Dr. No

James Bond films are anomalies. Despite the fact they depict the adventures of an assassin who beds lots of women in the course of saving the world, they are, bizarrely, family films for the most part. Death is handled in a comic book fashion - ironically in more a fantastical way than some of the ultra-violent superhero films of recent years (I'm looking at you, Batman v Superman). The sex is handled in a PG way, there is no real nudity and the first actual swear word wasn't heard till the 1970s. The Daniel Craig films have skewed more adult, but you can't really go wrong with one of the Sean Connery originals. That said, some caution is needed with regards to Dr. No. This was the very first Bond film, and it's safe to say there had never been a film like it - certainly not a character like Bond in cinema. And so there's a certain amount of "wild oats sowing" going on as they worked to get the feel for what they could and couldn't get away with. This first Bond is rougher on the edges, with Connery playing a slightly less likeable, more cold-blooded Bond than those accustomed to his later films, or that of Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan, might think. In particular, there is one scene in which Bond murders a villain in a disturbing fashion that, frankly, would not be seen again until Daniel Craig's Bond. In fact he commits two murders (there's an unlucky minion who gets knifed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time). And it's hard to like Bond after seeing these two moments, and fans of Ian Fleming's novels (like me) also tend to dispute whether these scenes are faithful to the books - neither death occurs in the original novel. Fortunately, by the time of the next film, From Russia with Love, many of the rough edges had been smoothed out (though a few remained in place for years; his treatment of women needs to be examined through the context of the era though it's a bit of a myth that Bond girls were all brainless stereotypes, and hearing what Honey Ryder did with a certain black widow spider and a man who molested her is chilling). As such, while I certainly have no trouble recommending Dr. No, I do suggest it not be the first Bond film you ever see. It was in fact the last Sean Connery Bond I ever saw for the first time, and I think I appreciated it more by knowing how 007 - certainly the Connery version - evolved through films like Goldfinger and Thunderball.

I let my 12 year old son watch just had to fast forward one scene where sensitive parts are visible on woman it has burning people alive and bloody shootings but I think that stuff is ok for most 12 year olds.