Review of Thunderball (1965) by Robin W — 14 Jan 2010

After the massive success of "Goldfinger", the standard formula for the James Bond franchise was set, and it would rarely deviate from it until the series went through a reboot with "Casino Royale" forty years later; with a massive budget at its disposal and stellar production values, "Thunderball" was a spectacular event for its time and, when adjusted for inflation, its box office numbers are equivalent to what "The Dark Knight" grossed today! The film delivers everything that money can buy, containing several memorable setpieces and splendid action scenes, set against some beautiful Bahamas locations; the film does tend to get a bit overblown at times and contains far too many scenes that take place underwater, but for the most part, it's a tremendous entertainment that demonstrates why the 007 formula would be so enormously successful for so long.

Adolfo Celi's Largo is one of the all-time great Bond villains, while Luciana Paluzzi pretty much steals the movie as an deliciously sexy villainess - and is my personal choice for all-time hottest Bond girl!