release year: 1962
genre: James Bond
viewing setting: home DVD, 11/17/99
what I expected: n/a
what I got: solid outing from Connery the first time around
synopsis: Someone is knocking out American rockets, and James Bond must find out who it is and stop them.
impressions: This was the first and one of the best Bond movies. It mixes action and explosions (though not in the quantities found in later films in the series) with a lot of humor. This early Bond is chauvanistic and egotistical, and there are a lot of good lines if you're listening for them.
acting: Sean Connery set a good standard in this, his first crack at the role of 007. See the "defining Bond moments" section below for more. Joseph Wiseman made an excellent villain as Dr. No - intelligent and ruthless. Ursula Andress didn't do much acting (her voice was dubbed) but with that body and face, she didn't have to.
car chases: 1
neat gadgets: none!
confirmed Bond kills: 4
confirmed Bond nooky: 3 (one of them twice!)
obnoxious female name: Honey Rider
defining Bond moments:
- Bond walks in Moneypenny's office and just starts rifling through her papers
- Bond checks his watch to make sure he has time before taking the woman again
- Bond plays solitaire while waiting for the assassin to show up
- Bond finds that his room's been visited so he pours himself a drink
quotable:
Honey Rider: (walks out of surf in a bikini) "What are you doing here, looking for shells?"
James Bond: "No, I'm just looking."
James Bond: (to Dr. No) "So tell me, does the toppling of American missiles really compensate for having no hands?"
final word: The first and one of the best Bond movies - worth seeing.
rating: B