Review of Dr. No (1962) by Allan C — 19 Aug 2015

Starting off my huge set of reviews, covering all the Bond movies, in the lead up to Sepctre's release, lets begin with the film that started it all and cemented Sean Connery and the character of James Bond firmly on the big screen for decades to come.

Although nowhere near as preposterous, big and action packed as the series would later become, Dr No is a wonderfully crafted espionage thriller, that roots the character of Bond and the building blocks for further installments.

After an undercover operative in Jamaica and his assistant vanish off the face of the earth, James Bond is sent over to the exotic paradise to make sense of the strange goings on. However on his arrival, Bond discovers a country with a huge secret, especially one surrounding an almost mythic status called Crab Island, which happens to house on scientific genius, who has some pretty terrible plans.

Its hardly brain surgery levels of intelligence we are watching here, however what Dr No does manage to do it get a real sense of threat and the life of spies in general. With constant double crossing, attempted assassination and intelligence gathering, Dr No very rarely feels stale at all.

This is importantly driven home even further by Sean Connery's performance as the womanizing British spy, with a license to kill. Connery completely understands the role, being able to flit from expert killer to ladies man in the blink of an eye.

Although slightly tainted by modern day society, Bond still feels exciting, if not slightly redundant on many of its themes, a large part of this is due to just how much society views sex and race in the modern era.

However Dr No does recreate its period flawlessly and Connery is exactly the right person to be in the driving seat. The movie gives off a sense of adventure, one that a lot of people will feel awaken within themselves, wishing they were a special agent, capable of traveling the world, dining on the finest food and drink and of course being a bad ass all the time.

The film also has a fantastic sense of comedy, Bond's one liners are something of a commonplace these days, however here, they feel special and relevant, usually post action set piece or after Bond has just offed someone in a grulling Mexican stand off.

It is an extremely iconic movie, containing some of cinemas finest and most distinct moments, Honey Ryder's entrance, played brilliantly by Ursula Anderss, being the most notable. Its fun and tense, stylish and bold, minus the insanity that latter Bonds would turn into.

Dr No is clearly testing the water, its finding its footing and although not perfect, a clunky middle, a lot of exposition and too little of the villain himself, we can ultimately forgive it, as not only what it does but what it paves the way for, is nothing short of astonishing.

Dr No is an exotic, lush and tense slice of cinema, full of fun, adrenaline and style, it may not be the series high point, but its importance is too distinct to rule over. A must for cinema fans and Bond fans alike.