowly misses smashing against the rocks so many times that it becomes truly silly and the film is so sped up that it's laughable.
It seems like much of the movie is spent following Bond either scuba diving or flying around in a helicopter looking for clues. There was a scene where Bond is being pursued by henchmen during a parade that drags on forever.
Of course, the Bond women in this film range from tough to spunky to naive, but they are among the most beautiful group in the Bond films. Fiona, Patricia, and Domino are integral to the movie.
This is the weakest of the first four 007 films.
Classical bond: sexist, funny, violent, iconic and exotic locations. Connery is great. He moves like a cat. These earlier Bond movies are even quite realistic compared to the madness that will unfold in later movies. Underwater scenes are fascinating and totally slow and boring at the same time.
I dare to say I liked Thunderball better than the remake Never say never again which I watched yesterday. Connery is still young and sexy. And since this is the official EON movie, we have the original Bond theme. I missed this in the remake.
Like almost all Bond movies, Thunderball is not a masterpiece with a revolutionary story - but I guess that's not how Bond movies are supposed to be anyway. I was entertained cause I got exactly what I expected. A solid 6/10.
PS: the M. Y. Disco Volante isn't exactly a super yacht, is it? By modern - oligarch standards- that is. The foil conversion ain't bad though. The FX in the finale is laughable.
Well, again, it is considerably dated but I thought it was still watchable…until the closing boat scene when I lost it and actually started laughing out loud. At one point in the movie, Bond looks at the yacht owned by Largo (the villain) and comments (to Largo), "She looks fast; I'll bet she'll do 10 knots easy, eh?" To which Largo replies quite proudly, "Actually she'll do closer to 20 knots." In nautical terms, "20 knots" is roughly the equivalent of 23mph…if you watch the closing of this movie, it looks like this yacht is doing more like 93mph than 23. LOL The "speed ramping" technique that was used (similar technique but without such a dramatic effect was used with the girl driving the Mustang at 90 - 100mph on a single-lane road through the countryside) to make the yacht look like its throttle was locked wide open as the yacht careened across the waves at seemingly mach speeds was enough to break the suspense of what was going to happen and the whole film became laughable at that point…so much so that it effectively kind of ended the movie for me. I sat through the remaining few minutes, of course, but by that time I was pretty much "done" with whatever was going to happen, it had become so silly. We're talking the old "Batman" TV show silly: pretty much everything except "Bat Copter" and "Shark Repellant Bat Spray" and "BIFF! ZOWIE! POW! BAM! OOF!" All that aside (although, seriously, as amusing as it was, it did kind of ruin the whole movie for me) I still thought this was a watchable movie. Granted, it's very outdated and some of the "gadgets" that Q provides Bond with - and the silly dialogue between them - are almost as bad as the aforementioned "Shark Repellant". (You have to watch the scene to appreciate that. https://youtu.be/QnFOs7QlJSI ) And my how the times have changed: back then, Bond was considered quite the "ladies' man" but some of the stuff he pulled in these older movies would - by today's standards - literally get him sent to a prison here in the US for "sexual assault". Nothing short of forcing himself on some of his female counterparts, seriously. And while I realize these movies are almost 60 years old, it is still a bit disconcerting watching a man force a woman - while she's struggling and resisting - to succumb to his own desires while he forces his lips onto hers. My how times have changed… It was still fun to watch; I hope the entire James Bond collection will stay on Amazon Prime long enough for me to watch the entire collection this time.
"Try to be a little less than your frivolous self, 007."
007: the James Bond Rewatch-a-thon.
Even on rewatches this still isn't near my favorite Bonds. I like the intro with the jetpack, I enjoy Connery, I love Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona, always enjoy a bad guy with a eye patch and it is still a Bond film.
But for me the running time for Thunderball was unnecessarily long and the underwater bits weren't for me. Except for the sharks, sharks are always good, however I did wish they had freaking lasers attached to their heads.
Anyway not every film in a franchise this long can be amazing right? I still had fun.
"Thunderball" is an average entry in the 007 franchise. Connery plays a downright brutal Bond, dishing out plenty of punishment to the SPECTRE henchmen and killing quite a number of other baddies. He's also quite a showoff here; making what has got to be record time with the ladies and memorably playing dumb while shooting trap with Largo. This features the jetpack escape in the opening scene, which is cool but pointless.
Largo as SPECTRE #2 is a lukewarm villain and his threat to use two nuclear bombs on cities unless he gets paid a ransom is lame. He's a bank robber, basically. Bond's mission was made more enjoyable by the help he got from other agents and the CIA. It played a bit like the squad from the "Mission: Impossible" series.
"Thunderball" features plenty of underwater action and the climax of the movie features an underwater war followed by a brawl onboard the Disco Volante. The boat narrowly misses smashing against the rocks so many times that it becomes truly silly and the film is so sped up that it's laughable.
It seems like much of the movie is spent following Bond either scuba diving or flying around in a helicopter looking for clues. There was a scene where Bond is being pursued by henchmen during a parade that drags on forever.
Of course, the Bond women in this film range from tough to spunky to naive, but they are among the most beautiful group in the Bond films. Fiona, Patricia, and Domino are integral to the movie.
This is the weakest of the first four Bond films.
Thunder!...Thunder!...Thunderball!!! Several years in the making, Thunderball delivers the ultimate Bond adventure. SPECTRE returns to ransom two stolen nuclear missiles for 100 million pounds sterling, and it's up to James Bond to save the world. This time the stakes are global, and the fight scenes are more elaborate and intense; such as the underwater action sequences. Additionally, the directing is especially well-done; making for spectacle visuals and suspenseful drama. Thunderball is an action packed thriller that finds James Bond at his best.
The James Bond Films
1 Eon films
1.1 Dr. No (1962) https://trakt.tv/movies/dr-no-1962
1.2 From Russia with Love (1963) https://trakt.tv/movies/from-russia-with-love-1963
1.3 Goldfinger (1964) https://trakt.tv/movies/goldfinger-1964
1.4 Thunderball (1965) https://trakt.tv/movies/thunderball-1965
1.5 You Only Live Twice (1967) https://trakt.tv/movies/you-only-live-twice-1967
1.6 On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) https://trakt.tv/movies/on-her-majesty-s-secret-service-1969
1.7 Diamonds Are Forever (1971) https://trakt.tv/movies/diamonds-are-forever-1971
1.8 Live and Let Die (1973) https://trakt.tv/movies/live-and-let-die-1973
1.9 The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-1974
1.10 The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-spy-who-loved-me-1977
1.11 Moonraker (1979) https://trakt.tv/movies/moonraker-1979
1.12 For Your Eyes Only (1981) https://trakt.tv/movies/for-your-eyes-only-1981
1.13 Octopussy (1983) https://trakt.tv/movies/octopussy-1983
1.14 A View to a Kill (1985) https://trakt.tv/movies/a-view-to-a-kill-1985
1.15 The Living Daylights (1987) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-living-daylights-1987
1.16 Licence to Kill (1989) https://trakt.tv/movies/licence-to-kill-1989
1.17 GoldenEye (1995) https://trakt.tv/movies/goldeneye-1995
1.18 Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) https://trakt.tv/movies/tomorrow-never-dies-1997
1.19 The World Is Not Enough (1999) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-world-is-not-enough-1999
1.20 Die Another Day (2002) https://trakt.tv/movies/die-another-day-2002
1.21 Casino Royale (2006) https://trakt.tv/movies/casino-royale-2006
1.22 Quantum of Solace (2008) https://trakt.tv/movies/quantum-of-solace-2008
1.23 Skyfall (2012) https://trakt.tv/movies/skyfall-2012
1.24 Spectre (2015) https://trakt.tv/movies/spectre-2015
1.25 No Time to Die (2021) https://trakt.tv/movies/no-time-to-die-2021
2 Non-Eon films
2.1 Casino Royale (1967) https://trakt.tv/movies/casino-royale-1967
2.2 Never Say Never Again (1983) https://trakt.tv/movies/never-say-never-again-1983
This is the worst Bond of the first 16 movies. The direction is just awful as the cameras can't keep up with the fight scene at the beginning of the movie and the ending was just atrocious. the ending was so bad that it destroyed the whole movie's few redeeming qualities involving Fiona and her character.
This film tries so hard to be Goldfinger, but unlike Goldfinger, nothing about Largo is memorable as a villain other than his eyepatch and his love of sharks. And the theme song itself is one I can't stand and was a waste of Sir Tom Jones musical talents as it tried so hard to be like Goldfinger with the brassy sound instead of having a sound suited to Jones' vocal abilites.
The further we get into the Sean Connery era, the more just average it is. Cheesier, more "James Bond-y", and is a decent watch. Certainly not one I would recommend getting people into Bond or show them what the old school movies were like. It is still a good movie; it is just average compared to the ones that came before.
Rating: 2.5/5 - 70% - Worth Watching
Another example from the Bond series.
Better than I remembered but runs a bit too long. The underwater scenes are really good. Still, not the best Bond or one of my favorites for that matter
I liked it less than the previous one, but it's okay, Connery already has a job in being James Bond. I hope that those from the Bahamas will pay for the publicity that it makes them
I'm sure this must have impressed audiences back in 1965, but these underwater scenes are a case of great idea, poorly executed. The only thing quick about them is how long it takes for them to overstay their welcome. Sadly, I wish my problems with the film ended there as this is nowhere near the quality of the previous entries. The other action scenes have regressed to be about as on par or even worse than Dr No's. Couple all this with uninteresting characters and a lame plot and you have 007's first stinker (or should it be sinker?).
This one was much slower than the previous ones I have seen. A lack of pace that steals a bit on the quality side.
Just one sexual assault and a second dubious 'encounter' in this fossil of a film.
Lacking any of the glamour of the first 3, with tedious underwater action sequences and a boring final act, a visibly aging Connery, and a sense that the tropes introduced just 1 or 2 films ago are being used carelessly... This is the weakest of the series so far.
6/10
I heard this one is a bit of a controversial Bond, but I actually had a lot of fun with it. It has a wonderfully bombastic nature, which sometimes can be to its own detriment, but it gives it its own unique feel in comparison to the other Connery Bonds.
Love all Bond movies and this one didn’t disappoint with some great gadgets!
007 is on the case of two stolen A-bombs in this dash of action-espionage from the Caribbean. This installment leans a bit heavy on the costumes, wacky gizmos and one-line zingers, far more than any of the more-serious preceding chapters, but then, such is the franchise and it does get worse from here.
Sean Connery is at the height of his powers as Bond at this point, completely enveloping the screen with his showy swagger and gruff confidence. It's a testament to his fitness for the part that he's able to deliver so many forced, corny lines and not just caress the stink off, but actually make them seem suave and witty.
Thunderball's action is fair, though somewhat limited as an awful lot of it happens underwater, and dozens of colorful faces pop up on both sides of the struggle. It's cheeky and silly in a way that only could've been spawned in the '60s, but generally knows when it's pushing things too far and relaxes accordingly. Above average across the board, it falls just shy of the franchise's upper echelons.
This is a little too long and slow. Most of the underwater scenes drag.
Least favorite Bond. There may be worst Bonds but they are all a helluva lot more fun to watch than this one. It's not the movie's fault, I'm sure in 1965 the underwater scenes were breathtaking but not so much nowadays. So....many...slow....underwater....scenes.....
My top Bond flick for the number of beautiful women, they are everywhere in this movie.
"Thunderball" marks the peak of Bondmania in the Sixties and the beginning of the gadget era for 007.
Well here comes Bond film #4, and it gets the exact same number rating from me. To be honest, this has never been one I've been super into. Now don't get me wrong though. I think this is a pretty good movie. But when it comes to the franchise, there are so many others I'll watch ahead of this guy. There are much worse ones I'll watch instead even. This one just has times that are a little too long without super interest.
What I do love, though, is the pre-credits sequence and the final underwater fight scene. All the actors are great in this too. Oh, and the music. And the MI6 scenes. And...
Yea, its a pretty good movie.
Not one of my favorites but still a decent action flick!
Shout by GreeneidalVIP 9BlockedParent2019-07-09T22:05:37Z
Thunderball, being my least favourite Sean Connery era James Bond, is not a bad movie, but it lacks severely in pacing. Most of that comes down to those gorgeous, but so incredibly slow, underwater scenes. They tend to drag on and that ends up hurting the flow of the movie. Thank God we have all the eye candy. Thunderball is filled to the brim with incredibly beautiful women and makes it a tolerable watch...for those of us that lean that way of course.