76 replies to this topic

[MR. BOND 93]

TB isn't my favorite Bond film with Connery in it, but it's definately one of the best in the franchise.

[RazorBlade]

Thunderball is one of those films I can watch over and over again. The other Bonds? Not so much. CR will be a multiple viewer too. TB has, along with THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and the TV show TWIN PEAKS one of the best soundtracks of all time. These are the best soundtracks of all time.

[00Twelve]

TB is sort of the perfect hybrid of a "down-to-earth" Bond film and an "over-the-top" Bond film, sadly never to be repeated quite so gracefully. I'm glad that this film sticks rather closely to the novel (as the novel is great), but the deviations are also welcome (Fiona, anyone?). Connery appeared at his most Bondian physique here, and Blofeld was still basking in the glory of being an intimidating villain, and all was right with the world.

[Dkrausee]

Thunderball is probably the best Bond Film of all time, though Sean Connery could argued to not be the best Bond, Thunderball is still most likely the best film. Its definitely top on my ge list. What are your thoughts?

[Gri007]

I absolutly agree with you. I think it is also the best John Barry score as well. Everything about it is unchangble. I think it was Connery at his most brutal and violent.

[Mike00spy]

Not sure about the best, but it is Connery's second best. (after FRWL)

[Judo chop]

You got my vote.

[LadySylvia]

I don't think I would agree. I consider THUNDERBALL to be Connery's second-best film and it is number seven on my list of favorite Bond films.

[doublenoughtspy]

OHMSS blows it out of the water.

Get it? Water. I was referencing the water footage. ugh. Nevermind.

[Judo chop]

OHMSS blows

I can't believe you would say that!

[TheREAL008]

I'd have to say it's his third best, with Dr. No and FRWL as the top two.

[Qwerty]

Topics merged.

[BoogieBond]

Gave it a 10. My favourite Connery Bond. So cool and confident. The locations and girls are up to par. The gadgets are clever, Largo is fine and the dialog is great, some of the best, has some of my favourite scenes of all, with the Jetpack sequence hard to beat.

[ChrissBond007]

Let's review some more, 8/10 for this one.

It's certainly not Connery's best, in my opinion. From Russia with Love and Goldfinger are both masterpiece, but Thunderball is a good film after that. Sean Connery is again at his best, great Bond girls and the locations are fantastic. The underwater scenes looks good, but they're not excited anymore after some minuts, a bit too slow. The funny thing is that this film won an oscar for the special effects, look at the last scenes and Largo's private yacht! But they where of course good for 1965.

Whatever, Thunderball is not one my favorites, but Terence Young has made again a very good adventure with some great fun.

[SPOTTER]

I gave this 9/10. I don't know why. I should have given it a 10 really. Can I vote again?

This is Connery's last great Bond film. Always number 1 or 2 in my top Bond films.

[SecretAgentFan]

Connery´s fine but I get the feeling he is already a bit bored by the character - doing it for the fourth time, who can blame him?

What´s great about it:

- Fiona
- Bond getting shot and having really to fear for his life
- the score
- the cinematography
- the elegance and flair of the locations


What´s not so great bout it:
- the exposition takes too long (Bond gets his mission after 40 minutes)
- the underwater sequences slow the pace
- After Bond is shot, he has no wound and goes diving the next day

And I still wonder how Bond and Domino can make love under water...

[Turn]

What´s not so great bout it:
- the exposition takes too long (Bond gets his mission after 40 minutes)

I feel GoldenEye is much worse in this sense. That one seems to take forever and the set-up isn't really any different from TB. TB may be a coincidence that Bond is in the same health farm as SPECTRE agents, but it comes straight from the book and makes for Bond's case for going to the Bahamas rather than Canada.

GE is much more coincidental. Why is Bond being evaluated in Monte Carlo to begin with? It's still one of the messiest beginnings IMO.

[SecretAgentFan]

But it doesn´t make TB´s exposition better.

[RJJB]

What is so bad about taking time to develop the plot and characters before Bond gets the briefing? Seeing as the events of TB were taking place in "real time" for Bond, it makes sense. Well written and well executed.

As to any claim about coincidence playing a part in the movie--name any movie in which coincidence doesn't play a part. With a limited amount of time, the plot needs to progress. If James Bond is the main character in the movie, shouldn't it focus on his actions? It'd be really boring if nothing happened and we had two hours of Bond sitting at a desk.

[Mister E]

What is so bad about taking time to develop the plot and characters before Bond gets the briefing? Seeing as the events of TB were taking place in "real time" for Bond, it makes sense. Well written and well executed.

Only two things bother me about the plot development. We didn't need the idiotic double secnario. Also we didn't need to see that entire sequence of SPECTRE agents recovering and camouflaging the downed jet. Now if you cut that and then reveal it when Bond found the jet, that would have tickled the audiences' fancy.

[RJJB]

Nothing stupid about the double. SPECTRE needed to hijack the plane and the bombs, so they needed the double. It was a lot more imaginative than saying "Hi, we're SPECTRE and we have paid off someone to be a traitor." The death of the real Derval helped establish Fiona as the cold hearted assassin. Plus, the double was vital to the story, as the real Derval provided the link to Domino and ultimately the entire plot.

And you're right, they didn't need to show the entire process of hijacking and camouflaging the plane, but it was a very well done sequence. Seeing it in the theater tickled the fancy of many people in the audience, as we felt as though we were in the middle of the action. It was really very mesmerizing to watch it unfold on the big screen. The orchestration of the entire on screen process shows how much effort went into making the movie.

Revealing how everything happens is the role of the omniscient narration that the movie had. There were lots of scenes we didn't need to see, but they added to the entire package. We didn't need to see Lippe get killed, or Quist thrown to the sharks. It could have happened off camera. But they were part of what made this a great movie.

[Mister E]

Nothing stupid about the double. SPECTRE needed to hijack the plane and the bombs, so they needed the double. It was a lot more imaginative than saying "Hi, we're SPECTRE and we have paid off someone to be a traitor." The death of the real Derval helped establish Fiona as the cold hearted assassin. Plus, the double was vital to the story, as the real Derval provided the link to Domino and ultimately the entire plot.

We didn't need that moment to establish Fiona as cold hearted assassin at that point in time. She was later sent to kill Count Lippe so that would have been enough of an introduction. Coming up with a double is just dumb and a poor man's alternative, it would have been alot better to establish Domino's brother as the selfish person he was in the novel.

And you're right, they didn't need to show the entire process of hijacking and camouflaging the plane, but it was a very well done sequence. Seeing it in the theater tickled the fancy of many people in the audience, as we felt as though we were in the middle of the action. It was really very mesmerizing to watch it unfold on the big screen. The orchestration of the entire on screen process shows how much effort went into making the movie.

I think audience would have more surprised if they saw it when Bond discovered it. Hoenstly, there was no need to cover every single moment of SPECTRE agents recovering the bomb and diguising the jet. It was alot of mundane work with no visual interest, especially compared to everything else going on in the operation which was far more interesting.

Revealing how everything happens is the role of the omniscient narration that the movie had. There were lots of scenes we didn't need to see, but they added to the entire package. We didn't need to see Lippe get killed, or Quist thrown to the sharks. It could have happened off camera. But they were part of what made this a great movie.

But those scenes had visual interest, it is something you want to see and had to see. Lippe getting killed of camera would have made no sense if he was obviously was an important cog in SPECTRE's scheme. And killing Quist off screen would have made no sense. Why not show it and do it in an exotic manner ?

[DLibrasnow]

My least favorite Bond movie of the 1060s. The underwater battle at the end is too long and confusing and the fight on the Disco betwee Largo and 007 is rivaled only by the fight at Zorins warehouse in A View to a Kill for its pure fakeness.

[JimmyBond]

My least favorite Bond movie of the 1060s.

No wonder it's your least favorite...they hadnt invented film back then, or movies. Sean Connery wasnt even born!

Sorry, I know it was a typo, just having a bit of fun

[kyleargyle]

Fave Bond movie...love the underwater scenes. For a movie that's over 40 years old, they hold up remarkably well.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

TB is sort of the perfect hybrid of a "down-to-earth" Bond film and an "over-the-top" Bond film, sadly never to be repeated quite so gracefully. I'm glad that this film sticks rather closely to the novel (as the novel is great), but the deviations are also welcome (Fiona, anyone?). Connery appeared at his most Bondian physique here, and Blofeld was still basking in the glory of being an intimidating villain, and all was right with the world.

Well stated. ITA.

Gave it a 10. My favourite Connery Bond. So cool and confident. The locations and girls are up to par. The gadgets are clever, Largo is fine and the dialog is great, some of the best, has some of my favourite scenes of all, with the Jetpack sequence hard to beat.

Agree again.

Connery´s fine but I get the feeling he is already a bit bored by the character - doing it for the fourth time, who can blame him?

That's part of what makes me consider his performance in TB his best turn as Bond. Some call it "sleepwalking," but I don't think that happened until YOLT(a film I do love, BTW). Connery just exudes this masculine superconfidence that all of us guys wished we could exude in TB. By now, he's mastered the role and now he can have some fun with it.

What´s not so great bout it:
- the exposition takes too long (Bond gets his mission after 40 minutes)

I feel GoldenEye is much worse in this sense. That one seems to take forever and the set-up isn't really any different from TB. TB may be a coincidence that Bond is in the same health farm as SPECTRE agents, but it comes straight from the book and makes for Bond's case for going to the Bahamas rather than Canada.

GE is much more coincidental. Why is Bond being evaluated in Monte Carlo to begin with? It's still one of the messiest beginnings IMO.

So Brosnan could appear in a casino, wearing a tuxedo, order a vodka martini and utter "The name's Bond. James Bond." ASAP after the opening credits of GE. That's why.

When you analyze it's story, GE is really a mixture remake of TB and DAF.

[Mister E]

When you analyze it's story, GE is really a mixture remake of TB and DAF.

Yeah and Jurassic Park in the 3rd act.

[001carus]

Okay. I just had my first ever viewing of Thunderball. I bought the Ultimate Bond Collection for my birthday in September and have been knocking off the films one by one, most I'd already seen, some I haven't. I left FRWL and Thunderball till last, and today, I watched my final Bond film in Thunderball.

The film is, as I expected, one of the strongest Bond films all round. I hold it 6th currently, but that could easily be swayed to 4th. Sean Connery is excellent as James Bond, but I feel he gave a better job in his previous three films. Nonetheless, a brilliant film ensues.

While many fans and Bond fans alike look for such things girls, gadgets, etc, I dismiss those. They're not a necessity. I have a different set of principles that makes a Bond film a Bond film. One of these is atmosphere. Thunderball delivered in spades in this account. The Bahamas are beautiful, and I'm glad they stuck there for a good duration of the film. The tropically organic locales drip with style and character that isn't as strongly present in any Bond film bar Dr. No, FRWL and Casino Royale.

Another of my principles is the character of James Bond. Without the identifiable, charismatic, charming, but somewhat vulnerable Bond, the film is lacking. Thunderball rides high off the success of Goldfinger, and as such can sometimes feel campy, and not as raw as the first two entries. However, for the most part, Thunderball delivers a wonderfully characterized James Bond, who gets angry, gets dirty, and never looks like he's having too much fun.

The stakes are raised in Thunderball, and it certainly feels like it. In FRWL, it was mostly a low mission from SPECTRE. Kill Bond, keep it on the low. The room where Blofeld sits is small, only two people attend. In Thunderball, however, we've got a huge room Blofeld is running. It feels like SPECTRE has been to work during Bond's Goldfinger days. Blofeld also steps up the "killing the henchmen." The beautiful panning shots in the scene make it feel grander. The implementation of "Number 02" make it feel we're getting closer to the head man. It's a tad unfortunate the "grand reveal" is You Only Live Twice, and then DAF.

The action in Thunderball is brilliant for the most part. The hand to hand combat is excellent and brutal. Objects being thrown around, hard hitting. Sean Connery is in great shape. The underwater scenes were also quite good, albeit a tad overused. It was good to see Sean down there though. Although I'm sure stunt doubles were used, I saw a lot of Connery too. After a while, underwater can become a bit tedious, because of the slower pace. The final battle underwater became a bit messy too. There was just so much going on, and lacked direction.

Another issue I had with the film was the mass speeding of many of the shots. This was always apparent in the early Bond films but never this obvious. The climax of the film is, once again, a brilliant fight but suffers from this speeding up. And what the hell happened to that guy who saved Domino? Did I miss something, or did he just dissapear?

The sub cast is brilliant. Largo is a prime villain, and after him and Blofeld from OHMSS, there isn't anyone as threatening or interesting until Casino Royale. Domino is a great Bond girl - not as good as Honey or Tatiana, but light years ahead of some of the Moore ones. Fiona Volpe is another excellent villain.

Thunderball is an extraordinary Bond film hampered by a few unfortunate problems. It's rather slow, but this never bothered me (I hold Dr. No at #2), and there's enough action to keep one enticed. Gorgeous scenery with some beautiful editing, coupled with some poor editing (speeding), great characters, an interesting story, mysterious enemies and plans round up to make a brilliant Bond film in Thunderball.


1. Casino Royale | 2. Quantum of Solace | 3. Dr. No | 4. From Russia With Love | 5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

6. Thunderball

7. Goldeneye | 8. The Spy Who Loved Me | 9. Goldfinger | 10. The Man With the Golden Gun | 11. License to Kill | 12. Live and Let Die | 13. You Only Live Twice | 14. For Your Eyes Only | 15. Tomorrow Never Dies | 16. The Living Daylights | 17. Moonraker | 18. Octopussy | 19. Diamonds Are Forever | 20. The World is Not Enough | 21. A View To a Kill | 22. Die Another Day

[HildebrandRarity]

1. Casino Royale | 2. Quantum of Solace | 3. Dr. No | 4. From Russia With Love | 5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

6. Thunderball

7. Goldeneye | 8. The Spy Who Loved Me | 9. Goldfinger | 10. The Man With the Golden Gun | 11. License to Kill | 12. Live and Let Die | 13. You Only Live Twice | 14. For Your Eyes Only | 15. Tomorrow Never Dies | 16. The Living Daylights | 17. Moonraker | 18. Octopussy | 19. Diamonds Are Forever | 20. The World is Not Enough | 21. A View To a Kill | 22. Die Another Day

Thunderball was my all time favourite James Bond film from the first time I saw it on tv in 1976/77 until 2006.

Now I rank it with Quantum Of Solace and Casino Royale in my Top 3.

[Judo chop]

Thunderball was my all time favourite James Bond film from the first time I saw it on tv in 1976/77 until 2006.

Now I rank it with Quantum Of Solace and Casino Royale in my Top 3.

Good thing Sean spends all that time in the water. Otherwise he'd have been wearing his make-up and who knows how far the film would drop...