Never Say Never Again

At last, the Bond movies project is complete, now that I've re-watched this movie, the rogue production of a remake of Thunderball. A couple of things stand out: one, Sean Connery's appearance here demonstrates in no uncertain terms that Bond actors have to be put out to pasture at a certain point. There's just no getting around the fact that Connery was too old for the role at this point, even though he acquits himself rather well in this outing. The plain fact is, the man in the tux has to have a certain appeal that only a man under a certain age can have. Secondly, this film suffers from its rogue status for one very good reason: the lack of proper licensing meant they could not use the actual James Bond theme for the music, and the absence of those familiar sounds makes a huge difference. It also doesn't help that the movie runs just a bit too long. And, like its model, there's a bit too much underwater work here; the action always seems slower when everyone is hauling around a scuba tank. There's fun stuff, a strong dose of irreverent humor sprinkled throughout, some good action, and some silliness, too. All in all, it's not bad, but it never really had a chance to live up to the best standards of the Bond canon.