Bond: Thunderball

Quantum of Solace debuts this month and to prepare for the occasion, and thanks to the help of Comcast Cable On Demand (note: I will NEVER thank Comcast for anything else EVER) I am planning on running the gauntlet on the Bond films. Since I haven't seen an embarrassingly large number of the non-Brosnan 21 films, I'm starting from the first one and working my way through history. These Bond flicks in HD, along with more James Bond fun (here and here) will be my study prep for QOS. The following are the reports on each film, for those who don't have the time or those who liked SparkNotes in high school.

Thunderball (1965) watched 11/5/08

THE PREMISE:
Bond is back and this time SPECTRE has a new plan to foil the efforts of 007, with two stolen NATO atomic bombs. Bond's duty, which he quickly chooses to accept, is to retrieve the bombs and save NATO 100 million pounds in ransom money. In preparation for an amphibious journey, Bond just so happens to run into a SPECTRE henchman and officially has a lead for his mission, onto Nassau!

This is not a vacation, Bond is reminded by M that this is no vacation, and we quickly get the point as Bond survives a couple quick assassination attempts and meets a sinister fellow (obviously decked out in eyepatch) upon his arrival. Bond is also equipped with a Geiger counter, underwater camera, and a very hipster red leather-looking scuba suit. With his either really cool or really flamboyant gear set, Bond meets Domino (see Bond Girl), the estranged brother of henchman #1. Domino leads to Largo, arch-enemy #1 in Thunderball who relishes and matches Bond's wit and brashness, in many psychological pissing contests.

One thing leads to another and we end up with finding Bond in situations like the bugging his hotel room with the tape recorder in the hollowed book trick, the having sex in a steam room trick, and fighting way too many bad guys in an underwater spear-fight trick. Much of the film's violence actually occurs underwater in scuba suits with spears (post-kill line "I think he got the point"), a first for the Bond series, and its visual effects were Oscar-rewarded. Hardware notwithstanding, Thunderball was a bit of a drag, especially after Goldfinger. The underwater scenes, while revolutionary, seemed endless and it was often hard to tell which body was Bond's. The parade chase scene could also have used a good edit or seven.

Bond is still Bond though, and you cant argue with that. He tallies three more notches on his bedpost and another steamingly hot Bond Girl in Domino. His knack for the gadgets and willingness to punch cross-dressing funeral goers (ridiculous scene alert!) is admirable and cinematic poetry.


THE BOND GIRL:
The aforementioned Domino is another thoroughbred in the long line of Bond heroins. Domino in this case is a fickle beast; the brother of a spurned SPECTRE member, and the mistress of another, she is in a 1960's version of a Shakespeare tragedy. James Bond enters stage left and pursues the layered Domino to a point where she is saved on a number of levels and left in the safe arms of 007.
Domino is played by the desirable Claudine Auger. Visually tempting and ethically suspicious, it is clear why both Bond and the viewer are drawn to her and she is a trophy-case exploit for Bond, winning her over and additionally turning her against her lover. I will give her a double-0-8 out of 10.


WHAT TO TAKE AWAY:
Following Goldfinger is like following Lisa Lampanelli at a Comedy Central roast (NSFW), and Thuderball's biggest detraction is just that. It's not particularly memorable but not particularly bad, its just there, as Bond film #4. The special effects are its most notable triumph, and for someone watching in 2008, that novelty falls by the wayside. What's left is Sean Connery continuing to be the man; whether it's in a jet-pack evading a murder, or just diffusing a bombshell with just his accent and charm, Connery's Bond is reason enough to stay tuned.