Dr. No

Pros: Sean Connery. Entertaining movie.
Cons: Few things slightly dated.

Many movies have been made about spies. Probably the most well known fictional spy is James Bond. He first appeared in a series of books before making the jump to the big screen and launching a very successful, long running series with Dr. ...

Pros: great pacing, good story, Connery's acting
Cons: some parts dated, lame car chase

Growing up, and growing older, I never quite got into the whole James Bond phenomenon. However, after reading so many of the terrific reviews here on the site, I decided to give the franchise a try, and in order. Dr. No was the ...

Pros: Decent action, and good one liners.
Cons: Worst car chase seen ever.

For more than 40 years, Americans have enjoyed James Bond movies. Few spy films offer the rich history and action the OO7 series provide. Bond movies are so popular that a lot of the quotes in the films have become a part of our ...

Pros: Connery as Bond; Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder; great villain in Dr. No; calypso songs
Cons: No pre-credit action sequence; no intimidating henchman; no toys; occasional ugly back projections

Whatever the artistic merits of Dr. No (1962), it certainly ranks as an historically important film, given that it launched the longest running series in film history. Furthermore, it established many of the elements that would become standard as ...

Pros: Innovative.
Cons: Somewhat cheesy.

Time for a retro movie review.

Dr. No was the first of the James Bond movies, made back in in 1962. It was not the first James Bond story, however.

The story of the James Bond phenomenon is so old as to be apocryphal now,...

Pros: Sean Connery, Joseph Wiseman
Cons: lack of cool gadgets

"Dr. No" is the first Bond film ever. Being the first it is also the most different from the others. But more on that a little later. First, let's talk about the plot of the movie. PLOT A 00-agent operating in Jamaica and investigating some strange ...

Pros: The beginning for Connery -- Sean Connery.
Cons: An absurd piece of work, emphasizing a Post World War II decline of wit.

As in the case of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (Frankenheimer, 1962), President John F. Kennedy was instrumental in the creation of Director Terence Young's DR NO in the same year. Kennedy was an avid reader of spy thrillers; he knew old British newsman...

Pros: Three words: Connery. Sean Connery.
Cons: Most of the traditional 007 elements are here, but they’re undeveloped; it’s like spring training for the big leagues

A man in a tuxedo looks across a casino table at a beautiful young woman who’s just asked his name. He lights a cigarette and says, “Bond. James Bond.”

With those three words, an entire industry was born—an industry of eye-boggling stunts,...

Pros: Sean Connery, Focus on character, Seamless editing, excellent storyboarding
Cons: A few minor lighting problems

Hard to imagine, but before 1962 relatively few people knew about James Bond. Some readers knew that Bond was a new type of secret service agent since Ian Fleming wrote the first Bond novel in 1952 (Casino Royale). Unlike stereotypical colorless...

Pros: Good introduction to the series
Cons: A bit low tech, slow at times

In 1962, Sean Connery made his first of seven appearances as Ian Fleming's James Bond. Even though this is considered the first Bond movie of the series, there were two Bond movies prior to this one. Casino Royale was a badly produced grade C...

Pros: A worthy prologue to the most famous action franchise ever
Cons: Nothing much happens, and what does happen is frequently hokey

My freshman year in college, I was overwhelmed by the idea of winter break -- more than a month off school, and not nearly enough time for my mom to pressure me into getting a part-time job. It was a brief period of my life so non-productive that my only...

Pros: A solid James Bond Primer, in all important respects
Cons: Damn that Mike Meyers!

Dr. No is the original James Bond film, in every applicable way. And, while it is clearly not a perfect film, it remains fun, interesting and watchable to this day. While its lasting power is incomplete, the film is a fun first look at all the...

Pros: Masterful work by director Terence Young and star-to-be Sean Connery
Cons: By modern standards, the story may be a little slow

Technically, a film can be constructed from nothing more than a script, some actors, and a camera. But such a workmanlike approach will only achieve poor results. To create a truly spectacular film, you must have that most elusive of...

Pros: Simple and effective, Cast, sets, scenery
Cons: Songs, perhaps some Un-Bondian elements will distract

I have nothing against gadgets in Bond movies- one of my favourites in the series is "You Only Live Twice" . I believe Sean Connery is the best of the Bonds, and yet I enjoyed "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" , "Octopussy" , ...

Pros: Sticks very closely to Fleming novel, Ursula Andress, dinner with Dr No
Cons: none

The hour is late. A thick haze of smoke hangs over the elegant Mayfair casino. Men and women in eveningwear crowd the tables and sip champagne. On the Chemin de Fer table a man sits with his back to the camera. A beautiful woman plays him, he comments on...