MovieChat Forums > Never Say Never Again (1983) Discussion > Superior to Diamonds Are Forever + Thund...

Superior to Diamonds Are Forever + Thunderball + You Only Live Twice


The 1st three Sean-Connery-as-007 efforts (Goldfinger, From Russia with Love & Dr. No) are iconic, whereas the last 3 are mediocre - I found Never Say Never Again to be an entertaining & interesting entry in the James Bond myhtos - I especially liked the angle of the aging 007, struggling to stay relevant in rapidly moving & changing times - I think that Sean Connery was in a great shape for 53 and completely likeable & believable as James Bond - I also found the villains to be equally psychotic (Fatima Blush) and sociopathic (Maximilian Largo) in a "realistic" fashion. Like I said, Goldfinger, From Russia with Love & Dr. No ar classics, but i'll take Never Say Never Again any day of the week instead of Diamonds Are Forever & Thunderball & You Only Live Twice.

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Thank you sir for your intelligent opinion, invaluable information and in-depth analysis of cinema; you're a true scholar, and a prince among men.

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Yeah I agree, NSNA is better than those movies.

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I do like this one, but I don't think I'd agree it's better than those other three. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE and DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER are seriously underrated.


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I think that Sean did a better job in NSNA than in DAF, and that the pace in NSNA was much faster than in YOLT.

As to the comparison with Thunderball, to me you can't compare these two films: Thunderball was meant to be a serious Bond adventure, while NSNA was more about glamour, style and action. We're less involved in the "worldwide threat" thing here than in Thunderball, the focus is not on the operation but on the characters. For instance, I found the interaction between Largo and Domino more interesting in NSNA than in Thunderball. But there's also much less tension. The final scene between Bond and Fatima Blush (who is yet an excellent villainess) is not on par with the climax (no pun intended) between Bond and Fiona.

In fact, NSNA is a pure product of the Moore era, to me it's a Moore movie with Connery playing Bond.

I never compare Connery with Moore, so I can't compare NSNA with Thunderball.

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NSNA beats TB, which was so flat scripted in my opinion, and it beats YOLT, which has the worst Bond girls ever, but it does beat DAF though, which I thought was a lot of fun.

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I think NSNA is better than Thunderball. And it's better than DAF as well, and a better send off for Connery

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Lol, can't compare Thunderball and NSNA.

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To me, Never Say Never Again is marginally better than Thunderball, although Thunderball had some great moments and more style. But I don't place it before the other Connery films. Sean himself was very good in NSNA and looked very fit, I must say.

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Agreed on DAF and YOLT, but with TB, its a dificult case: It arguably is a faster-paced action thriller, whereas this one takes the FroM Russia With Love stance, so really, a tie for me. Both have their flaws, but their strengths do put them ahead of the curve.

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dr no was great, as for from russia, i find it as good as never say never, i can't remember goldfinger. i find diamonds as good as never, a little better than you only live, and really better than thunder, it could have been much better if they found a beautiful actress for domino. sean was old, too old, and really tired. he looked much better in the 1990s in more suitable roles!

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Nope. This is prob the 4th or 5th worst Bond movie behind all the Timothy Dalton ones and View to a kill which was 100% horrible,

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No fricking way.

Bond is too old and large parts of the movie are done as a gag.

Thunderball has the hottest quartet of Bond girls ever and is an original, which this is not.

You Only Live Twice is arguably Connery's best Bond, at least 2nd best behind FRWL. And the Bond girls in that are gorgeous as well. LOVE the Japanese girls!

This movie was a cash grab by all involved and shouldn't be considered canon since it is merely a remake of an earlier movie.

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Agreed! The only good scenes are the fight with the guy from Raiders, Domination and Fatima's death.

"Italy invented the pizza, took it to New York...but Chicago perfected it.".

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