Thunderball

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Thunderball

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Thunderball

Adolfo Celi, Bernard Lee, Claudine Auger, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell

In a bold and deadly scheme, the evil SPECTRE organization hijacks a NATO plane and seizes two atomic warheads, each capable of killing millions of innocent people. As the world is held hostage by the...( read more  read more... ) threat of a nuclear nightmare, James Bond (Agent 007) jumps into action, racing against the clock as the trail leads him to tropical Nassau. There he meets Emilio Largo, a high-ranking agent of SPECTRE, and the stunning Domino, with whom Bond shares an irresistible attraction. The confrontation builds to an epic battle on the ocean floor, as Bond and his allies fight to avert a catastrophe of disastrous proportions. His mission leads him from a perilous jet-pack flight to a terrifying clash with Largo's killer sharks.

Id: 10901736

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Thunderball Recent Reviews
  • garyX
    September 28, 2009
    garyX
    SPECTRE steal two nuclear weapons and threaten to destroy two cities unless their ransom demands are met. Thunderball was the first James Bond film as we know them today; it introduced the now familiar gadgetry and various plot elements have been used and re-used in Bond films ev...( read more)er since. In this way Thunderball can be considered the most influential 007 of them all, and as such the gaping lapses in logic can be overlooked (surely adding settings to health equipment that can kill you is just plain bad for business?!) The formula of a globetrotting Bond encountering exotic beauties at every turn, aided by the ubiquitous Q and Felix Lighter has now passed into cliche, but Connery's quips still have wit, rather than the dumb one liners of Roger Moore and there are some strong female characters, particularly SPECTRE's fiery assassin and 007's beautiful assistant played by Martine Beswick. Adolfo Celi is suitably menacing without ever turning into a Bond caricature and there is a thrilling climax on a speeding hydrofoil. Its only real flaw is its length; some of the sequences are rather longer than they really needed to be, such as the overlong chase through a carnival and the sluggish underwater battle which slow things down considerably. Other than that, it's a good solid outing for the original and best Bond.
  • SirPant
    September 23, 2009
    SirPant
    Classic and underrated Bond
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 6, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    while a bit slower than most bond films, its still a solid addition with a great storyline. the underwater fight at the end was inventive.
  • sononothing
    November 23, 2008
    sononothing
    People may call it blasphemy but Thunderball was the first "average" Bond flick. The story follows SPECTRE's scheme of stealing a jet fighter for the two nuclear warheads it contains and using these to ransom the world in exchange for not destroying a major city. Bond (Sean Conne...( read more)ry) follows the trail to the Bahamas and harasses Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celli) also known as number 2 in SPECTRE.

    Now Thunderball has a great story. It has great characters. It has great locations. What brings this film down is all the underwater scenes, which when looking back at the picture its the final battle underwater. It's just dull as hell. Don't even try watching this if even close to bedtime because that sequence will put you out like a light. Most of the underwater stuff can be attributed to Kevin McClory, the producer who would prove to be a thorn in the side of the series for another 15 years.

    Thunderball isn't a bad movie. It's just not a very good James Bond movie after the first three installments and Connery seems to have started phone some scenes in with this one.
  • stopitgoaway
    September 29, 2008
    stopitgoaway
    After the legendary success of Goldfinger , expectations were understandably astronomical for the next Bond installment, with 007 producers determined to consistently push the envelope, delivering a "bigger and better Bond" than ever before. Unfortunately, this determination prov...( read more)ed to be both the strength and weakness of Thunderball, the resulting sequel. On the whole, the film is by no means a failure, but the producers' determination to cash in on elements which made Goldfinger such a success led to overkill excesses which sink Thunderball's overall quality.

    The plot is even more outlandish than Goldfinger's radiation of the fort Knox gold reserve, pushing the threat to a more global context with the destruction of major world cities by atomic weapons. As well as being a particularly poignant plot device at the time, in the midst of the Cold War, the gist of Thunderball may seem quite familiar to those who frequent more modern political action thrillers, such as The Sum of All Fears. Despite the larger than life premise, Thunderball remains far more grounded in reality than several later Bond exploits (including You Only Live Twice and Moonraker) which tended to drift into being overly silly and ludicrous. Thunderball still takes itself relatively seriously, with several surprisingly dark moments, which help counterbalance the slightly comical yet still thrilling sight of of seeing Connery in a jet pack, and dramatically aid the overall quality of the film.

    However, Thunderball's significantly larger budget is mostly misused through underwater photography sequences, which, although interesting to look at (and were likely moreso back in the 1960s, where such a sight was very seldom visible to the public eye) for the most part fail to further the plot in any way, and drag on excruciatingly long. However, the film does boast some strong cinematography (and some stunning locations), the action sequences (including a tense chase sequence through a Mardi Gras parade) are solid, and an unreasonably catchy Tom Jones title track surprisingly helps not hinders the film.

    Unfortunately, for however many of the film's previous strengths, the film descends into utter chaos during the film's final quarter with a painfully repetitive and indecipherable underwater battle (it is increasingly difficult to tell which underwater army is which, who is winning, or why it should even retain our interest) a boat chase flaunting special effects which have dated decidedly unfavourably, and laughably inexplicable character motivations seemingly thrown in to finally tie up the increasingly unravelling mess. It is a disappointment indeed to see what started out with such promise sink into such a banal conclusion.

    The character of Bond himself is surprisingly reduced to far less screen time than is usual for a 007 film, which is unfortunate, as Connery gives arguably one of his strongest performances as Bond, oozing self assurance and panache, yet an unprecedented darkness amidst the one liners. ("I think he got the point" being the most classic) This time around Bond not only gets hurt, but is not afraid to hurt, unflinchingly bestowing surprisingly vicious physical punishment against his adversaries

    The supporting cast proves to be a very hit and miss affair. While former model Claudine Augere certainly looks the part of a sixties Bond girl, but unfortunately for the most part retains the static lack of emoting also associated with them. Adolfo Celi's eye-patched frown makes a visually iconic Bond villain, and is suitably menacing, but as the film progresses, he loses his threat element more and more, eventually degrading to a flimsy carbon copy of an adversary by the final act. Luciana Paluzzi steals the show from all but Connery, making one of the most chilling Bond femme fatale figures in the franchise. Paluzzi, despite the potential to coast by on her sensual looks, refuses to play the part on autopilot, and exudes laudable charisma and threat throughout. The unfortunately named Rik Van Nutter makes the most generic and forgettable CIA agent Felix Leiter of the Bond series, but Bernard Lee and Desmond Llewelyn are on top form as the ever endearing M and Q.

    As overlong and let down by some unfortunate overuse of budget and dated special effects as the film may be, Thunderball is nonetheless a noteworthy and suitably engaging early Bond effort. Connery himself, in one of his most charismatic renditions of the role is enough to merit watching, and the film for the most part runs along at a brisk enough pace to retain audience interest. While the film is less likely to enthrall those who are not already Bond purists, fans of the character or series should easily be able to extract moments of enjoyment from Thunderball
  • eryri
    December 20, 2009
    eryri
    Too many underwater sequences slows the pace down on this Bond film. Not bad.
  • ancestry80
    November 24, 2009
    ancestry80
    Goldfinger seems to get all the accolades when it comes to the early Bond movies. True, Goldfinger is a classic. But for some reason, Thunderball has always been my personal favorite. Sean Connery is great as Bond, and the island settings give the film a great atmosphere. Much be...( read more)tter than the remake Never Say Never Again (also starring Connery), Thunderball is a must for any Bond fan.
  • cyberchiefprof
    November 9, 2009
    cyberchiefprof
    The bathing suit closeups are a sight to behold ... very plush.
  • minhvanl
    November 2, 2009
    minhvanl
    Excellent movie to watch
  • ElCochran90
    October 9, 2009
    ElCochran90
    More violent and sexy than its predecessors, Thunderball is another good addition to the series with the only man that could perfectly portray mr. Bond: Sean Connery. Although with a slower pace, it's far from being the worst of the series and has a very interesting underwater fi...( read more)ght scene. Oh, and SPECTRE is still around in this one.

    76/100
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