THUNDERBALL (1965) // James Bond Review and Whisky Pairing
"Thunderball" Plot
Blofeld holds NATO hostage over a hijacked nuclear missile.
Whiskey Lore Review
The return of Dr. No and From Russia With Love director Terrence Young seemed like a good idea. He's the one that took Fleming's Bond and made him stylish, aggressive, but always in control. He also created two great movies that were somewhat realistic and always kept you entertained. In Thunderball, speed is manufactured to create intensity. But all it really does is come off looking ridiculous. The time on the rack, the fight with the man in drag, and the final scene with the boat going 500 miles per hour on rocky seas - so bad! And if the ladies want to point to a low point in how Bond treated his women, this film gives them all the ammunition they need. Connery's toupee is a little distracting as well.
Honestly, this is a hard movie for me to review. Like A View To A Kill, it doesn't have a lot of high moments, but it doesn't have a lot of low moments. It is just there. The movies get so much better after this, IMHO.
Best of the movie: I do like Domino, although she feels like an attempt to recapture Honey Rider (sorry, that is going to be very hard to do). As for the music, Tom Jones is full throat in an iconic theme song. He ends the performance holding an incredibly strong note. And apparently legend has it that he passed out after singing it.
Memorable moment: I love the scene where Bond and Domino are on the beach and the henchman sneaks up. Bond turns and fires a harpoon right through him without a second thought. Some might also point to the jet pack in the opening scene.
Where it goes wrong: Why did this movie have to spend so much time on the end battle underwater? I seriously feel dread when it gets to that part of the movie. You lose track of who is who. It seems like a vanity play - doing it just because they think it will impress everyone. Then they cap it off with the fight on the boat while they head through the rocks at speeds that are totally unrealistic.
Paired Whisky: Balcones Baby Blue Texas Corn Whisky
I chose Balcones Blue Corn because in the book Bond goes on a bender and sucks down 11 whiskies and sodas. I thought, what whisky would be easy drinking enough to do that? This is the epitome of easy drinkers. And only aged 1 year!
Whiskey Lore Rank: #16 (Score 5.82) > Next Movie
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *