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Comments
However I think the script fails in it's task to build up tension and a sense of impending desperation on Bond's part to find the nukes.
1. I don't like Largo and Volpe wearing Spectre rings. A secret organisation holding the world to ransom and they're swanning about with an 'I'm guilty sign'?
2. Largo sending quist to kill Bond makes no sense. It would have been far more sense for Bond and Largo to each maintain a uneasy cordiality while Bond investigates. By all means let Volpe be smarter than Largo but don't make Largo, Spectre no.2 to be a total idiot.
3. Better action scenes and cut down the underwater battle. Better edited fight at the end. The speeding up is ridiculous.
1) Stop the whole plot relying on pure coincidence. Bond just happens to check into the hospital where SPECTRE's whole scheme is being instigated? Really? That's your plot? If Bond goes to another hospital he doesn't recognise Derval's picture and goes off to Canada with Group Captain Pritchard and so SPECTRE succeed.
2) Any chance of any tension at some point? The plot is based on the threat of destroying a western city with a nuclear bomb. That should be exciting and suspenseful. Yet we never set foot in a city. If the finale features Bond in Miami or New York frantically hunting for the bomb then fair enough. But chasing a bomb that has had its arming fuse thrown overboard and even if it could be detonated would only go off in the middle of the sea off some atoll (which is basically how they did nuclear tests to keep the public safe remember) is utterly lame. 'But Wizard what about the bomb in Miami that gets defused?' Yeah thrilling. Defused offscreen by the CIA. I was on the edge of my seat.
People say the Peacemaker is a shit film but at least it understands how to do the last act of a world being held to ransom by a nuclear bomb plot to try and wring some suspense out of it.
3) How many scenes of someone's air hose getting cut do we need? Is there really no other way to kill someone under water?
4) Felix, Pinder, Paula - does Bond really need so many pointless allies to stand around doing nothing as he lounges on the beach day after day?
5) Lippe, Yanni, Vargas - does Bond really need so many pointless villains to stand around doing nothing as he lounges on the beach day after day?
6) Christ Claudine Auger is dull. Would be like shagging a mannequin.
7) I know they are technically impressive even by today's standards but the underwater scenes drag terribly.
8) Unbelievably sloppy continuity.
9) Agree with others - the jet pack is shockingly naff. If that was in a Brozza film people would absolutely hammer it.
10) It's just plain boring whenever Fiona isn't on screen.
That would have been awesome.Why not have two different actors play him? One should be black.
To be fair to OP, he was extremely time pressured and there wasn't an off switch.
You mean keep changing which eye it is covering?
Well continuity in TB isn't the strongest.
Wooow, you really had issues with this film hehe.
You have very good points, its just surprising that someone would have had something to say against this flick.
I thought this was as Beloved as Dr No and From Russia with love since its Terrence Young directing.
Cut big part of water scenes. Another look to boat chase editing. 132 minutes (127 minutes pall time) is way to long for 1965 movie.For record: 132 minutes is same time as for example TLD and DAD. Made it les long then Dr No and GF who are 110 minutes (105 pall time) and til QOS (106 minutes/99 minutes without credits and 102 Pall time.) be shortest movies. But mabey it wil be shortest Bond movie if we cut it down to 99 minutes.
Difrent maintitle and another actor for Felix. Mabey Felix complete cut and all his parts to Pinder . Pinder is almoost same chacter as Quarrel in Dr No and Quarrel Jr in LALD (black actor in red shirt). Earl Cameron also can have played Felix.
Thunderball have two villians, but for me hide Blofeld is for me real villian. Mysterie parts of Largo and Blofeld. Actualy return of Blofeld already be problem for me in Spectre, but atleast it have been nice if there not spill his name so fast (what be two disapointed elements at same time, because you already have seen his face then too.) and that brother thing. In my opnion there can stil fix that.
Thunderball and DAD realy need some extra editing. With already cut some of water scene's from TB and remove laser fight from DAD will inprove them already.
2. The PTS has a lot of issues: The fight with all the horrible speeding up. Bond has been following a slender lady who turns out to be a bruiser in a wig (surprise!) The jet pack - it's meant to be thrilling, but there are too many things wrong with it. How did it get there? Bond has time to put on a safety helmet (slows down the escape). Then Bond water jets the bad guys rather than just driving off. It's all a bit showboaty.
3. Pacing
On the contrary I find it hard to understand why so many people find this plodding tedium so good. One of the classics? Barely. Yes the SPECTRE meeting room and Fiona are superb and Connery is still decent (despite just playing Connery by this stage rather than the perfect embodiment of Fleming's Bond from DN.
But it's only called a classic because of Sean and the fact it was made in the 60s. Recast Bond with Brozza, film it in the late 90s with Carmen Electra as Domino and it would get slated just like the other Brozza films.
Mind you NSNA showed you can do much much worse.
* The Shrublands sequence is less interesting if we're given no reason for Bond to be there. The film could have incorporated some sly comedy by following the novel and showing Bond's lifestyle getting to him, with M going on a health craze and banishing Bond to Shrublands.
* The plastic surgery subplot is a needless complication. Get rid of Derval altogether and just have Petacchi bribed into betrayal.
* Cut Q's appearance and all those damn gadgets.
* Cut the scene of Bond breaking into Largo's house and the scene of Bond getting stranded after following Largo with the bombs.
* Cut Pinder and Paula, and give Leiter more screentime and wisecracks.
* Recast Largo. Adolfo Celi was a decent actor but he was too old, portly, and nonthreatening, for the role. Largo is supposed to younger, handsomer (Fleming compares him to a satyr), and a caddish ladykiller. An evil version of Bond, if you will.
* Cut Fiona. I know that sounds crazy--she's one of the best characters in the film--but hear me out. By splitting the original Bond girl from the novel into a good girl and bad girl, the filmmakers turned Domino into a dull dog. She is supposed to be fiery, spirited and vengeful, but those qualities were transferred to Fiona.
* Recast Domino with Luciana Paluzzi, who conveyed the fire of Fleming's original. And make her scenes with Bond more meaningful. In the book, the beachside scene, where Domino learns the truth, is far more intense. She even tells Bond she hates him, and Bond admits to her face that he loves her.
* Cut Kotze. Let's assume Domino freed herself.
* As everybody says, the underwater scenes could be trimmed. I would have cut the action aboard the Disco and followed the book, by having Bond, Leiter, and a small group of Navy divers trail Largo from a submarine, and then engaging in an intense underwater battle, with Bond and Largo duking it out on an out-of-control water chariot, and ending with an utterly exhausted Bond about to be killed by Largo. The villain gets a spear in the neck from Domino, who's also near death because of her torture. The lovers' unconscious bodies float together to the surface, but in the hospital they're separated. A heavily drugged Bond valiantly rises from his bed and makes his way to Domino. As she embraces him and tells him he'll never leave, Bond loses consciousness. A slight downer of an ending perhaps, but one with irony and emotional power.
Emotion is something the film of Thunderball is sadly short on, unlike the Bonds that preceded it.
Connery also looks like he's having a blast.
I understand some would have shortened the underwater action - again for me it is plays a great role for the mentioned atmosphere. I totally appreciate TB - especially the Shrublands, Palmyra and underwater scenes.
TB is my #2 after GF for exactly the reason of atmosphere. I started watching the early Connery movies with my oldest son (skipped FRWL because I thought the story would be hard to follow for him - will save it for until he is older than his 10 yrs he is now) and TB will be next. I am sure he will enjoy it like he did GF.
I would definitely appreciate a new 007 movie (starring Craig ;-)) spending so much time on location again (DN is another example).
I would cut out all the stuff at the beginning that shows Blofeld and SPECTRE orchestrating the plan. It’s interesting but it also robs the rest of the movie of its suspense. I would much prefer the audience finding out along with Bond exactly what’s happening.
I would also add more action. I’m not saying that it needs a 90’s level of action scenes, but come on. There’s practically none in TB. Couldn’t we stretch out the car/motorcycle sequence a bit? Or add a good fistfight? Or ANYthing? Once we do that, we can cut the final underwater “action” sequence in half.
Until the end there isn't a lot of action in the novel either.
How did I forget to put this fundamental flaw on my list.
The fact we already know everything is fatal as we just sit there bored shitless while we wait for Bond to catch up.
Strangely in FRWL this works as all we know is there is a trap to be sprung on Bond so it is fascinating to watch it play out.
In TB all we need to know is where are the bombs and as we know this from the start there is zero suspense.
YES! It's so true that it somehow works in FRWL. I think the problem in TB is that it's a mystery as to what's happening, but we've already seen the outcome. It's like reading a Christie novel when we already know whodunnit at the outset - it just becomes boring at that point.
Absolutely. Whereas in FRWL even though we know whodunnit we aren't sure what it is they have done until it all unfolds.
It was the 60s man. Everything was cool.
- I dislike the gimmicky PTS. I understand the jetpack is iconic, but it hasn't aged well and feels like something out of YOLT. If I were to edit the film, I'd use M and all the 00s listening to Blofeld's threat on tape as the PTS instead. M would say "Codename: Thunderball," the song would play. After the titles sequence, jump back a few days to the SPECTRE meeting and proceed as normal until we get to the 00 meeting again, which would pick up where it left off.
- Explain why Bond's at Shrublands. NSNA does this better. I have no problem with the coincidence of Bond and Lippe both being there - Fleming's plots often trade in happy coincidences that play out like Bond being almost fated to cross paths with villainy - but Bond needs a reason to be at Shrublands.
- Cut about 20 from the run time (mostly underwater stuff).
- Cut Bond contemplating using gadgets in car chase. Car chase should last longer. Actually put Bond in danger.
- Recast Felix.
- Redo back screen projection in Disco Volante fight.
- Take out James Bond theme over the ending (put there by editors on home release) and put back John Barry's amazing original track (found in theatrical version). Someone on YouTube did just that:
Good ideas.
That's why it should have been played more like a Columbo with Bond and Largo, until Bond rumbles him and Largo has to try and kill him.