I perhaps despise Thunderball so much because I had great expectations when I watched it. Considering it is the highest-grossing Bond film of all time, I expected it to be at least on the same level as Goldfinger. But it wasn't. As a matter of fact ,it is rather mediocre. The problem is not that silliness that plagued so many Moore's flicks( many of them were nevertheless enjoyable), but a horrible, ill-conceived screenplay and a technical work which seems amateurish.
As I have stated many times, Bond films( From Russia with Love aside) are not espionage movies. They are action-adventure flicks, dealing with exhilarating chases and fights ,death-defying stunts and a bevy of beautiful women. Therefore the real problem a Bond movie can face is not a thin ( even nonsensical ) plot, or cardboard characters, but a plodding, non action pace. And Thunderball is slow, painfully slow. For the most part , it is an exotic intrigue which would be OK if there was any mystery to solve. But there isn't. Everyone is a step ahead of Bond. Just imagine how boring is to watch "Death on the Nile" once somebody has told you who the murderer is.
When Bond is not spending his time flirting with the gorgeous Fiona Volpe or the dull Domino, he just does some diving to find out where the bombs are. He is indeed having a good "holiday", but a 120 minute film simply cannot afford to spend 25 minutes with underwater sequences which add nothing to the plot. As for the technical flaws, they are particularly noticeable in the final scene when Bond confronts Largo on board the Disco Volante. Using fast motion back projection to give the impression the yacht is moving fast makes Thunderball feel like a B movie instead of the $9 million budget picture it is.
I could go on with a lot of minor flaws, but it's up to you to watch this and decide. Thunderball is strictly for fans.
As I have stated many times, Bond films( From Russia with Love aside) are not espionage movies. They are action-adventure flicks, dealing with exhilarating chases and fights ,death-defying stunts and a bevy of beautiful women. Therefore the real problem a Bond movie can face is not a thin ( even nonsensical ) plot, or cardboard characters, but a plodding, non action pace. And Thunderball is slow, painfully slow. For the most part , it is an exotic intrigue which would be OK if there was any mystery to solve. But there isn't. Everyone is a step ahead of Bond. Just imagine how boring is to watch "Death on the Nile" once somebody has told you who the murderer is.
When Bond is not spending his time flirting with the gorgeous Fiona Volpe or the dull Domino, he just does some diving to find out where the bombs are. He is indeed having a good "holiday", but a 120 minute film simply cannot afford to spend 25 minutes with underwater sequences which add nothing to the plot. As for the technical flaws, they are particularly noticeable in the final scene when Bond confronts Largo on board the Disco Volante. Using fast motion back projection to give the impression the yacht is moving fast makes Thunderball feel like a B movie instead of the $9 million budget picture it is.
I could go on with a lot of minor flaws, but it's up to you to watch this and decide. Thunderball is strictly for fans.