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Thunderball

Play trailer Poster for Thunderball PG 1965 2h 10m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 54 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Led by one-eyed evil mastermind Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), the terrorist group SPECTRE hijacks two warheads from a NATO plane and threatens widespread nuclear destruction to extort 100 million pounds. The dashing Agent 007, James Bond (Sean Connery), is sent to recover the warheads from the heart of Largo's lair in the Bahamas, facing underwater attacks from sharks and men alike. He must also convince the enchanting Domino (Claudine Auger), Largo's mistress, to become a key ally.

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Thunderball

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Critics Consensus

Lavishly rendered set pieces and Sean Connery's enduring charm make Thunderball a big, fun adventure, even if it doesn't quite measure up to the series' previous heights.

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Critics Reviews

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TIME Magazine 10/13/2008
If Thunderball's gimmickry seems to overreach at times, Actor Connery gains assurance from film to film, by now delivers all his soppiest Jimcracks martini-dry. Go to Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 05/06/2008
Slightly bloated Bond, with too much technology for my taste and a climactic slaughter that's a little too mindless to be much fun. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety 05/06/2008
There's visible evidence that the reported $5.5 million budget was no mere publicity figure; it's posh all the way. Go to Full Review Pauline Kael McCall's 09/20/2023
Thunderball is, at least, itself: the male fantasy mixture as before -- but perhaps a little lighter, less sadistic than Goldfinger, without the spectacular sequences but constantly in entertaining motion. Go to Full Review Carson Timar ButteredPopcorn 08/28/2022
C-
Sadly though past the editing, in no way is Thunderball a notable outing for James Bond. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 09/25/2021
2.5/4
The most overrated movie in the franchise. Of course, it's not without its merits. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Rachael H 08/26/2022 Loved it - the longest underwater fight of any film. Jet back pack and great chases - what could be better! See more IAM M @IAM1655 3d Everytime I rewatch this movie, it gets more boring than my first watch. The graphics are much better than the first three films, but the movie's pacing is so slow, that it makes you forget the plot. Domino is one of the best looking Bond girls. The underwater sequence is one of my favorite parts of the film. The thing that ruined for me was the first 30 minutes of the movie before Bond arrives in Jamaica. See more David D @David2026 Apr 15 This is the first in the series that got the pacing right...at least until the last 5-7 minutes when it becomes cartoonish...right down to the final scene. That said, its a solid film. Oh, the big fight scene in the water didn't work. See more Taylor H. @TH0809 Apr 5 First Bond movie in the series that actually felt like a modern Bond movie imo. I enjoyed getting introduced to Spectre. The underwater nuclear bomb heists were awesome! See more Harper T @Sam8008135 Feb 26 They kill a shark for real ya'll, fuckin bullshit. See more andrea c @Charst Feb 18 Per la prima volta nella saga, si ha la percezione di non assistere a qualcosa di completamente nuovo, seppure con alcune rivisitazioni e con una presenza nemica più accentuata rispetto al primo capitolo, le dinamiche e le location sono molto simili. Probabilmente anche la passione di Sean Connery per il personaggio, non più così elevata, non aiuta a livello emozionale. Comunque il finale offre un combattimento molto originale e spettacolare; seppure alcune connessioni tra una scena e l'altra sono assolutamente senza senso. See more Read all reviews
Thunderball

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Cast & Crew

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Terence Young

Director

Sean Connery

James Bond

Claudine Auger

Domino

Adolfo Celi

Emilio Largo

Luciana Paluzzi

Fiona Volpe

Rik Van Nutter

Felix Leiter

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Thunderball

Thunderball (1965) Thunderball (1965) Thunderball (1965) Thunderball (1965) Thunderball (1965) Scene from the film THUNDERBALL. Scene from the film THUNDERBALL. Scene from the film THUNDERBALL. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Led by one-eyed evil mastermind Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), the terrorist group SPECTRE hijacks two warheads from a NATO plane and threatens widespread nuclear destruction to extort 100 million pounds. The dashing Agent 007, James Bond (Sean Connery), is sent to recover the warheads from the heart of Largo's lair in the Bahamas, facing underwater attacks from sharks and men alike. He must also convince the enchanting Domino (Claudine Auger), Largo's mistress, to become a key ally.
Director
Terence Young
Producer
Kevin McClory
Screenwriter
Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, Ian Fleming, Richard Maibaum, John Hopkins
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Danjaq Productions, EON Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 29, 1965, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 1, 2016
Runtime
2h 10m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)