Review of Never Say Never Again (1983) by Becky S — 04 Jul 2008

To be honest, I overrated this one a touch when I first scored it. I've always quite liked this 'unofficial' Bond movie (it's not made by the same crew as the others - and a legal battle has raged around it being a remake of Thunderball for something like 40 years!).

Connery may have been 53 when this came out but he's still Bond - doesn't miss a step, served in places by a good script that delivers some cracking lines and gags (my favourite being the 'bomb' and the ticket clerk).

Barbara Carrera easily makes Fatima Blush one of the best femme fatales in Bond history - deliciously OTT in how she acts and dresses, while Klaus Maria Brandauer is wonderfully casual yet completely demented.

An excellent motorbike set piece helps too. Downsides - Kim Basinger looks great but is a dull girl with no chemistry with Connery, the theme song and music is, frankly, God-awful (makes you realise how great John Barry and David Arnold are), and the climax is earth-shatteringly dull before breaking the 4th Wall for a poor gag.

It's also dated pretty badly overall. One for completists this - Connery fans will dig it but it'd do nothing to convert someone new to 007.