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 enlarge | Director: Terence Young
Actors: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van Nutter
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $4.93
You Save: $10.05 (67%)
New (51) Used (27) from $4.93
Rating:  189 reviews
Sales Rank: 3141
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dts Surround Sound, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: M106649
UPC: 027616066497
EAN: 0027616066497
ASIN: B000M53GNG
Theatrical Release Date: December 29, 1965
Release Date: February 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 189
 Bigger budget does not always make a better movie January 25, 2008
NoWireHangers (Sweden)
0 out of 10 found this review helpful
After the success of "Goldfinger", the Bond producers secured the film rights to "Thunderball" and tripled the budget. The basic plot is simple but good: Largo, working for Spectre, steals atomic missiles and demands a ransom. Unfortunately, "Thunderball" is considerably longer than the previous movies, but there's less plot. The script is dull and the direction lifeless. Most of the budget seems to have been spent on the underwater sequences. But they're not well made, only chaotic and go on for way too long. They become the anticlimax of a movie that had already lost my interest. "Thunderball" is one of the few Bond movies that manages to bore me. Not recommended.
 Action Adventure at its best January 24, 2008
King Lemuel (Puyallup, WA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Thunderball is one of my all time favorite action adventure movies. I saw this movie when it was originally released as a young boy with my older brother at the Star Theater. It was perhaps the biggest blockbuster movie of the 1960s. It was as big a hit as Star Wars in the 1970s if not bigger. This is noteworthy because it was the fourth movie in the series. Most sequels in movie series start to loose steam. For example, Lethal Weapon 4 is not in the same league as compared to the first 2. The Bond series has great staying power and has been able to reinvent itself and stay fresh over the 21 or so installments.
I recently watched one of the original Star Trek TV series episodes from the 1960s. It really looked dated and even had a campy feeling to it. This is not true about Thunderball. The movie has aged well, though some of the special effects and some of the models used do look dated and not as realistic as current standards.
There has been a lot of debate about what Bond lead actor is the best or what the best Bond film is. As a young lad, I was fascinated by Dr. No and his steel hands. At present, From Russia With Love is my favorite Sean Connery Bond Film.
Thunderball: The last truly great 007 film! December 1, 2007
Timothy Johnson (USA)
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
One of the great things about the hobby of cinema is the ability to re-evaluate films throughout the course of one's lifetime, and note how time and experience can alter our perceptions.
I went with my parents to see Thunderball at age 11, when it premiered in `65, and remember feeling that this highly touted entry to the series didn't live up to my enjoyment of the previous three 007 pictures--particularly Goldfinger. Now, having viewed the re-mastered Thunderball DVD, I'm grateful I refrained from watching Thunderball for over thirty years, as my appreciation for this film has increased tenfold, and I could've killed the experience through over exposure.
True, the film is unusually long and slow-paced, but rather than feeling bored, I luxuriated in every scene, but this wouldn't hold true if any of Connery's successors had been cast in Thunderball instead of him.
His screen presence and ability to suspend our disbelief are the magic of his star-power. My only real complaint, in terms of pacing, was the climactic underwater battle, as it would've been twice as exciting if it had been at least half as long. I always enjoyed the soundtrack, and it's wonderful hearing Barry's score along with the designated action & drama once again.
 [4.5] Still remains as one of the best November 26, 2007
dominion_ruler (Carolina, USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Following up on arguably the most perfect Bond film ever made, "Goldfinger", Thunderball still keeps the series very strong and eventful. Thunderball is another fabulous Sean Connery classic Bond film, that can almost satisfy everyone with a little bit of everyhting in the mix. A superb villain, great locations, lots of interesting characters, cool gadgets, and a fun story are some of the great things that make up this movie.
With a viewing length of a little over 2 hours, I must admit that Thunderball was a bit slower moving than some of the earlier Bond films. As mentioned by many people, its the underwater scenes that feel quite draggy, and honestly it feels like everything slows down, ironically, since things tend to move slower in water. The climax of the film takes place underwater too, and unfortunately, is also begging to end at some point or another. But on the other hand, I thought the underwater shots were well done, and look quite clear in the new digitally remastered edition.
A few other things that bothered me in the film was the obvious poor editing, especially throughout the action sequences and when the film was sped up to give us the illusion that Largo's boat was going very fast. I guess that's 1960's work for you, but the earlier Bond films seem to have smoother action scenes. But these are just picky little things, and for the most part, I was pleased with the rest of the film.
As always with the Connery films, the story held together well and was very entertaining and well written. The large variety of charcaters helped hold the interest, and scenes with the villain "Emilio Largo" were definetly the highlights, commanding the respect as one of the better of the Bond villains. Unlike Goldfinger, Largo is a SPECTRE agent (also known as #2), and we do have the pleasure of hearing (but not yet seeing - wait till the next movie) Blofeld in the movie on a few occasions. The plot is centered around SPECTRE attempting to gain power by aquiring some atomic weapons to threaten for large sums of money. Simple plot, but like I said, it is still well done.
Fans of Bond action might be a little dissapointed with Thunderball, and what action there is, try not to focus on the editing, for that can make it even worse. For fans of everyhting else Bond, this is a definite keeper. Overall, Thunderball is still one of the better Bond films by far, and still displays Connery at his strongest.
Acting - 4.5
Action - 3.5
Characters - 4.5
Story - 4
Overall - 4.5
Old School November 18, 2007
Jeffrey (Oakland, CA)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
For many, the quintessential Bond & a great introduction to the series. Along with Goldfinger, Thunderball started the James Bond "phenomenon" that has helped the series survive all this time. Though it is a slight step down from the very best Bonds, it still delivers. There are some flaws in editing and pacing but it still has that classic Bond feel to it. The underwater fight, in particular, goes on just a bit long. The tone is relaxed, almost airy and Connery gives his last extremely enjoyable portrayal of James Bond & Claudine Auger is the best looking of all the Bondbabes.
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