When the news broke to me that Sean Connery passed away at the respectable age of 90, I was sad, I always had the feeling he was one of those guys who would be around forever. I also never realized he was already 90. But I that should not have come to me as a surprise as he starred as James Bond in the early 60's. Sean Connery starred in so many great films, but I think the role that will always be his is that of James Bond, the original. (His other favorite role of mine is that of Indiana Jones's dad!) He is the Bond all the other Bond actors base their performance off. He is the James Bond that kicked off one of my favorite franchises.
Dr. No is a solid film debut film for the character of Bond, James Bond. It isn't overly complicated, it has a fun villain in Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman), it's first Bond girl in Ursula Andress as the scuba-diving shell collecting Honey Ryder and it lets us hear the iconic theme a lot! It introduces us to Felix Leiter, Moneypenny and M! Nothing really spectacular happens but it'll hold your attention.
All in all, even though I have seen this one a lot, I still enjoyed this rewatch and I can't wait to go through every Bond again. Still sad I haven't seen the latest Bond, but I know I will enjoy the heck out of it on the big screen when all this COVID stuff is over.
Sir Sean Connery, rest in piece. You will be missed!
James Bond dons the training wheels in his first appearance on the screen, heading off a surprise threat in Jamaica... where everyone speaks with a British accent. Without the kind of galactic-sized budget or recklessly eccentric touches that would come to define the series in later installments, I was impressed with the film's ingenuity in filling those holes. Though Bond lacks his usual cache of gimmicks and gadgets, that time is instead spent inspecting the finer points of his espionage work, which I appreciated. There's something to be said for firing lasers from a pocket watch, but I was just as captivated watching Sean Connery booby trap his closet with a single strand of hair or set up a would-be assassin by rolling his bedsheets into a bundle and laying in wait.
It loses touch with that grounded sensibility in the third act, though, which is much more in-line with what one would expect from the series. Bond's dastardly eponymous foil is comically run-of-the-mill, although he doesn't truly get enough screen time to explain himself and seems far too easily defeated. This is such a Connery showcase, though, that I doubt there'd have been room for such elaborations to stick anyway.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParentSpoilers2020-11-04T13:22:04Z
REWATCHING ‘DR. NO’ TO THE MEMORY OF SIR SEAN CONNERY
WRITING: 7
ATMOSPHERE: 7
CHARACTERS: 7
PRODUCTION: 5
INTRIGUE: 6
NOVELTY: 7
ENJOYMENT: 7
The Good:
The classic opening sequence sets the standard for all the rest of the Bond films, even though it is slightly messier than the subsequent ones. That main theme is just as majestic now as it surely was back in 1962.
Sean Connery isn't my favourite Bond actor, but it's impossible to deny the charm and cultural impact his performance has gained over the decades. He looks good, he is suave and he feels like the handsome and calculative spy he is supposed to be.
Ursula Andress is suitably good-looking and tough as the very first Bond girl. Her acting is okay and her characterization might not completely work by today's standards, but she remains some of the better Connery era Bond girls.
Quarrel remains one of my favourite sidekicks of all time; he's such high-spirited that it's difficult not to like him.
The classic Bond film formula wasn’t established until Goldfinger (1964), but Dr No still contains many elements that are considered iconic nowadays and looking out for them as a Bond fan is just as entertaining as enjoying the film.
Joseph Wiseman sets the standard for a Bond villain performance with his cold and creepy demeanour.
As is usual for Bond movies, Dr No has an immensely quotable script and contains several memorable sequences.
The Bad:
The one-off Q seen here is so dry and forgettable I always forget that it isn't Desmond Llewellyn who is in this one.
The performances, action and editing are very 60s at times, and not as high quality as in some of the later Connery Bonds. Some of the supporting acting is horrendous.
Dr No sets up the main mission, but takes a good while to turn interesting, which happens once Bond arrivers at Crab Key Island.
The main theme heard throughout the film is iconic, but the rest of the score is average at best.
The Crab Key dragon is one of the sillier and more laughable foes Bond has faced.
It's a shame Dr No doesn’t have a bigger presence in the film. One barely realizes he's the big baddie of the film because he only appears in person during the last 25 minutes.
The climax is one of the least exciting in the entire series and doesn’t feel like a climactic sequence at all. It’s over almost as soon as it started.
The Ugly:
RIP Sean Connery. You are sorely missed.
WACPINE RATING: 6.57 / 10 = 3.5 stars