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Thunderball
Thunderball
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Thunderball

Thunderball

1965
Suspense/Thriller, Action
2h 10m
James Bond heads to The Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by SPECTRE agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme.

Thunderball

1965
Suspense/Thriller, Action
2h 10m
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Avg Percentile 47.95% from 2629 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2651)
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Rated 27 Nov 2015
75
65th
The nonstop underwater footage is totally eclipsed by the deluge of shots of Connery's own thunderballs trying to explode out of those flimsy shorts.
Rated 21 Oct 2008
50
38th
Not as good as the first three films by far. It's just mediocre.. The underwater action is somewhat dull. Connery is obviously great but the supporting cast isn't outstanding in any way. The plot feels a bit forced, and it's certainly not very fluid. Has the expected amount of good one-liners and wittiness, and a few memorable enough scenes for it to be worth watching. However, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger will give you much more.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
6
70th
Ah, the classic "villain steals nuclear warheads and holds the world ransom" scenario. Sean Connery is as cool as ever and it's got some gorgeous location shooting in the Bahamas and Fiona Volpe, one of my favorite villainous femme fatales in all of classic cinema. But endless and meandering underwater "action" scenes do it no favors and hold it well back from the heights of the rest of Connery's first five Bonds. (Ytadel's series ranking: #20 of 24)
Rated 28 Oct 2008
72
55th
It's a good action movie but not as good as the other Sean Connery Bond movies in my opinion. There's just too many underwater fight and action scenes and most feel "off," probably due to the fact they're almost all sped up using obvious fast forwarding to counteract how anything done underwater appears in slow motion relative to out of water action. The blue screening on the boat looks off as well. Still Connery is fantastic, Luciana Paluzzi is gorgeous and it has some great one liners.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
35th
Bond movies are best when they keep moving, and Thunderball, like Dr. No, just doesn't have enough variety in the locations. Far too much time is spent in Nassau. The underwater stuff wears out its welcome as well. I also noticed a number of small flaws... bad edits, poor dubbing, other little things. Nothing major, but more than there should be in a production of this scale. However, the film has some entertaining moments, including some of the best one-liners.
Rated 01 Sep 2017
75
75th
James Bond Project 2017: The first Bond movie in the series that really feels like a sequel, and that's with the derogatory connotation of the word in mind. Full of the familiar ingredients for a Bond film, but something is off with this particular martini's mixture. The movie's pacing feels way off with its bloated script and awkward scuba "action". However for the most part, as long as we aren't underwater, the movie is an entertaining enough Bond movie.
Rated 06 Dec 2012
55
56th
"Underwater fight scenes are like the drum solos of movies"
Rated 12 Oct 2012
55
56th
Jetpacks! Bond sexually assaults a nurse and blackmails her into blowing him. Claudine Auger is stunning. Not much else is successful here. The underwater scenes were probably a huge logistical and technical challenge, but they don't play out that well onscreen. Again, Bond triumphs due to blind luck. What happened to the brown-shirted henchman at the end who saved the girl and stopped the villain? They just left him floating in the ocean while Bond and Domino get winched away.
Rated 21 Aug 2022
64
51st
Thunderball's noticeably higher budget enables its ambitious & extensive underwater scenes, but missteps on several other technical aspects. Uneven pacing that sees the film start with prolonged panning over ocean vistas but end as if someone had accidently flicked the fast-forward switch. The sound editing has consistently been poor, but is somewhat worse here, with an ill-fitting score to pair. The plot calls out the ludicrous from Goldfinger, but has Bond commit twice as many sexual assaults.
Rated 04 Dec 2019
82
65th
Having seen the 83 remake first, part of what held my interest was seeing the parallels, but there's some stand-out stuff (the opening twist; the funniest joke in any Bond film "Pass me something to wear"; an unforgettable pool trap) & a good amount that's ok but unmemorable (the villain; the romantic lead; the action at the spa - albeit not Bond's quid pro quo for sex). The finale is a long underwater battle which is impressive, but mostly on a mental level - as in "Must've been hard to shoot".
Rated 20 Oct 2012
60
50th
In need of an editor and a step down compared to the three flicks that came before but it's pretty decent entertainment still. Maybe someone should remake it... wait a minute! .. that turned out to be an all-round horrible idea, didn't it?
Rated 03 Jun 2012
78
46th
THUNDERBALL, for all its lavishness, lacks the real spark that the best Bonds bring to the table; the core story isn't too bad, but the main villain, Largo (Adolfo Celi), is fairly dull, while the overlength and flabby script hamper it further. Still, there's a lot to enjoy here, including Ted Moore's fine cinematography, John Barry's superb score, Luciana Paluzzi as a true femme fatale, and Terence Young's direction--of the series' directors, he was perhaps the best at making them thrillers.
Rated 12 Dec 2011
80
73rd
I don't think I've ever fully understood why Thunderball doesn't work. Connery is still great as Bond, but the action and the characters around him seem uninspired, especially after the glory that is Goldfinger. In fact, I'd say there really isn't much memorable from this movie other than the precredit sequence (with the jetpack!) and the "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" theme. It might also be a problem of too many baddies - characters like Bouvar and Lippe and Vargas all sort of blend together.
Rated 10 Dec 2011
67
21st
Mostly forgettable. It's disjointed and poorly paced, also lacking a strong villain and climax. The underwater battle is weird; it's ridiculous and campy, and if it had come earlier in the film, it would be cool, but being the biggest moment in the movie, it's really awkward and off-putting. There are some great shining moments that show there's still a lot of magic there, but they're too few.
Rated 31 Jan 2024
49
11th
This one sucks
Rated 01 Sep 2022
92
85th
This is in my top three Bond films for sure. Domino is kind of spineless but she steps it up.
Rated 29 Aug 2020
99
90th
Members of the cast and crew were interviewed several times about this movie while it was being shot, due to the immense popularity of the Bond film franchise. Sir Sean Connery, however, consented to just one interview, and it was with Playboy Magazine.
Rated 29 Aug 2020
7
58th
In many ways reminiscent of Casino Royale, from its opening fight scene, to the excellent pacing and undeniable entertainment value. Would've rivalled the excellent Goldfinger had the ending been trimmed down a bit but I still had a blast with this one. Gets extra credit for arguably the hottest bond girls so far.
Rated 09 Dec 2017
61
27th
Just like no one really likes the swimming levels in Super Mario. Slow moving water ballets stop the momentum like no other.
Rated 01 Oct 2016
78
54th
A slight improvement over Goldfinger in my mind. It strikes a very similar tone but the slight campiness is more consistent making it less jarring and more enjoyable to me. Like the others it has some moments of bloat, but is largely well paced with fun Bond moments and a few more action scenes than it's predecessors.
Rated 02 May 2016
60
72nd
Another very decent Connery 007, Thunderball gets the tone right throughout - until it decides to throw in an overlong, tedious, lets-see-how-many-ways-we-can-kill-a-diver-with-a-harpoon action climax that threatens to wipe out all the good that came before it. Bond himself glides through the film effortlessly, even if some of his lines become eye-rollingly cheesy. Claudine Auger is a pretty tasty bird, although telling her apart from the other two Bond girls here takes a while.
Rated 04 Dec 2015
7
68th
It's tough to imagine that Terence Young won't be remembered as the best Bond director. A lot more of what you have come to expect: a lot of fun, a lot of girls, a lot of great one liners. The underwater scenes were not cinematic at all, probably looked better on paper. It's odd because the Bond fight on the boat immediately after is arguably the most cinematic thing Young did in any of his 3 outings. The villain is pretty forgettable but the Bond girl is gorgeous and underrated.
Rated 30 Aug 2013
52
47th
It's enjoyable enough; it is Sean Connery Bond after all. But the underwater fight scenes are less entertaining than the writers thought they would be.
Rated 10 Jul 2012
78
66th
Connery was cruising by this point and the movie doesn't quiet match the swagger of Goldfinger, but still effortlessly plies the glory Bond years, concluding with a stunning underwater battle.
Rated 09 Jan 2010
56
57th
I barely remember anything about this except for lots of underwater harpoonists and the fact that Claudine Auger is the most attractive Bond girl in the whole franchise.
Rated 04 Dec 2009
50
67th
Commercially the most successful Bond, but certainly not the best despite a plethora of action sequences.
Rated 18 May 2009
75
52nd
the bulk of it is slow and uneventful, for the most part all the good action is at the begining and end. the underwater fights are simply not exciting, and only the final fight scene on the boat is of excellent quality. has some witty remarks here and there, but not enough to fix the wrong turns this one made.
Rated 07 Apr 2009
69
53rd
The underwater battle royale made for a great climax but the hundred minutes before it dragged for what seemed like forever. Connery is still in fine form, though!
Rated 23 Jul 2008
55
44th
Thunderball contains the most underwater scenes out of all Bond movies and quite possibly in action movie history. The action is a bit of a bore (not much tension when the hero is invincible) but the romance actually withstands the test of time, it's cheeky and (literally) bubbly and Claudine Auger as "Domino" is one of the hotter Bond girls.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
36th
Not the strongest Bond flick but quite respectable. Good villain and a great chase scene if my memory serves me correctly.
Rated 16 May 2007
83
53rd
c'mon -- its Connery!
Rated 20 Mar 2007
84
70th
Great Bond film that is action packed and full of memorable scenes.
Rated 08 Nov 2024
39
15th
I just watched Ducktales and it had a spy themed episode and THAT was much more interesting than whatever this was. Couldn't finish it 🙃
Rated 16 May 2023
68
55th
When Bond busts out the jetpack, I thought this must be the first stinker in the series. But most of everything else is as good as the earlier entries. The underwater scenes are in some ways incredible, but also very dull at stretches (wide shots of underwater action just don't see to work at all).
Rated 12 Apr 2023
79
67th
Wow that scuba war scene..
Rated 09 Feb 2023
20
12th
aka "James Bond's SCUBAdventure!" So much underwater, so much chit-chat with villains to pad out the runtime. And they sped up the footage during action scenes like...a dozen times? Worst Connery Bond thus far.
Rated 01 Feb 2023
50
26th
Damn, James Bond sure was horny. Austin Powers didn't really change much about the character. This film is 130 minutes, and conservatively, 120 of those minutes are spent underwater watching incomprehensible.
Rated 28 Dec 2022
72
83rd
The plot is memorable in itself and plenty of elements people associate with classic Bond movies. Some of the investigating was interesting too. There was however the question of the underwater scenes: they were great feat of cinematography back then, with impressive amount of complicated footage. But to the average viewer, it can grow tedious and slow, especially since the underwater scenes are plural and many and so lose their novelty
Rated 10 Aug 2022
60
31st
fantastik hikayeli aksiyon serisinde her zamanki gibi bond kötü adamın yanındaki kızları kendine aşık edip olayları çözmeye çalışıyor. bu filmden bağımsız kadınları biraz harcıyor gibi geliyor ama tabi serinin bununla ilgili bir sorunu yok.
Rated 22 Jul 2021
70
70th
Not as memorable as the previous Bond movie. I liked the plot and the characters in this one. It's a bit more slow paced, however. Great action scenes.
Rated 06 Dec 2020
80
41st
Entertaining but there had already been a carribean setting before. Too over the top. But there are some solid special effects!
Rated 11 May 2020
50
58th
Parts of Thunderball still hold up, but not the action at the end of the film.
Rated 03 Apr 2020
5
8th
it feels like an hour of this film is underwater
Rated 07 Sep 2019
42
18th
Rewatched Thunderball for the first time in 20 some-odd years. I can see why its rarely shown on tv these days (while the first 3 of Connery's Bond films are played ad nauseam.) Only the opening fight had any energy to it. The rest takes too long to go nowhere fast with lazy paint-by-numbers direction and dialogue and, aside from Sir Sean & Paluzzi, charmless performances abound. The worst of the Connery Bonds.
Rated 12 Jun 2019
70
42nd
The immediate follow-up to "Goldfinger" pretty much follows the same formula, but it's all just a little bit less interesting. It's not a bad Bond film, and Connery is probably at the peak of his time in the role (not sloping off into disinterest yet), but it feels more like a well-executed formula here. Part of the issue might be that the climactic underwater battle, which would have been technically innovative in it's day, plays as slow and lethargic now.
Rated 23 Apr 2019
80
59th
Thunderball does have its slow moments for sure. The villain is a little one note as well. However, it makes up for these things with a committed performance from Connery and some amazingly beautiful locales to explore.
Rated 07 Dec 2018
50
11th
Emilio Largo: "Vargas does not drink, does not smoke, does not make love. What do you do, Vargas?"
Rated 19 Oct 2018
65
68th
This is where you could see Bond being phoned in just a little. Not that it is bad, it's quite good. But this isn't quite as sharp and not quite as well-executed as the two previous entries. It still makes for a pretty solid ride with some genuine thrills.
Rated 15 Oct 2018
48
12th
What a dud
Rated 21 Aug 2018
40
30th
(Rewatch. I'll give it some more slack since the underwater scenes were more interesting this time around, except for the ending. Bond got rapier. #2's pretty awesome since he's matching Bond in skills and abilities. Fav scene: jet pack exit was awesome, but couldn't he have flown further away?) Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, but the film seemed to drag on and on. The women were all fairly similar so it was confusing. The underwater scenes were boring. A very forgettable film.
Rated 25 Feb 2018
70
35th
A definite step backwards for the franchise. Not as visually compelling as previous entries, and the level of cartoonishness continues to rise. Connery isn't as compelling. Even the title credit sequence felt weak. Still fun enough, however, even if it's not quite as good.
Rated 11 Feb 2018
70
73rd
A clunky but very enjoyable Bond adventure.
Rated 28 Oct 2017
68
36th
TOO MUCH SCUBA
Rated 06 Jun 2016
39
20th
It's sometimes claimed that Bond is the ultimate wishfulfilment fantasy for men everywhere, but I gotta say that blackmailing a woman into sleeping with you and then having her beg for a second date strikes me as something that should be for a more narrow category. Other than that it's mostly boring. Bond looks for a couple of stolen nukes and has to seduce a couple of women and there are no plot twists or actual developments and yet it drags out for more than two hours. Themesong is plain bad.
Rated 20 Jan 2016
78
57th
Yeah, it's no Goldfinger :
Rated 09 Nov 2015
60
57th
I think this version have best bond girls.
Rated 25 Sep 2015
85
34th
The trademark Bond bloat starts to set in here, and it's neither as tight nor as thrilling as the first three installments, but there's still plenty of action and visual splendor to carry the day.
Rated 20 Aug 2015
72
50th
Seen 2x
Rated 06 Aug 2015
68
54th
Good Bond film, but the underwater fight scenes aren't very good at all. Everyone moves slow and the action is difficult to see.
Rated 12 May 2015
50
29th
A quarter of the film is underwater. There are so many complicated submarine sequences it feels like a long episode of Stingray. This would be fine but water slows things down and Thunderball makes no effort to escape this fact. These parts seem to last forever and it's difficult to tell what the fuck is going on.
Rated 02 Apr 2015
70
51st
Thunderball is overcrowded by interchangeable characters and way longer than it needs to be (it takes nearly an hour into the movie to even introduce Bond's mission). Nevertheless, the underwater photography is uniformly beautiful (and impressive, choreography-wise), and Fiona Volpe is a femme fatale for the ages. I really do like Thunderball a lot; probably more than I should... it's just too bad some of the material wasn't left on the cutting room floor.
Rated 18 Mar 2015
50
45th
Not the best of the Bond flicks, but not bad.
Rated 07 Dec 2014
50
24th
Bond er ofte ganske kjedelig.
Rated 27 Jul 2014
85
44th
Too long. But the battle underwater was awesome!
Rated 16 Jun 2014
70
42nd
While I won't argue that this bond flick is a standout champion, one cannot deny that, given how many reference I've seen to this movie in parodies and what not, this film is somewhat of a landmark.
Rated 04 May 2014
15
9th
This movie needed to be cut by, like, half an hour. So many scenes just drag and the action is nigh incomprehensible. Pure shit.
Rated 19 Jan 2014
58
74th
Fairly action packed with a fairly bored looking Bond. Still, the simple yet meticulously executed evil plan almost succeeds if not for Bond and his "team." Largo makes a good villain.
Rated 06 Dec 2013
75
57th
Auger was good, as was the central villain. Unfortunately though all those underwater sequences proved rather draggy, especially the (anti)-climactic battle royal at the end. It's like everything is going in slow motion, plus everybody is wearing all this goofy equipment, so it's practically like watching some ballet troupe try to stage an action film.
Rated 22 Sep 2013
50
13th
So far this is the worst Bond film I've seen. You know something is wrong when the most interesting part of the film is the man-eating sharks. The end isn't bad, but with about two almost dull hours before it, there is little that could be done to change my mind.
Rated 21 Aug 2013
84
55th
Many would state Goldfinger has it all for a Bond film, but I'd argue Thunderball takes the cake for the Connery era. It has gadgets, but they don't get too silly. It has action that lingers too long sometimes, but is still great stuff you won't find anywhere else. Yes, the film drags more than it should in places and can feel disjointed and aimless, but by the climax everything checks out, and it never actually gets boring.
Rated 08 Aug 2013
65
56th
Very poorly edited.
Rated 06 Aug 2013
69
49th
I'm amazed that they were able to crank out one of these movies every year, given how much was involved in the production. They were shooting in exotic locations, like the Bahamas, they had to orchestrate an elaborate parade scene, and I'm sure a lot of shark-wrangling was involved. Not to mention a huge underwater fight scene that must have taken ages to stage and shoot. Also, this one was fortunate enough to receive possibly the coolest title of any Bond movie.
Rated 27 Jul 2013
20
19th
The opening scene with the jetpack is delicious post-Goldfinger Bond camp. The rest of the film is bafflingly boring with its painfully long and sluggish underwater scenes and three Bond girls who all look like the same girl in a different wig. (2/5)
Rated 23 Jul 2013
65
66th
Too many underwater scenes ruin any chance of this movie being as great as the first 3 Bonds.
Rated 30 Jun 2013
80
78th
Wallows in its opulent budget with its baroque underwater photography, but it works.
Rated 02 May 2013
8
76th
Thunderball raises the bar of expectation and it lives up to the excitement & escapism of it's predocessor 'Goldfinger'. Sean Connery is on top form once again with some of his most memorable Bond moments and one liners. The underwater battles in particular are impressive. Silliness has undoubtedly begun to creep into the films as the set pieces get bigger and the gadgets become increasingly outlandish. That said, it's Bond films like Thunderball that have comfortably stood the test of time.
Rated 10 Apr 2013
75
59th
Gets a bit too goofy at times, though it does end up an entertaining whole and another fun Bond adventure.
Rated 04 Apr 2013
79
55th
If you can get past the sexism, the issues with editing and consistency, and the fact that it's really long, Thunderball is a very enjoyable, entertaining, exciting Bond film. The humor is great, the action is amazing and though I sort of hate to admit it...underwater espionage actually works really well. Very drawn out, but beautifully choreographed movie.
Rated 24 Feb 2013
50
7th
Inoffensive, but uninteresting, there just wasn't any tension.
Rated 19 Jan 2013
74
75th
Great Bond.
Rated 06 Jan 2013
78
58th
77.500
Rated 16 Dec 2012
76
55th
slows down at some parts but the underwater fight scenes definitely worth watching, very well shot
Rated 05 Dec 2012
49
26th
Well too long and with a plot stretched excruciatingly thin, Thunderball doesn't really continue rolling where Goldfinger left off. The underwater scenes could have been a nice touch but they are severely overdone (and the final one of them is just utterly silly). It is sad too because the film had a lot of momentum after the action-packed opening scene and the initial set-up. At least Sean Connery delivers the best Bond yet. But they actually kill an actual shark. Yeah, not a big fan of that.
Rated 18 Nov 2012
90
91st
One of the better Bonds :)
Rated 17 Nov 2012
70
53rd
Very entertaining and....those beauties...miau!!
Rated 06 Nov 2012
70
54th
Great under water battles & the codename 'thunderball' in which all the 00's participate was really a cool plot. Oddly enough it's James Bond who's always in the right place at the right time to deal with the badguys (Number 2 - just love the name).. GREAT QUOTE: "James Bond: That gun, it looks more fitting for a woman. Emilio Largo: You know much about guns, Mr. Bond? James Bond: No, but I know a little about women. "
Rated 31 Oct 2012
60
60th
The best Bond girl.
Rated 04 Jul 2012
77
59th
76.500
Rated 20 Mar 2012
45
38th
This is perhaps the best Bond performance by Connery. But the film is not among his bests. The buildup is great with meeting at both SPECTRE and MI6, but the final hour is very weak. The worst part is the insane amount of slow, boring and bad underwater scenes.
Rated 17 Nov 2011
61
30th
Mostly boring, but Connery makes it better. Some weird dubbing and editing going on here and there.
Rated 12 Sep 2011
60
37th
Should reassess.
Rated 01 Sep 2011
78
62nd
Goodun.
Rated 06 Aug 2011
82
56th
Some spectacular underwater sequences and and compelling villains make up for the crushing tedium of the health spa sequence.
Rated 10 Jul 2011
3
43rd
This one lacks suspense... And I couldn't tell the women apart. NB: I'm a huge fan of JB but I don't like when he forces himself on the women and kisses them without their consent. Wouldn't have been ok today.
Rated 08 Jul 2011
73
31st
Proof positive that any action scene set underwater is inevitably doomed to be boring, no matter how short Sean Connery's swimsuit's shorts are.
Rated 29 May 2011
50
23rd
I don't have anything against Bond movies, but this one wasn't very good. There is a ridiculous jet pack scene within 10 minutes of the beginning which sets the stage for a pretty ridiculous film overall. There are numerous underwater action scenes that all devolve in the same way, two guys wrestling each other while they grab the others wrists. Add to the fact that they blatantly maimed/killed sharks on screen and it's a movie I can feel safe in telling anyone not a Bond fan to avoid.
Rated 30 Apr 2011
85
54th
really like pre-credits thing
Rated 26 Feb 2011
65
46th
Would have gotten a higher rating if it weren't for the last 5 minutes. Woof.
Rated 17 Dec 2010
67
69th
Some really memorable scenes in this. I'm watching the bond films from the beginning, and this is the best one so far. Great finale, but a 40 minutes could easily have been cut from the rest of the film.
Rated 27 Sep 2010
57
35th
One of the more tedious Bond entries but a big boxoffice success. Tom Jones sang the title song. Remade as "Never Say Never Again" in 1983 with Connery reprising his role as Bond after a 12-year absence.

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