The James Bond movies quickly became popular. There were complications to getting Thunderball made because of issues with the rights to the story. Those issues eventually led to another version of the movie being made. Never Say Never Again was released in 1983 and featured Sean Connery as James Bond again.
The new M doesn't think much of the 00 agents and has basically retired them from field work. James Bond has been doing more teaching than anything lately, something which irritates him. After simulations, M decides to send James to a spa to get rid of his free radicals. While there, James stumbles onto a plot by SPECTRE. Once the plane is set in motion, M has to reactivate the 00 agents and James is assigned to the case. That causes him to meet Maximilian Largo and his lover Domino, who is also the sister of a man integral to SPECTRE's plan.
Never Say Never Again has basically the same plot as Thunderball, though there are a few changes. The movie isn't considered an official Bond movie even though it features James Bond, SPECTRE, and other characters like M, Q, and Miss Moneypenny. After a legal battle, Kevin McClory eventually won the rights to the story of Thunderball. McClory, along with Jack Whittingham, worked with Ian Fleming on some scripts for potential Bond movies. Fleming's book Thunderball was actually a novel version of one of those scripts. McClory and Whittingham were not given any credit for the story, which is why the lawsuit was filed. EON Productions, the company making the official Bond movies, was able to work out an agreement to make Thunderball in 1965 with McClory the only producer credited. McClory would also be able to remake the movie after ten years. That happened in 1983 after more legal problems. McClory still tried to make other versions of Thunderball in future years that ultimately weren't made.
Never Say Never Again has mostly the same elements as the other Bond movies, but it just doesn't work as well overall. It seems like a cheaply made imitation most of the time, even with Connery back as Bond. The opening credits are bland and the theme song is rather weak. I think I have actually seen this movie more times than I've seen Thunderball, but that is the better version of the story. There were some attempts to update the story that just seem a bit odd instead of modern. It makes sense that the game James plays against Max is changed to a computer game with how popular they were at that point in time, but the game itself is just rather weird. The plot is interesting for the most part, but since it is so much like Thunderball, it can be a bit boring at times.
There are action scenes throughout Never Say Never Again. The action scenes were fine without being anything that great or impressive. Several of the action scenes were just newer versions of things done in Thunderball, with the original versions of the scenes being more impressive and working better overall. This movie also has an underwater fight scene later in the movie, but it isn't anywhere as good as the original. The scene has dark lighting, making it harder to tell what is going on. Connery manages fairly well in his fights as James even though he is a bit old for those type of scenes. The violence in the movie isn't that graphic.
Like happened in the official Bond movies, James ends up in sexual situations with a few different women throughout Never Say Never Again. He barely knows most of them before he convinces them to jump into bed with him. Most of the relationships he has with women are very superficial, though he does seem to become more attached to Domino. I didn't find the relationship between James and Domino was that believable though. James is just too old for her, and while he has gone after younger women in all the movies, the age difference was greater in this one. The relationship between Domino and Max wasn't that interesting either.
James is mostly the same character, though there is some acknowledgment of the fact that he is getting a bit old for completing missions. The end of the movie even seems to hint of him retiring to be with someone. Sean Connery is fine in the part, though something is off. Q and Miss Moneypenny are barely shown and really do nothing. M is around slightly more. He is described as being new at his job at one point. He doesn't like using 00 agents. He puts James through training exercises and then sends him off to some health spa. This M is not effective at all. The character is basically reduced to being an idiot who keeps babbling about free radicals.
SPECTRE is mixed up in what James has to investigate again. Blofeld is still in charge, but he doesn't seem as effective as the main villain as he has in the official Bond movies. Max von Sydow is fine, but nothing special in the part. He's done better. Max ends up with more to do throughout the movie. He serves as Number One in SPECTRE and is in charge of their current plan. He's not a nice guy and works overall as a villain. Klaus Maria Brandauer is fine in the part. Fatima Blush is another member of SPECTRE and she is very involved with their plan. She even uses a snake at one point, which I could have done without seeing. Barbara Carrera is fine in the part. Some other members of SPECTRE turn up briefly without being that developed.
Domino is involved with Max, though she doesn't know what he is doing for SPECTRE. She does a lot of dancing and seems to believe that Max cares for her for a while before she finally starts to figure things out. She does quickly bond with James. Kim Basinger did fine with what she had to work with. The few other women that James briefly spend time with don't stand out and aren't that important to the overall plot.
Main Cast
Kim Basinger - Domino Sean Connery - James Bond Klaus Maria Brandauer - Max Barbara Carrera - Fatima Blush Edward Fox - M Pamela Salem - Miss Moneypenny
Irvin Kershner - Director
DVD Information
Never Say Never Again has been released on DVD a few times. I decided to get the movie on DVD to add to my James Bond movie collection even though it isn't an official Bond movie. There is a commentary with the director and a James Bond historian that I haven't taken the time to listen to. There are featurettes focused on the making of the movie, Connery returning to play Bond, and the women of the movie. The disc also includes the trailer and a photo gallery.
Never Say Never Again is entertaining for the most part, but everything seems just a little bit off. Fans of Sean Connery or the James Bond movies may enjoy this one, though there really isn't a connection to the official Bond movies.
I would have given this movie two and a half stars if I had the option. Since I don't, I decided to round up to three.
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