Thunder!...Thunder!...Thunderball!!! Several years in the making, Thunderball delivers the ultimate Bond adventure. SPECTRE returns to ransom two stolen nuclear missiles for 100 million pounds sterling, and it's up to James Bond to save the world. This time the stakes are global, and the fight scenes are more elaborate and intense; such as the underwater action sequences. Additionally, the directing is especially well-done; making for spectacle visuals and suspenseful drama. Thunderball is an action packed thriller that finds James Bond at his best.

Thunderball, being my least favourite Sean Connery era James Bond, is not a bad movie, but it lacks severely in pacing. Most of that comes down to those gorgeous, but so incredibly slow, underwater scenes. They tend to drag on and that ends up hurting the flow of the movie. Thank God we have all the eye candy. Thunderball is filled to the brim with incredibly beautiful women and makes it a tolerable watch...for those of us that lean that way of course.

Another example from the Bond series.

The further we get into the Sean Connery era, the more just average it is. Cheesier, more "James Bond-y", and is a decent watch. Certainly not one I would recommend getting people into Bond or show them what the old school movies were like. It is still a good movie; it is just average compared to the ones that came before.

Rating: 2.5/5 - 70% - Worth Watching

This is the worst Bond of the first 16 movies. The direction is just awful as the cameras can't keep up with the fight scene at the beginning of the movie and the ending was just atrocious. the ending was so bad that it destroyed the whole movie's few redeeming qualities involving Fiona and her character.

This film tries so hard to be Goldfinger, but unlike Goldfinger, nothing about Largo is memorable as a villain other than his eyepatch and his love of sharks. And the theme song itself is one I can't stand and was a waste of Sir Tom Jones musical talents as it tried so hard to be like Goldfinger with the brassy sound instead of having a sound suited to Jones' vocal abilites.

Classical bond: sexist, funny, violent, iconic and exotic locations. Connery is great. He moves like a cat. These earlier Bond movies are even quite realistic compared to the madness that will unfold in later movies. Underwater scenes are fascinating and totally slow and boring at the same time.

I dare to say I liked *Thunderball* better than the remake *Never say never again* which I watched yesterday. Connery is still young and sexy. And since this is the official EON movie, we have the original Bond theme. I missed this in the remake.
Like almost all Bond movies, *Thunderball* is not a masterpiece with a revolutionary story - but I guess that's not how Bond movies are supposed to be anyway. I was entertained cause I got exactly what I expected. A solid 6/10.

PS: the M. Y. Disco Volante isn't exactly a super yacht, is it? By modern - oligarch standards- that is. The foil conversion ain't bad though. The FX in the finale is laughable.

Better than I remembered but runs a bit too long. The underwater scenes are really good. Still, not the best Bond or one of my favorites for that matter

The James Bond Films
1 Eon films
1.1 Dr. No (1962) https://trakt.tv/movies/dr-no-1962
1.2 From Russia with Love (1963) https://trakt.tv/movies/from-russia-with-love-1963
1.3 Goldfinger (1964) https://trakt.tv/movies/goldfinger-1964
1.4 Thunderball (1965) https://trakt.tv/movies/thunderball-1965
1.5 You Only Live Twice (1967) https://trakt.tv/movies/you-only-live-twice-1967
1.6 On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) https://trakt.tv/movies/on-her-majesty-s-secret-service-1969
1.7 Diamonds Are Forever (1971) https://trakt.tv/movies/diamonds-are-forever-1971
1.8 Live and Let Die (1973) https://trakt.tv/movies/live-and-let-die-1973
1.9 The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-1974
1.10 The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-spy-who-loved-me-1977
1.11 Moonraker (1979) https://trakt.tv/movies/moonraker-1979
1.12 For Your Eyes Only (1981) https://trakt.tv/movies/for-your-eyes-only-1981
1.13 Octopussy (1983) https://trakt.tv/movies/octopussy-1983
1.14 A View to a Kill (1985) https://trakt.tv/movies/a-view-to-a-kill-1985
1.15 The Living Daylights (1987) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-living-daylights-1987
1.16 Licence to Kill (1989) https://trakt.tv/movies/licence-to-kill-1989
1.17 GoldenEye (1995) https://trakt.tv/movies/goldeneye-1995
1.18 Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) https://trakt.tv/movies/tomorrow-never-dies-1997
1.19 The World Is Not Enough (1999) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-world-is-not-enough-1999
1.20 Die Another Day (2002) https://trakt.tv/movies/die-another-day-2002
1.21 Casino Royale (2006) https://trakt.tv/movies/casino-royale-2006
1.22 Quantum of Solace (2008) https://trakt.tv/movies/quantum-of-solace-2008
1.23 Skyfall (2012) https://trakt.tv/movies/skyfall-2012
1.24 Spectre (2015) https://trakt.tv/movies/spectre-2015
1.25 No Time to Die (2021) https://trakt.tv/movies/no-time-to-die-2021

2 Non-Eon films
2.1 Casino Royale (1967) https://trakt.tv/movies/casino-royale-1967
2.2 Never Say Never Again (1983) https://trakt.tv/movies/never-say-never-again-1983

I liked it less than the previous one, but it's okay, Connery already has a job in being James Bond. I hope that those from the Bahamas will pay for the publicity that it makes them

Thunderball is the fourth film in the series and in my opinion, perhaps one of the most underrated. While I do think the first three are better, I still had a really good time with this one. While many criticize the slow pace because of the many underwater scenes, I thought they are really well shot, they look gorgeous and were fun to watch for me. Emilio Largo was a pretty good villain but for me I really liked Domino as the Bong girl. She is beautiful and the fact she can handle herself in a fight is what makes her memorable, and who can forget she saves Bond in this. The Caribbean is visually stunning location for the setting. The end underwater fight scenes did get kind of ridiculous but still a lot of fun. One of the most stylish bond films for sure and one I admire. It tried something new and it worked for me.

7/10

This one was much slower than the previous ones I have seen. A lack of pace that steals a bit on the quality side.

I'm sure this must have impressed audiences back in 1965, but these underwater scenes are a case of great idea, poorly executed. The only thing quick about them is how long it takes for them to overstay their welcome. Sadly, I wish my problems with the film ended there as this is nowhere near the quality of the previous entries. The other action scenes have regressed to be about as on par or even worse than Dr No's. Couple all this with uninteresting characters and a lame plot and you have 007's first stinker (or should it be sinker?).

I heard this one is a bit of a controversial Bond, but I actually had a lot of fun with it. It has a wonderfully bombastic nature, which sometimes can be to its own detriment, but it gives it its own unique feel in comparison to the other Connery Bonds.

Love all Bond movies and this one didn’t disappoint with some great gadgets!

"Try to be a little less than your frivolous self, 007."

007: the James Bond Rewatch-a-thon.

Even on rewatches this still isn't near my favorite Bonds. I like the intro with the jetpack, I enjoy Connery, I love Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona, always enjoy a bad guy with a eye patch and it is still a Bond film.

But for me the running time for Thunderball was unnecessarily long and the underwater bits weren't for me. Except for the sharks, sharks are always good, however I did wish they had freaking lasers attached to their heads.

Anyway not every film in a franchise this long can be amazing right? I still had fun.

007 is on the case of two stolen A-bombs in this dash of action-espionage from the Caribbean. This installment leans a bit heavy on the costumes, wacky gizmos and one-line zingers, far more than any of the more-serious preceding chapters, but then, such is the franchise and it does get worse from here.

Sean Connery is at the height of his powers as Bond at this point, completely enveloping the screen with his showy swagger and gruff confidence. It's a testament to his fitness for the part that he's able to deliver so many forced, corny lines and not just caress the stink off, but actually make them seem suave and witty.

Thunderball's action is fair, though somewhat limited as an awful lot of it happens underwater, and dozens of colorful faces pop up on both sides of the struggle. It's cheeky and silly in a way that only could've been spawned in the '60s, but generally knows when it's pushing things too far and relaxes accordingly. Above average across the board, it falls just shy of the franchise's upper echelons.

This is a little too long and slow. Most of the underwater scenes drag.

Least favorite Bond. There may be worst Bonds but they are all a helluva lot more fun to watch than this one. It's not the movie's fault, I'm sure in 1965 the underwater scenes were breathtaking but not so much nowadays. So....many...slow....underwater....scenes.....

My top Bond flick for the number of beautiful women, they are everywhere in this movie.

"Thunderball" marks the peak of Bondmania in the Sixties and the beginning of the gadget era for 007.

Just one sexual assault and a second dubious 'encounter' in this fossil of a film.

Lacking any of the glamour of the first 3, with tedious underwater action sequences and a boring final act, a visibly aging Connery, and a sense that the tropes introduced just 1 or 2 films ago are being used carelessly... This is the weakest of the series so far.


6/10