Review of Thunderball: Special Edition (James Bond)

Introduction

The 1960s were owned by James Bond and The Beatles. The former was a literary creating which soon became a cinematic one, a character that audiences manage to empathasise and connect with in a post-war world.

After a very successful triple debut: Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger producers Broccoli and Saltzman chose their next Bond project - Thunderball.

After terrorist organisation SPECTRE seize a Nato jet complete with atomic bombs and hold the British Government to ransom, it is up to MI6 to send their best operative into action: James Bond. He is on the trail of devious villain, and SPECTRE second-in-command, Emilio Largo amongst his island paradise, to prevent a nuclear holocaust...

Sean Connery returns to his role once again, the role that defined him, and sent him into super-stardom. After Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton was unavailable for the film, the producers asked Terence Young - helmer of the first two Bond flicks - to return to the saggy comfort of the director`s chair, and he complied. Combine the duo with the other Bond regulars - both cast and crew - and signs are already good. But can the film-makers go that extra mile and make another cinematic smash?

Video

2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The visuals are sharp and well defined, with a good use of the palette and no artefacts visible. The print is definitely better than the previous three Bond films, so the transfer shows this, and the quality is clear of any dust or grain that could arise from other 60s films.

As said before, Terence Young returns, so the style of the first two Bond films come back with him. Thunderball contains underwater sequences that in places seem like a dance - the camera movement is somewhat majestic and captures the battles and sequences well, with the highlight being the fight between the `good guys` (Bond`s cohorts) and the `bad guys` (SPECTRE).

Audio

Dolby Digital 5.1 (English). This is the first Bond film to carry a full surround soundtrack, and the soundstage definitely is better than those of the last three DVDs. However, the surrounds don`t come into effect that much, yet when they do the audio quality is good. The main audio stream is crisp and clear as always, so all in all this is an accomplished soundtrack.

The script caused some controversy...although Ian Fleming did write the novel as always, pre-Dr. No he was showing his work around to various film-makers, trying to get one or more of them made. Kevin McClory showed interest and together Fleming worked with McClory and a screenwriter to bring Thunderball to the screen. To cut a long story short, McClory was involved in this film, serving as producer, yet he felt ripped off, and filed a lawsuit against the film-makers. This lead to many arguments, culminating in McClory going off and making an `unofficial` remake of Thunderball, entitled Never Say Never Again. Although it was was good, the fact that it missed the magic that defined a proper Bond film let it down. Going back to the script for this film, it is good, offering several antagonists and the usual Bond formula.

The theme tune is sung by Tom Jones, and is a powerful, catchy number, showing off Jones` strong voice and the strong musical talent of Don Black and Monty Norman. This also caused a bit of controversy, for Shirley Bassey was originally going to sing the tune (she even got to the stage of recording it), but it was changed when the song she sang bore no reference to the film`s title.

Features

There are two audio commentaries - the first with director Terence Young, which is interesting as ever; the second with various members of the cast and crew. Overall, a whole range of insight from all the key players.

As usual there are two documentaries on offer, the first, "The Making of Thunderball", is pretty much self-explanatory. It is a just under 30 minute look at the production process, featuring interviews with cast and crew. Interesting.

The second, "The Thunderball Phenomenon", is another documentary of a similar style and running time. Going into a bit more detail, it manages to offer a fresh perspective.

A featurette from the time of release, entitled "Inside Thunderball" is also on offer, and this is far less tacky than the promotional featurettes on the previous Bond discs. Now in colour, and guess what - it`s actually worth watching!

There is a photo gallery, boasting over 150 images, which is a very useful addition for collectors and serious fans alike.

A series of advertising materials are also included - ranging from the theatrical trailer to TV and radio spots. Good for a bit of padding.

There is the rudimentary 8-page booklet, containing production notes and chapter listings.

The menus are animated with the score in the background and stills and animations from the film. They are also easy to navigate.

Conclusion

Not the best Bond film by far, yet it is still a good flick. The main flaws are to do with the characters and script: the nemesis, Emilio Largo, never feels `bad enough`, and perhaps something other than an eyepatch would cement his status as a general bad boy.

Secondly, and this is probably the biggest problem with Thunderball, is that the underwater sequences are overlong and very un-Bond. Instead of a car chase or shootout, we have some scuba diving and harpoon firing - hardly something to get really excited over. The highlight of them is Monty Norman`s score: but even this can`t save them from being somewhat badly done.

However, ignore these two ideosyncrasies and instead lap up the exotic locations and girls of the fourth Bond adventure. The acting is generally good, although Sean Connery himself is slightly restrained, and the elements of a good old Bond film are here, just in smaller proportions.

The mark for content is slightly lenient, as the flaws perhaps outweigh the merits of the rating, but I do recall that whilst I was watching it, I was entertained, and weighing things up now, I am split between the ratings - but I`m feeling a bit generous, so hey...

The disc itself is strong, the best presentation of a Bond film so far, rivalling current transfers of today thanks to the remastering process, and the audio is an improvement. Extras are very good as always, and all the features provided are worth watching, some perhaps more than once.

The bottom line of this DVD is that the film is good, if slightly lacking, but the disc makes up for it. Have yourselves some more kudos, MGM.