Thunderball (1965)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Martin S

  
  They have really stept up their game production wise. It looks a lot more high budget (and it is). Lots of crazy underwater fight filming and things like that. But storywise...it's all the same. And I can't really remember it. So was it worth it?

• Alexander D

  
  I was in the middle of my Bond marathon, trying to finish watching all 22 films. This was the last film on my list, I had rented it, and i was about 30 minutes into it, when all of a sudden the DVD Player said it was unable to read the disc. I tried so many times after that, and… More
  I was in the middle of my Bond marathon, trying to finish watching all 22 films. This was the last film on my list, I had rented it, and i was about 30 minutes into it, when all of a sudden the DVD Player said it was unable to read the disc. I tried so many times after that, and sadly, nothing worked, but what I did see of THUNDERBALL was pretty good.

• Lewis C

  
  The fourth Bond film features some impressive underwater action scenes, a meandering and somewhat forgettable plot, probably the most ludicrous love scene in the entire series, and some A+ Bond Girls, including Claudine Auger, Luciana Paluzzi, and Martine Beswick. The story finds… More
  The fourth Bond film features some impressive underwater action scenes, a meandering and somewhat forgettable plot, probably the most ludicrous love scene in the entire series, and some A+ Bond Girls, including Claudine Auger, Luciana Paluzzi, and Martine Beswick. The story finds Bond in the beautiful Bahamas, where he's searching for a pair of nukes that SPECTRE is using to blackmail the U.S. and Great Britain. It's not one of my favorite Bond movies, but it's certainly not a bad one. It's worth seeing for at least Domino, Fiona Volpe, and the lengthy battle scenes beneath the ocean.

• Ross C

  
  I can't believe it's taken me so long to see the first of spectacularly silly Bonds. Now I can see how much of Austin Powers is straight out of the Bond series. Still a great window on to the 60s with the Bahamas holiday locations and even a Vulcan bomber fleet playing a… More
  I can't believe it's taken me so long to see the first of spectacularly silly Bonds. Now I can see how much of Austin Powers is straight out of the Bond series. Still a great window on to the 60s with the Bahamas holiday locations and even a Vulcan bomber fleet playing a central role in the movie. Pretty poor editing though in several places in the movie.

• Jeff "

  
  For me, Thunderball is my favorite James Bond film of the Sean Connery era along with Dr No. This is a tense thriller as two nuclear bombs disappear from two NATO aircraft. Spectre is behind the coup and James Bond is sent to investigate. A tense, thrilling film; Thunderball is one… More
  For me, Thunderball is my favorite James Bond film of the Sean Connery era along with Dr No. This is a tense thriller as two nuclear bombs disappear from two NATO aircraft. Spectre is behind the coup and James Bond is sent to investigate. A tense, thrilling film; Thunderball is one of the best James Bond films and is a thrill a minute Action thriller. This is an underrated Bond film and it deserves more praise than it gets.

• Lady D

  
  My least favourite of the Bond films to date, found it very hard to stay with the film and keep concentration. No thrilling exciting moments.

• xGary X

  
  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 ever… More
  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 ever 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.

• Anthony L

  
  Classic and underrated Bond

• danny d

  
  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.

• Chris G

  
  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… More
  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 Connery) 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.

• Cassandra M

  
  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… More
  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 proved 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

• Dean !

  
  Probably my least favourite Bond film.

• Aaron N

  
  James Bond: That gun, it looks more fitting for a woman. Emilio Largo: You know much about guns, Mr. Bond? James Bond: No, but I know a little about women. An okay Bond film, but a tough act to follow Goldfinger. The ending provides the most fun, with lots of 60s Bond action. Never… More
  James Bond: That gun, it looks more fitting for a woman. Emilio Largo: You know much about guns, Mr. Bond? James Bond: No, but I know a little about women. An okay Bond film, but a tough act to follow Goldfinger. The ending provides the most fun, with lots of 60s Bond action. Never consider watching Never say Never Again, the unofficial Bond series remake. The story is fairly simple. An agent of the evil SPECTRE organization has stolen two nuclear bombs and is ransoming the free world for an obscene amount of money. Bond decides to travel to Nassau in the Carribean in order to follow a lead to the bad guys. Action and love making ensue, as Bond attempts to foil the evil plans. This Bond film works well enough with the formula, with a great amount of effort placed into the action and underwater special effects. James Bond: My dear, uncooperative Domino. Domino: How do you know that? How do you know my friends call me Domino? James Bond: It's on the bracelet on your ankle. Domino: So... what sharp little eyes you've got. James Bond: Wait 'til you get to my teeth. The problem lies in how extended this film feels. The story really doesn't kick in until about forty minutes in, which could have been shortened. However, we still have Connery kicking ass as bond, as well as a couple of clever along with some 60s styled goofy moments. Surprisingly this is the favorite Bond film for many, but I was never really thrilled too much by this entry. Its still a good one though and has a title song by Tom Jones. Q: It is to be handled with special care! James Bond: Everything you give me... Q: ...is treated with equal contempt. Yes, I know.

• Lenny M

  
  Q is introduced!

• Pierluigi P

  
  Bondmania was at it's peak. Bond takes the fight with spectre to the paradise of bahamas. and beats them with the help of charm and a few under-water gadgets.

• Lafe F

  
  A step down from the previous "Goldfinger" with all-too-similar girls, dull plot, weak theme song, an overlong underwater scene, and a cheesy rear-projected boat crash. I liked the health club battle at the beginning. Connery was good, but this was a forgettable Bond… More
  A step down from the previous "Goldfinger" with all-too-similar girls, dull plot, weak theme song, an overlong underwater scene, and a cheesy rear-projected boat crash. I liked the health club battle at the beginning. Connery was good, but this was a forgettable Bond adventure. Unfortunately, we had to watch the same story again with "Never Say Never Again". Austin Powers fans take note, a lot of inspiration came from "Thunderball".

• Michael G

  
  The last great Connery Bond movie.

• Dean M

  
  Good underwater action movie.

• Joey T

  
  While solid, some of the effects were noticeably fake and the script didn't compare to the classic films before it. Thunderball certainly isn't bad, but it is one of the more forgettable entries in the Bond franchise.

• Andy S

  
  Another Bond classic. Though not as good as any of the previous 3, the plot is good, and the characters are well-acted. It is, however, lacking the truly memorable moments of the three prequels.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings