Never Say Never Again

Take it for what it is..a stand alone Bond movie. It’s great to see Connery back in the role he defined, if a little older and with a bit more timber. It’s a fun movie, no more, no less.

Having driven Bond creator Ian Fleming to an early grave by asserting a dubious copyright claim to the novel Thunderball, producer Kevin McClory then wasted the next half century pursuing his spurious claim to the Bond character. Fortunately, the courts repeatedly threw out his ludicrous claims, so all he had was his rights to Thunderball (which he shouldn't have been granted in the first place and only secured because a gravely-ill Fleming threw in the towel at the copyright hearing as he knew the court ordeal was killing him) - hence this remake. Even if it wasn't a grave robbing travesty, this movie would be a disaster. The script, direction and production values are all below par, but the biggest disappointment is Sean Connery's much-heralded comeback. Frankly, he's a tribute to the embalmers' art - his make-up and wig are appalling - and his performance is far too benign (in fairness, though, the actual production of the movie was a nightmare and Connery himself bore much of the stress as he tried to hold the whole shambolic mess together). This has no place alongside the other Bond movies. Avoid at all costs.

I'm afraid Renegade Master doesn't get it. This is not a 'Bond' film because it's a truly awful remake of Thunderball. It was never licensed to use the 007 trademark from the start. Don't waste your time or money on this. Watch Thunderball.