Today’s quick review: Thunderball. SPECTRE unveils its most ambitious plan yet when the international criminal organization steals two nuclear bombs and uses them to threaten NATO. Following a lead, British secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) heads to the Bahamas and runs into Largo (Adolfo Celi), SPECTRE’s second-in-command. But to get to the heart of the operation, he’ll first have to get close to Domino (Claudine Auger), Largo’s mistress.
Thunderball is a spy adventure and the fourth film in the James Bond franchise. Thunderball sees Bond head to the tropics in search of a pair of missing nukes. The film has all the hallmarks fo a Bond movie. Exotic locations, tricky gadgets, beautiful women, and a hefty dose of danger all combine to make a potent adventure. However, Thunderball is not quite as memorable as its predecessors, making it a solid watch that falls short of iconic.
Thunderball stacks up reasonably well against the other Bond offerings. Its villains are a step down from Dr. No and Goldfinger, and its plot is not as satisfying as From Russia With Love, but other than that, it’s a clean execution of the Bond formula. Sean Connery is a delight to watch in action, just the right mixture of suave, arrogant, and fallible. The plot fits in plenty of peril of all stripes, including capture, betrayal, and narrow escapes.
Thunderball’s chief strength, apart from Connery himself, is its action. Elaborate underwater action sequences help set it apart from the other entries in the Bond series and give the film a chance to showcase the gorgeous waters of the Bahamas. The underwater fights are not quite as weighty as others in the series, but the novelty factor, the difficulty of the stunts, and the variety of action elsewhere in the film make them a net success.
Watch Thunderball when you’re in the mood for another solid entry into the spy genre. The lines, situations, and villains aren’t quite as striking as Bond’s best, but the plot, the acting, and the action are all more than enough to satisfy. For a slightly better execution on a similar premise, check out Dr. No or Goldfinger. For a martial arts action comedy that dabbles in similar underwater stunts, check out Jackie Chan’s First Strike.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for good action, a strong lead, and a well-executed formula.