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After the cultural phenomenon and record breaking box office
of Goldfinger, how in the world would the James Bond team out-do
themselves? Thunderball is how. I either somehow never saw this
installment or I saw it so long ago that I had forgotten most
of it. Boy, this is one kick-ass Bond film! Even now, more than
thirty-years later, it still packs a wallop.
S.P.E.C.T.R.E. is back, and this time they've come up with a
new threat, to use Dr. Evil's simple summery, they'll just highjack
some nuclear weapons and hold the world for ransom. After the
usual pre-credit sequence bang up, Bond is sent to a spa to recover
from his injuries where he accidentally stumbles onto a few clues.
At a meeting for the 00s, these clues start to come together and
it's time for our hero to jet off to the Bahamas in search of
the missing nukes.
In Nassau, Bond makes contact with the sister of a NATO pilot
somehow involved with the highjacking. Bond does his best to romance
the woman while playing mind games with her "guardian," S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
agent Number Two, presented here complete with Robert Wagner eye-patch.
In a finale that could rival any of the Bond film climaxes, an
army of good vs. bad do battle underwater in a lengthy sequence
that thrilled me to watch.
Thunderball has all the elements that made Bond great in the
first place and even manages to raise the stakes for further adventures
yet to come. The story is complex and the action is top-drawer.
It's easy to see how this film was the pinnacle for James Bond
in the 60s. I tend to not be as nuts about the Connery Bonds,
but this one rules! Then again, you probably already know that
don't you?
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Thunderball has been given a beautiful new anamorphic widescreen
transfer. Colors are vibrant and realistic. No bleeding was evident
for an eye-popping experience. There is a minimum of dirt or marks
on the print used. There is a very, very slight presence of shimmer
in the smallest of details. Black level was excellent, maybe by
a bit more than necessary. I found the shadow detail to very lacking.
There were certain shots that I couldn't even tell what I was
looking at. Turning the brightness up a few notches rectified
this, but that shouldn't really be my job should it? This is the
first Bond film that used the Panavision 2.35:1 aspect ratio to
give the picture a more epic feel to match the epic qualities
given to the production of the fourth Bond installment. The cinematography
here is beautiful and aside from the black level, is a pure joy
to witness on this disc.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
A new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack was created a few years back
for a re-mastered laserdisc release and that is what is given
to us here. This is how soundtrack re-masters should sound. Sure
most of the frequency range is limited, but it's hard to complain
overall. From the first notes of the familiar John Barry James
Bond theme, you'll be impressed. After watching the mono presentations
of Golfinger and Live and Let Die this week, Thunderball was a
welcome joy. The front soundstage is wide and directional. Surrounds
are used sparingly by discretely in a few passages. The .1 LFE
channel is used not quite to the lowest octaves, but a few of
the explosions should bring a frown to your neighbor's face. I
would rank this soundtrack right in the middle of the other Bond
discs, below the newer more technically advanced soundtracks of
Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies, but above the bland, non-specific
mono treatment of Goldfinger and Live and Let Die. This track
is right in the middle along side For Your Eyes Only.
A French mono track is also included with English and French
subtitles and English Closed Captions. No Spanish language support
is offered.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
With the 1995 release of GoldenEye causing a renewed interest,
MGM had started the task of giving all the Bond films their own
special edition laserdisc treatment. The first release, the $100
Goldfinger box set, was everything that Bond fans wanted. Thunderball
was the second of these releases, and if I'm not mistaken, the
last. All previously announced Bond SE box sets were put on hold
and eventually cancelled. The Thunderball special edition DVD
is a representation of its $125 laserdisc cousin.
Two audio interview commentary tracks are included. The
first is primarily director Terrance Young a host and navigator
through the commentary. The guy they used from the Ian Flemming
Foundation is WAY too excited about Thunderball and James Bond
in general. The second interview track is compiled from other
cast and crew members. Both tracks are somewhat disjointed and
non-specific. Also keep in mind that some of the interviews used
are decades old.
Three documentary/featurettes are included. The first,
"The Making of Thunderball," is an excellent account of the
behind-the-scenes workings on the Thunderball set. The second,
"The Thunderball Phenomenon," gives viewers a look at the
craze that was Bond around the time of Thunderballs release. I
found it interesting that Thunderball had an almost Phantom Menace
type wave of anticipation by the time it premiered in December
1965. Both run approximately thirty-minutes. Please note that
these two documentaries are switched on the disc. If you select
the "Making of" you'll see the "Phenomenon' special and vice versa.
The third featurette on the disc is a short look at the different
versions of several scenes including alternate dialog version.
All three of these features are narrated by "The Avenger" Patrick
Macnee.
On the promotional side you'll find three theatrical trailers,
all beat to hell. The first two are Thunderball only with the
third being a re-release trailer for the Bond double-feature Thunderball
and You Only Live Twice. A handful of TV spots include
a couple for the double-feature re-release of Thunderball and
From Russia With Love. Next, ten radio spots are included,
but unfortunately you have no access to scan or skip these. Finally,
a weighty still gallery features photographs covering the
cast and crew to the promotion and merchandising of James Bond
in Thunderball.
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc
in your PC?
No ROM extras have been included.
Parting Thoughts
Parting Thoughts
Yet another winner in a set of wonderful discs. I found the supplements
included here to be a bit higher in overall interest and content
than some of the other discs. The picture is beyond what I was
expecting and the soundtrack's a real treat of remixing. This
is definitely one of my favorite overall discs in the set. Well
done MGM!
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