Thunderball

You can already feel a stumble in Thunderball. While in Goldfinger I missed a darker atmosphere and a stronger drive, Thunderball also has a weaker script and music. The exotic setting was meant to be a nice diversion, but it often got on my nerves. And even the much-anticipated technical finesse, which cost more than all the previous Bond films combined, did not exceed my expectations. The Bond girl, yeah, and Sean Connery delivers his timeless lines excellently, but that is far from enough for a good Bond flick. From Russia With Love is still far from surpassed. (28/12/2013)

007__#4__Thanks to the newly available technical film possibilities, the viewer can enjoy many attractive underwater sequences with small submarines, a submerged fighter jet and one mass underwater battle of divers. Thanks to Bond's never-failing sex appeal, many a man's eye will again feast on pretty Bond-girls, one of whom really "made it" this time :). A definite plus is the character of the charismatic villain played by Italian Adolfo Celio, his Emilio Largo is in the context of the first five Bond films a member of the criminal organisation Spectre, which churned out one interesting villain after another. I enjoyed this visually appealing Bond film. (02/10/2005)

Thunderball is the first Bond film to go to the absurd. The original theme of espionage during the Cold War is replaced with fighting against secret organizations (especially the main one). The Soviets will be sidelined from now on. What’s more, circumstances will often force them to cooperate with the British in the fight to save the world. Not that I mind, it's just that it's no longer a spy film but an action sci-fi. Still worth four stars. (03/08/2016)

In a way, the fourth Bond film was a revolution in the history of film. For the first time in an acted film, the action takes place partly under the sea, which was made possible using a special underwater camera designed for Thunderball by specialist Lamar Boren. Young's third opus again finds Sean Connery in great form, surpassing his dazzling debut, and his Bond is the real Bond in terms of Fleming's "may go wild beyond probable, but not beyond possible". And so we meet up with 007 as a smiling vacationer, as a wounded and frightened fugitive and, of course, above all as an intrepid, manly super agent who can deal with villains as well as beautiful women. The plot is indeed classic, the main villain (still only number two in the SPECTRE hierarchy) is a little bland, the women beautiful and underwater sequence riveting (especially the final harpoon pile). Bond is arming himself with more and more handy gadgets, and bond movie reputations as "high-tech" movies gain real footing in Thunderball. Moreover, when it comes to Connery's dry catchphrases, Thunderball is an abundant spring. If it weren't for the grotesquely accelerated final scene with the brawl on the Disco Volanté bridge, the fourth Bond would have been the perfect film... ___ Bond song: "Thunderball" (Tom Jones) (31/10/2004)

Where to begin? Thunderball has: Once again, a great Connery who is as funny as he is tough and charming, a great spy story, sensational action scenes (the opening brawl and the final diver battle), John Barry's excellent score as always (plus a song sung by Tom Jones and some of the most successful opening credits), beautiful girls, a great villain... What does Thunderball not have? Anything wrong with it! Five pure stars, no complaints. (08/05/2010)