61 replies to this topic

[AMC Hornet]

It's funny: it was made at the absolute height of Bond's popularity, and most of it is very stylish and memorable- and Bond himself has never been cooler than in Thunderball. It's full of fantastic, memorable stuff.
And yet it's really boring. As a film, it's a bit dull.

It's a film where the sum of its parts is greater than the whole.

What other films are you comparing it to?
TND? QoS?
They're practically in a different genre.
TB took time to let the viewer enjoy the scenery and get a feel for the characters and also threw in some action here and there - especially towards the end. Give me 2 1/2 hours of Bond in his element over a 105-minute Die Hard clone any day.

[Jim]

It is patently the most magnificent thing ever and deserves better than having a capital B shoved into its name; all that achieves is to drag it down to the miserable ineptitudes of flatulent telemovie GoldenEye.

[AMC Hornet]

I suppose the same could be said for G, M and O.

[Colossus]

When you put it that way about the soaking atmosphere its not so bad. Also Fiona is....... magical.

I'd probably just get with her even if I DO have to die.

[sharpshooter]

Jut a quick personal note on TB: It´s probably my second favourite Bond film, and sometimes the first. It alternates often with FRWL. I just love it, every bit of it. Connery´s swagger is unbeatable, Claudine Auger is gorgeous, love the settings, Largo is very cool and Volpe spins my hypothalamus!

Indeed, univex. I appreciate and enjoy watching Goldfinger. But over the years my love for Thunderball, while already being high, has seen it replace that film.

[Dustin]

So you see, Trevelyan 006, lots of appreciation and love for THUNDERBALL here. It may have lost its prominent role as THE James Bond film - which it shared with GOLDFINGER for a while - in the public eye. But it's still one of the best entries in the series for many fans. While it's not so much talked about any more it has a number of splendid scenes, a terrific score and countless clever ideas that belong to the very best of 50 years of contemporary entertainment cinema, and despite some weaknesses it holds well against many modern films. Not a small feat.

[Publius]

It's funny: it was made at the absolute height of Bond's popularity, and most of it is very stylish and memorable- and Bond himself has never been cooler than in Thunderball. It's full of fantastic, memorable stuff.
And yet it's really boring. As a film, it's a bit dull.

It's a film where the sum of its parts is greater than the whole.

What other films are you comparing it to?
TND? QoS?
They're practically in a different genre.
TB took time to let the viewer enjoy the scenery and get a feel for the characters and also threw in some action here and there - especially towards the end. Give me 2 1/2 hours of Bond in his element over a 105-minute Die Hard clone any day.

It's possible to love both.

[marktmurphy]

It's funny: it was made at the absolute height of Bond's popularity, and most of it is very stylish and memorable- and Bond himself has never been cooler than in Thunderball. It's full of fantastic, memorable stuff.
And yet it's really boring. As a film, it's a bit dull.

It's a film where the sum of its parts is greater than the whole.

What other films are you comparing it to?
TND? QoS?

More like Goldfinger, actually. It's baggy and saggy compared to that. Or You Only Live Twice, OHMSS etc.

[AMC Hornet]

It's funny: it was made at the absolute height of Bond's popularity, and most of it is very stylish and memorable- and Bond himself has never been cooler than in Thunderball. It's full of fantastic, memorable stuff.
And yet it's really boring. As a film, it's a bit dull.

It's a film where the sum of its parts is greater than the whole.

What other films are you comparing it to?
TND? QoS?

More like Goldfinger, actually. It's baggy and saggy compared to that. Or You Only Live Twice, OHMSS etc.

Actually, I'd compare TB to OHMSS for their similarites.
OHMSS might appear baggy and saggy compared to YOLT - all that mooching around Portugal, Switzerland and Piz Gloria before the action picks up again - except that all that mooching around was interesting, just as Bond's mooching around Nassau was captivating for a land-locked prairie boy such as I.
One tires of non-stop, slam-bang action with little in the way of plot and narrative to hold it all together, although I feel that TND succeeded on just that score, whereas QoS left most people wanting more run-time in order o try to keep up with what's going on.

Skyfall looks like it has some plot and story to it, as well as some slam-bang actions scenes. I hope that both are given adequate scrren-time and don't end up conflicting, as happened with TWINE.

[Iceskater101]

I actually really like Thunderball. I haven't seen it in a while, but I think the Bond girl is super pretty! And the undersea battle was super cool!

[robdread]

"Thunderball" remains my personal favorite. Audiences at the time ate it up -- it still remains the highest-grossing Bond film, when adjusted for inflation.

[Redneck007]

Thunderball has constantly been in my top 5 Bond films consistently. Sure it has its flaws (like all the films) but I still would put it in the top third of 007 films.

[Hockey Mask]

Edit down some of the underwater scenes and Thunderball would move up my list.

[Single-O-Seven]

Thunderball has constantly been in my top 5 Bond films consistently. Sure it has its flaws (like all the films) but I still would put it in the top third of 007 films.

This is pretty well where I stand. It's typically been number three in my top five, right behind OHMSS.

[seawolfnyy]

One of the best in my opinion. I do think it has a pacing issue, especially before it gets to the Bahamas. But otherwise a very solid entry. I think I had it ranked around 6.

[Miles Miservy]

Thunderball is a fine movie. I believe much of it's accliam is a direct result ot the order of its cinematic release. For example, If THUNDERBALL had preceeded GOLDFGINGER, instead of following it, it might not have made as big of an impact. Moreover I think the same is also true it the order had been reversed in the other direction. If YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE came after GOLDFINGER but before THUNDERBALL, critics would've reacted differently.

No, THUNDERBALL was perfect for 1965.
1965 was perfect for THUNDERBALL.

[Tony_OO_Black]

The problem with Thunderball is that Kevin McClory was obsessed with underwater filming, without remembering watching people fight underwater is bloody dull, for the most part.

Fleming's plot is as Bond as you can get, Connery is great, Luciana Paluzzi is stunning, the first half is damn entertaining, John Barry's score is to die for - then it all just sinks, quite literally, in the second half. Almost exactly the same thing happens to NSNA in the end.

[freemo]

most of it is very stylish and memorable- and Bond himself has never been cooler than in Thunderball. It's full of fantastic, memorable stuff.
And yet it's really boring. As a film, it's a bit dull.

It's a film where the sum of its parts is greater than the whole.

The best parts of THUNDERBALL are about the best parts of the series, and I agree Bond has never been cooler. I was watching it over the weekend and scene for scene, pound for pound, it's at the absolute top of the Bond tree. But as a whole, yeah, it's not the most gripping or tightest of narratives (and I'm not just talking about the much maligned long underwater stretches). Despite a couple of remarks by Lieter about how "we haven't got much time" I don't really feel the deadline approaching or any sense of urgency (it's not always clear exactly how many hours they have until the deadline hits).

I kind of wish that THUNDERBALL, and not GOLDFINGER, were the Bond movie thought of as "the one", the default "go to" Bond movie, by the general public. In a way, it should be, but I also get why it isn't.

Less than the sum of it's parts? Maybe. But oh, what magnificent parts!

[Iceskater101]

Thunderball= has one of the prettiest bond girls ever.

Edited by Iceskater101, 29 October 2012 - 12:26 AM.

[FOX MULDER]

I, too, think Thunderball has some pacing problems. The underwater scenes definitely need cutting back. Actually, I struggle to get through the film these days - and I'm a Connery fan.

It's got many great elements - including a wonderful story - but as a film I think it's an artistic failure, and could have been so much better.

That said, some of the problems I've mentioned have been magnified by the passage of time - I'm sure the film was very exciting in its day.

It'd be great to see a re-edited version one day. Hopefully.

[QuantumOfRoyale]

Everything not underwater is excellent.

[Scottlee]

TB is my favourite Connery Bond film, and 3rd fave of all time. I love the underwater scenes in particular! They still amaze me. Maybe I've just got more patience for slow-moving film than most? In fact if anything, the TB running time should even be longer; there's a glaring leap in the relationship between Bond and Domino. One minute they barely know each other and the next they're greeting like long term lovers (funnily enough, the same thing would happen in YOLT with Bond and Aki). I think there was meant to be a bridging scene on the Disco Volante that never got filmed. Not sure.

Anyway, love the film. The plot isn't one of the cleverest but it's told in a proper, considered manner. The villains are varied and memorable. The location is stunning. Connery actually gets shot - a brave move. I love the threat posed by the sharks. I could go on all day listing the positives. Only the final fight on the boat was a misstep of sorts. On the whole though, this for me is the very peak of the Connery era.

[Pussfeller]

Thunderball is certainly the most underrated of the Connery films. Apart from the soporific underwater crap, it's excellent.

[Doctor No]

Thunderball checklist:

- Spectre storyline. check
- The best set of Bond girls. check
- Great locations. check
- Great villian. check
- Some of the best dialogue. check
- Connery at absolute peak of his power as Bond. check

This one was a slowburn for me, with each viewing my opinion of the movie has become more favorable. TB is now one of my favorites of the entire franchise. Definitely underrated.

[Miles Miservy]

I, too, think Thunderball has some pacing problems. The underwater scenes definitely need cutting back. Actually, I struggle to get through the film these days - and I'm a Connery fan.

It's got many great elements - including a wonderful story - but as a film I think it's an artistic failure, and could have been so much better.

That said, some of the problems I've mentioned have been magnified by the passage of time - I'm sure the film was very exciting in its day.

It'd be great to see a re-edited version one day. Hopefully.

I find it interesting that you say that because THUNDERBALL is the only film in the series to receive an Oscar for cinematography.

[Judo chop]

Thunderball. The only Bond film that I watch drinking Tequila as opposed to Gin and/or Vodka.

I'm surprised no one here has yet remembered to credit TB for producing the first and penultimate (and, albeit, probably unintentional) Bond villain anti-henchman. Vargas used to amuse me to no end, but with the advent of QOS, one has come whose sandals Vargas is not fit to untie.

[Red Barchetta]

This has always ranked in my top 5. But a little tighter editing on the underwater scenes would have smoothed it out a little. And, any scene with the DB5 is aces in my book!

[00 Brosnan]

I love Thunderball, it's one of my favorites. A total blast from start to finish. Great action, cool tunes, and the supporting characters really stand out.

[Colossus]

Thunderball checklist:

- Spectre storyline. check
- The best set of Bond girls. check
- Great locations. check
- Great villian. check
- Some of the best dialogue. check
- Connery at absolute peak of his power as Bond. check

This one was a slowburn for me, with each viewing my opinion of the movie has become more favorable. TB is now one of my favorites of the entire franchise. Definitely underrated.

You forgot this which overrules all of those.

-Fiona's Jugs. check

[singleentendre]

Personally I found Thunderball to be boring, especially coming off the heels of Dr. No/FRWL/GF. That said, I'm a relatively new Bond fan, so I watched TB through modern eyes. I don't doubt Thunderball was more riveting on its release, but the rest of the Bond movies throughout the 60s and 70s never had a problem catching my attention and drawing me in. Thunderball is the only one that didn't work for me. Hopefully on more rewatches I'll grow to love it as much as the rest of you.