(Review originally written at 18 March 2006)
*** This review may contain spoilers **
I consider this movie to be one of the weaker one's out of the long series of Bond movies. Yes, sure it still has an entertainment value but it lacks some of the fundamental things that made most of the other Bond movies so good and fun to watch.
Perhaps the thing that I find to be most disappointing about this movie is the action. Most of the Bond movies always have some cool fist fights and a big spectacular finale. The biggest fight sequence and finale in this movie are set underwater. I could be me, but I don't find underwater fights to be spectacular or terribly exciting to watch. Also the ending is completely ridiculous, mainly because it's so incredibly fake and ridiculous looking. Also the fact that James Bond doesn't kill the main villain in this one but another person does, just doesn't feel right and not suiting for the style of the series. The movie seriously lacks some memorable impressive sequence and therefor "Thunderball" is one of the more forgettable Bond movies.
Another disappointing aspect are the Bond girls. Bond-girls have never been known for their acting skills but Claudine Auger really is a bad, charismatic-less actress, that just doesn't known how to make a lasting impression on the silver screen. Also Rik Van Nutter is a horrible Felix Leiter in this movie.
The plot and the way it is told also isn't terribly exciting and might be a bit too confusing for the more casual viewer at times. So it could be just the story which makes this movie to be in my opinion, one of the weaker Bond movies but I think it's a combination of all those elements I mentioned before.
Luckily Sean Connery still is in good form though in this movie. He is in his element as James Bond and he delivers some good one-liners. Also Bond-regulars Desmond Llewelyn, Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell are luckily present in the movie, to still give the movie that typical 'Bond-feeling'.
The movie still is decent entertainment to watch but it's nothing memorable really, with the exception of the Tom Jones theme song maybe.
6/10
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