Thunderball, being my least favourite Sean Connery era James Bond, is not a bad movie, but it lacks severely in pacing. Most of that comes down to those gorgeous, but so incredibly slow, underwater scenes. They tend to drag on and that ends up hurting the flow of the movie. Thank God we have all the eye candy. Thunderball is filled to the brim with incredibly beautiful women and makes it a tolerable watch...for those of us that lean that way of course.

"Thunderball" is an average entry in the 007 franchise. Connery plays a downright brutal Bond, dishing out plenty of punishment to the SPECTRE henchmen and killing quite a number of other baddies. He's also quite a showoff here; making what has got to be record time with the ladies and memorably playing dumb while shooting trap with Largo. This features the jetpack escape in the opening scene, which is cool but pointless. Largo as SPECTRE #2 is a lukewarm villain and his threat to use two nuclear bombs on cities unless he gets paid a ransom is lame. He's a bank robber, basically. Bond's mission was made more enjoyable by the help he got from other agents and the CIA. It played a bit like the squad from the "Mission: Impossible" series. "Thunderball" features plenty of underwater action and the climax of the movie features an underwater war followed by a brawl onboard the Disco Volante. The boat narrowly misses smashing against the rocks so many times that it becomes truly silly and the film is so sped up that it's laughable. It seems like much of the movie is spent following Bond either scuba diving or flying around in a helicopter looking for clues. There was a scene where Bond is being pursued by henchmen during a parade that drags on forever. Of course, the Bond women in this film range from tough to spunky to naive, but they are among the most beautiful group in the Bond films. Fiona, Patricia, and Domino are integral to the movie. This is the weakest of the first four 007 films.

"Try to be a little less than your frivolous self, 007." 007: the James Bond Rewatch-a-thon. Even on rewatches this still isn't near my favorite Bonds. I like the intro with the jetpack, I enjoy Connery, I love Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona, always enjoy a bad guy with a eye patch and it is still a Bond film. But for me the running time for Thunderball was unnecessarily long and the underwater bits weren't for me. Except for the sharks, sharks are always good, however I did wish they had freaking lasers attached to their heads. Anyway not every film in a franchise this long can be amazing right? I still had fun.

Thunderball is not the tightest Bond film, but Sean Connery continues to weaponise charm like it's standard issue. The stakes are big, the villain's plan is simple, and the danger is everywhere. Yes, the story can drift. There are moments you want it to move faster, but when Thunderball decides to strike, it does not miss.

Thunderball carries the classic James Bond stamp, with Sean Connery further consolidating his style as a confident, ironic, and always impeccable agent. The film has rhythm, action, and a visual display that stands out especially in its underwater scenes, which were quite spectacular for the time. However, despite all its shine, it remains a step below titles like From Russia with Love. The exotic setting of the Bahamas brings freshness and color, becoming one of the film’s strongest points. At the same time, though, the plot feels a bit scattered and with less narrative tension. Connery is still magnetic, but you can sense some routine in his performance, as if the character were starting to repeat itself. The underwater action sequences are ambitious, although they also slow down the pace compared to other installments. The final impression is that of an entertaining experience, with everything one expects from the saga, but without the special spark that makes the very best Bond films stand out.