LOOK UP! LOOK DOWN! LOOK OUT! HERE COMES THE BIGGEST BOND OF ALL!

Two nukes are stolen and used in an extortion scheme against the world community; James Bond (Sean Connery) must find the bombs and whoever is responsible.

The fourth Bond flick has its moments; the actors are good, including Adolfo Celi as the eye-patched baddie, and the underwater sequences are both pretty and exciting. A climactic battle between divers is magnificent, but the grandness of the film doesn’t really translate into something truly memorable.

Claudine Auger’s character is bland and long sections of the film pass without much interesting going on.

1965-U.K.-U.S. 129 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Terence Young. Novel: Ian Fleming. Cinematography: Ted Moore. Song: “Thunderball” (performed by Tom Jones). Cast: Sean Connery (James Bond), Claudine Auger (Dominic “Domino” Derval), Adolfo Celi (Emilio Largo), Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van Nutter, Martine Beswick, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell. 

Trivia: Raquel Welch and Julie Christie were considered for the part of Domino; Guy Hamilton was offered to direct. Johnny Cash contributed a title song, but it was rejected. Remade as Never Say Never Again (1983). Followed by You Only Live Twice (1967).

Oscar: Best Visual Effects.