Thunderball (PG)

Even James Bond can miss his mark.

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Common Sense rates it
2
Seen the movie? Review it
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Movie details
  • Studio: MGM/UA
  • Directed By: Terence Young
  • Cast: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger
  • Running Time: 129 minutes
  • Release Date: 12/29/1965
  • Genre: Action/adventure
  • MPAA Rating: PG
  • MPAA Explanation: parental guidance suggested

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie delivers the usual Bond fare: sexy, scantily-clad women, bed-hopping, and gun and fist fights.

Families can talk about the James Bond character. Are viewers supposed to like him? Why does he have lasting appeal? How does he treat women? What do you think of this behavior? Has this changed at all over the years?

Message

Social Behavior:

Bond's womanizing and violent tactics make him an inappropriate role model.

Consumerism:

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Violence

Shooting, stabbing, and spear-gunning. Men are fed to the sharks, but none of the scenes is overly graphic. Bond's first seduction is forceful.

Sex

Some bed-hopping and a few revealing bikinis.

Language

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Scott G. Mignola

THUNDERBALL gets rolling when evil organization SPECTRE hijacks a British bomber and uses the two atomic warheads onboard as bargaining chips. They want uncut diamonds -- lots of them --- otherwise they'll launch the weapons at an American city. James Bond (Sean Connery) sets out to recover the aircraft, and ends up in the Bahamas with curvy, bikini-clad Domino. She helps him get the goods on SPECTRE's Number Two, who is hiding the stolen aircraft underwater, guarded by sharks.

Is it any good?

2
Thunderball bored the socks off adventure-hungry kids in the 60s, and time hasn't done it any favors. Sean Connery plays an admirable Bond, but he doesn't have enough opportunity to cap off his victories with suave witticisms. Tossed out with a deadpan, these comic touches are a hallmark of the series. Without many of these moments, the adventure seems lackluster.

This installment in the series doesn't follow the usual formula of pitting the debonair favorite against a cunning adversary. This time, Bond chases a lackey, a Number Two, and spends much of his time on a global egg hunt for a downed plane. The real crippler, though, is that much of the action takes place underwater. Although the cinematography is advanced for its day, the slow, unwieldy underwater fight scenes don't deliver a requisite adrenaline rush. Oddly, the scenes are cross-cut with shots of disinterested sea life, as if to suggest that director Terence Young was more interested in fish and lobsters than he was in the action sequences.

Parents and kids say

All Reviews

There are 2 reviews.

5

Posted on 07/04/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 9

good movie

bond is really good but there are some violent spots
4


Posted on 11/19/06 by bubbo Kid contributor, age 13

Good

I have to disagree with CSM on this one, I think it was one of Bond's better outings. It is very corny but entertaining and lots of fun.

Adult Reviews

There are 0 reviews.

There are no adult reviews.

Kids Reviews

There are 2 reviews.

5

Posted on 07/04/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 9

good movie

bond is really good but there are some violent spots
4


Posted on 11/19/06 by bubbo Kid contributor, age 13

Good

I have to disagree with CSM on this one, I think it was one of Bond's better outings. It is very corny but entertaining and lots of fun.
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