Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

dennisco-76051 ..James Bond got it on with 3 women in this movie.

jakobwerling Dr. No was released back in 1962 and was the first official James Bond movie ever released. It has many high points and a couple low points as well. So today, I am going to critique the movie to see if it is worth your time. What was great: Sean Connery's excellent and charming performance as James Bond is without a doubt, one of the major highlights of the film. He introduced something to the world that it has never known before: The first true cinematic superhero. His performance was beyond amazing which was good because their were of many things he could've gotten wrong as this was the first James Bond movie, simply an excellent performance. Joseph Wiseman's performance as Dr. No was also excellent. He introduced many of the characteristics that every great James Bond villain should have: Charm, cunning, cruelty, menace, resourcefulness and class. Wiseman's performance delivers all of that, Wiseman also added a touch of much-needed ruthlessness to the character to show just how violent and hellbent this character is on killing this one man: MI6 agent 007. And even though this character had some problems (was excessively arrogant and was introduced too late in the film) Wiseman's performance as the titular villain helped to make this film the breakthrough it is today. This film also owes its success to another actor as well, her opening scene not only caused male hormones to surge but is also considered as iconic as James Bond's opening "Bond, James Bond" scene. I'm talking about Ursula Andress. Her opening scene as Honey Ryder was truly iconic. She walks out of the sea like Aphrodite, wearing only a white bikini as the sun shines down on her wet blonde hair. Honey Ryder was the first (and whom many consider) the quintessential Bond Girl. Ursula Andress's performance of Honey Ryder was not only great because of the iconic beach scene (which would be done in later Bond movies), but also because she made the character of Ryder extremely beautiful, innocent and self- dependent. She is often considered the best Bond Girl of all times. Dr. No also boasts some very beautiful set pieces and excellent cinematography done by Ted Moore and Ken Adam. This film also boasts excellent performances from Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell as the no-nonsense, pipe smoking head of the MI6 M and as the flirtatious, joking MI6 Secretary Miss Moneypenny. Not to mention lots of impressive action sequences such as a cliff side car chase, a gunfight against a "fire breathing dragon," a shootout against an armed speed boat and an explosive showdown at Dr. No's secret lair on the island of Crab Key, not to mention several suspenseful action sequences such as a scene in which Bond must avoid three seemingly blind expert assassins called "The Three Blind Mice," a scene in which Bond must avoid a deadly tarantula that is in his bed, a scene in which Bond, his ally Quarrel and Honey Ryder must hide from Dr. No's henchmen on Crab Key and a brutal interrogation scene. This movie also benefits from some great producing and directing skills form producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli and Director Terence Young who would also direct the next James Bond movie From Russia with Love. These were the main high points of the movie. What was good: The plot of this movie is that M16 agent 007 James Bond is sent over to Jamaica to investigate the apparent death of the former agent who was stationed there named Commander Strangways and complaints from Cape Canaveral that their rocket launches are getting disrupted through radio jamming. There, he meets friendly allies, the beautiful Honey Ryder and the villainous metal-handed Dr. No who is plotting to destroy the American Space Program. While the plot of Dr. No gets points off for being excessively simple. It is actually very action-packed and even a little realistic if you compare to other James Bond movies in the 70s. Their were also a variety of enjoyable side performances in Dr. No as well. They include Jack Lord as the loyal and resourceful, but tough American CIA agent Felix Leiter, Anthony Dawson as the shifty geologist scientist/very bad liar Professor Dent, Zena Marshall as the beautiful, mysterious and seemingly innocent secretary Miss Taro and John Kitzmiller as the gruff but superstitious Cayman Islander boatman Quarrel. Their performances are pretty good but they lose points because something happens to all of them eventually, on and off screen. And since Dr. No was the first James Bond movie, it lacked lots of things including a pre-credits scene or flashy intro scene, some proper gadgets or vehicles and an official theme song. This film does however introduce James Bond's classic gun (the Walther PPK) to the franchise and he does drive a Bentley throughout the movie and gets into a pretty big tangle with it as well. And like before I said that this film lacks an official theme song. Well, at least we get the enjoyable ditty "Underneath the Mango Tree which is sort of catchy and has a nice cultural feel to it.What was bad: One of the only bad things about this movie was that it had a horrible musical score by Monty Norman. It was really disjointed and choppy, thank God that they got rid of him in the next movie and replaced him with John Barry. This movie also had a pretty weak motor scene, it had a lot of weird flashy lights and that combined with Monty Norman's bad musical score isn't exactly a really nice experience. I have officially critiqued this movie and I have came up with my consensus: Dr. No was the first and, if excessively simple, one of the best James Bond movies of all times.

stormhawk2018 The bond film to start all bond films. "Dr. No" is the type of spy film that you just cannot dislike, because the cleverness will cloud any doubt. Sean Connery kicks off the series with a bang, creating an atmosphere that I loved to death. This film is about agent OO7 and his assignment where he is sent across country where he comes into contact with an evil doctor. This plot is not wholly original nowadays, but for it's time, it is unbeatable. "Dr. No" boasts fantastic acting, a great script, and some pretty intense scenes. There was never a dull moment in this film, or any moment for that matter that made me bored. This film is well paced and the pay-off is excellent. This James Bond film is not one to miss!

Prichards12345 Having just 1-starred that terrible latest Bond movie SPECTRE (0/2 approval - thanks fanboys), I thought I'd do some more reviews of the Bond series. Doctor No, if I remember rightly, is the sixth Bond novel - I have read them all but it was some time ago. It's easy to see why the producers chose this one first: exotic locations, interesting mystery story, good characters. This is a nice intro for peeps unfamiliar with Bond.This is a film full of iconic moments. "Bond...James Bond" to name but one. Connery's magnetic animal charm in this role made him into one of the biggest superstars in post WWII movies. And the guy can act, too. Daniel Craig is great in his first three outings, Moore a laugh, Dalton decent, Lazenby er.... Brosnan wooden; but none of them matched ol' Sean for me. His Bond is pretty different from the character in the books, but god is he good! In this one of course Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the toppling of American missiles ( a bit like North Korea's today!).For a film not far off its sixtieth year, it holds up remarkably well. That moment when Bond offs Anthony Dawson's character Strangways is still startlingly ruthless even today. A really enjoyable ride, then, with it's legendary theme music still one of the most recognisable in cinema. Only the villain disappoints. Fleming apparently recommended his cousin, Christopher Lee for the role. At least he got his chance later!