Writer: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, Berkely Mather (Screenplay) Ian Fleming (Novel)
Starring: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Bernard Lee, Anthony Dawson
Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes
Tagline: The first screen adventure for agent 007 – Bond, James Bond.
Plot: A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Great Fun Action Adventure
Story: Dr. No starts when a British spy disappears in Jamaica James Bond (Connery) one of the most elite agents gets sent to unlock the answers, in a land where he soon finds a target on his back before learning of a bigger problem within the location.
James must travel to one of the islands to learn about Dr No (Wiseman) the man behind everything and to stop his deadly plot against the world.
Thoughts on Dr No
Characters – James Bond is on his first mission on the big screen, the resourceful British Spy that always seems to stay one step ahead of the enemies as he looks for answers to a colleague’s disappearance. We see how he is the womaniser we all know now and just how he can handle himself in a fight. Honey Ryder appears one hour into the film with one of the most iconic entrances in the franchise history, she assistance Bond on the mission with her knowledge of the island. Dr No is the mastermind behind the island plot, he keeps his plans secret and will get his men to eliminate any problems that come his way.
Performances – Sean Connery is great in his first outing as Bond, he uses the charm his character is famous for to make us want to come back for the next adventure. Ursula Andress is solid enough, she looks the part even if the character is mostly just made to be the damsel in distress. Joseph Wiseman does make for a good villain by the time we see him, he helps us reach the levels we know we can expect in the franchise.
Story – James Bond is one his first film mission, needing to show his skills to find a missing colleague against the first villain. This story is a simple one, it is designed to show us what James is capable off when it comes to save the world from a terrorist plot. This might not be the one everyone remembers because it does just introduce him without going too far with the difficulties of a mission that would need to be topped next time out. This is one that shows the style that he must work, the slow investigation before coming face to face with the villain.
Action/Adventure – The action gives us James the fight sequences needed to show how quickly he can get the job done when needed. The adventure takes our spy across the world to a tropical island, this time Jamaica to fight a villain.
Settings – The film is set in Jamaica, it gives us a tropical feeling from start to finish where we get to see the islands off the mainland as an early sign of where the bases for the masterminds will be.
Scene of the Movie – Base battle.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We don’t meet the Bond girl till an hour into the film.
Final Thoughts –This is a great start to the Bond franchise, we get to learn Bond’s skills face a villain that has enough menace to be a threat and keep us ready for more.
Overall: Great start to the franchise.
Rating