Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Thunderball
There will always be different opinions on what Sean Connery's best film is.In my opinion his best is Thunderball.This movie has several good things about it.One is action.With a spectacular underwater battle and a heart-stopping clash with Largo's killer sharks, this one has all the action you'll ever need.It also won an Academy Award in 1965 for Special Visual Effects.Two is music.Tom Jones bolts out the theme song and a great musical score highlights the film.Three is acting.Sean Connery is at his best as playing James Bond.Adolfo Celi is one of the best Bond villains ever as Emilio Largo next to Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Diamonds are Forver who is played by Charles Gray.Four is girls.With Bond beauties such as Claudine Augner, Lucianna Paluzzi, Martine Beswick, and Molly Peters, Thunderball has some of the best girls in the series.If you want other good OO7 films, check out GoldenEye , Goldfinger, The Spy who Loved Me, or The World is Not Enough. I heavily recommend all the movies I mentioned in this review and they all deserve five stars too.
Rating: - A Must Own on DVD
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.
Rating:  - Fun, exciting Bond adventure
One of my personal favorites in the Bond series. Thunderball has always been deservedly popular with Bond fans. Not as good as FRWL or Goldfinger but still quite good. A little better than Dr. No and a very solid entry in the Bond canon and great for those who have never seen a Bond movie. I can't give it five stars because it is a little ponderous in parts and there are noticable mistakes in editing. Almost five stars but more like four and a half. Unlike most Bond films, Thunderball is set almost entirely in one place; Nassau in the Bahamas. The director, Terrence Young, takes full advantage of its beautiful setting. He's certainly not afraid of the water. Sean Connery's Bond is in and out of the water throughout the film. The underwater scene near the end is long but exciting. Adolpho Celi is excellent as the merciless villian, Emile Largo. Largo is a top agent for a terrorist organization who has stolen two nuclear missles and holds them for ransom. Celi plays him as ruthlessly as possible. Claudine Auger is one of the prettiest Bond girls. She plays Largo's mistress and brother to a man Largo had murdered. Auger does well with what she is given. Mostly she just looks great in one bathing suit after another. Connery is, of course, excellent. Even when he isn't at the top of his game, he's still the best Bond. Thunderball is one of his best performances. Alas, it was the last very high quality 007 outing of Connery's career. I guess there's only so much you can do with a role beflore you start to feel redundant. YOLT and DAR were strictly middle of the pack Bond entries. If you only buy a few Bond movies, be sure to get this one.
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