Review – Thunderball

Like scuba footage? If so, boy are you in the right place. I didn’t time it, but it sure felt like the characters spent more time swimming around underwater than they did interacting on dry land. For a movie about diving, that would be okay. But this is a James Bond movie. And a bad one at that, easily the worst of the original Connery set. The villain is a lackluster guy whose sole personality trait appears to be an eye patch. Further, Bond seems to be losing his touch with the ladies. At one point he actually has to blackmail a woman into having sex with him. That might have been considered suave back in the 60s (though I doubt it), but in the 21st century it evokes the word “creep” if not the word “rapist.” Even the movie’s strong points are sub-par. For example, there’s a well-staged underwater battle sequence toward the end, but it goes on and on until even the most patient audience member is bound to get tired of it. If you’re trying to make your way through all the Bonds, you’re going to have to sit through this stinker at some point. Otherwise there are many better uses for your time and entertainment dollar, even in the Bond series. Wish I’d skipped it