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An unofficial James Bond film, starring Sean Connery for the 7th time and released towards the end of the Roger Moore era was always going to be an interesting prospect. However, even though Kevin McClory's Thunderball (1965) remake pet project lost out to its "Battle of the Bonds" opponent Octopussy (1983), from the official EON series at the box-office, the audience is still treated to Connery donning the tuxedo once more which is indeed a delight. At 53, he proves yet again that he is the archetypal 007 and never lets the hefty 134 minute running time get the better of him or the audience's interest. As mentioned, this is a loose remake of Thunderball and fans of the original will not be too disappointed by this 1980s update. A welcome cut in the usage of underwater scenes and an exciting fight in a health clinic are highlights along with the sheer presence of Connery and his puns. Kim Basinger looks absolutely stunning as the customary heroine Domino and Klaus Maria Brandauer portrays a first-rate Maximilian Largo. Also, look out for Rowan Atkinson's excellent, yet cheesy, film debut.
Problems do arise with the inevitable comparison to its predecessor however. M and Q are completely different characters, with the 'impoverished' latter only giving Bond a motorbike instead of a dream car. The director, Irvin Kershner, of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) fame does a sterling job of capturing all of the qualities which make a normal Bond film so appealing to its loyal fanbase, whilst carefully hiding the continuity errors of the SPECTRE organisation and its relationship with Bond. He still looks like a pedestrian in comparison to Bond veteran Terence Young though, mainly because of the poor quality script. The "James Bond Theme" and gun barrel exclusions are also extremely noticeable, which ultimately leave the film as a standard action flick with an unpolished script.
The extras
None.
The summary
The nostalgia trip with the original 007 and the class of the source material make-up for the film's obvious glaring faults. Connery's payday is a watchable outing though nonetheless, even if my curiosity for an 'alternative' Bond picture wasn't fully satisfied.
