Average Rating: 
Rating:  - One of the Best.
GOLDFINGER made Bond an international icon (and a cash cow for MGM), but THUNDERBALL is the movie where the franchise reached it's pinnacle. Set in the Bahamas, THUNDERBALL is one of the most visually impressive of all the Bond films. The underwater scenes are spectacular, especially the climatic battle at the end.The plot of the movie revolves around a NATO plane that disappears in the Atlantic. All part of a plan of the sinister SPECTRE organization, the plane was hijacked so that the aircraft's two nuclear bombs could be stolen and used to blackmail NATO governments. After discovering an important clue while on vacation at a resort, Bond is called into action and goes to the Bahamas to find the bombs and win a bathing beauty. THUNDERBALL has all the elements of a great Bond movie: blockbuster action, awesome real life spy gadgets, several beautiful Bond babes, and a worthy villian (Largo). Not only that, but the best James Bond, Sean Connery stars. Add the stunning visuals and underwater scenery and it equals one of the best, if not the best Bond flick of all.
Rating: - You seen the rest now see the best Bond ever in Thunderball
"Thunderball" is the fourth Bond movie in the franchise and after viewing its release on DVD with its restored and remastered print, it can safely be proclaimed that this motion picture is the definitive James Bond flick. Ironically, Ian Fleming had originally wrote "Thunderball" as screenplay and it would have been the introduction of James Bond to the big screen but circumstances forced him to rewrite as a novel and "Dr No" would gain that distinction. It is just as well. When "Thunderball" finally went into production, actor Sean Connery, director Terance Young and the producers were comfortable with the world of James Bond, enabling them to "Thunderball" into a classic film, something that almost certainly would not have happened a few years earlier.This film included all the important elements such as seeing SPECTRE in action, an excellent villain in the evil Largo as portrayed by Adolfo Celi, and perhaps the best female villain ever, Fiona Volpe as played by Luciana Paluzzi. There were certainly plenty of the beautiful Bond women and the exotic locations in the Bahamas to offset the plot where Bond tries to foil an attempt by SPECTRE to use hijacked nuclear weapons for blackmail. These elements plus the special effects and the extensive use of underwater photography combine to create a fine motion picture. If there is one Bond movie that should never, never be seen in a standard televsion format, it is this one. It is like comparing night and day. Many scenes were shot at the huge sound stage at Pinewood and uses the full screen to effect, and the underwater scenes where people are swimming horizontally use the entire frame. This widescreen version on DVD is worth its price on this count alone. If you like "Thunderball" and have never seen a widescreen version, get one and you'll agree that you'll never want to watch any other way. As to the other features on the DVD, the movie trailers, and the TV and radio spots come off as annoying and repetitive. The three documentaries are good but I wish they were a little longer and informative. There are two commentary tracks but neither seem to blend well with the movie. In this reviewer's humble opinion, if one was had to pick just one movie to introduce someone to the James Bond genre, "Thunderball" would be the best choice. Make sure this DVD gets into your library.
Rating: - "I think he got the point!"
After Connery's good debut in Dr.No, the excellent From Russia With Love and the best Bond film, Goldfinger, comes the Thunderball. The basic plot is that OO7 has four days to travel to Nassau and stop SPECTRE from firing an atomic bomb at Miami or an enourmous sum of money must be paid. Connery gives his finest performance after Goldfinger as James Bond, Claudine Auger is very good as Domino, Luciana Paluzzi is possibly the best villainess in the entire series, and SPECTRE agent #2 Emilio Largo is my fourth favorite villain in the entire series, though I like Auric Goldfinger, Red Grant, and Ernst Blofeld in On Her Majesty's Secret Service slightly better. Terence Young, director of Dr.No and From Russia With Love, gives Bond fans two of Bond'sbest adventures, which are From Russia With Love and of course, Thunderball. The action is good, including an amazing underwater battle, a chase through a Mardi Gras-type celebration, a break-in at Largo's home, and a destructive hand-to-hand duel in the pre-title. This film is a bit slow-moving however, which is something most other Bond films do not suffer from. John Barry gives quite possibly his best score, which has been used in several other OO7 adventures including You Only Live Twice. Tom Jones' Thunderball is an excellent song. The suspense is killer, and overall, this is my fourth favorite Bond film, beaten by From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Goldfinger.
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