Dr. No
Dr. No
PG | 08 May 1963 (USA)
Dr. No Trailers

Agent 007 battles mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space program. As the countdown to disaster begins, Bond must go to Jamaica, where he encounters beautiful Honey Ryder, to confront a megalomaniacal villain in his massive island headquarters.

Reviews
Tacticalin

An absolute waste of money

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Robert Joyner

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

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Kirandeep Yoder

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

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Raymond Sierra

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

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Lorenz Rütter

When 1962 the first James Bond film came on the big screen, no one had expected the success of the legendary agent to survive for so many years. I also have to admit that this agent is my favorite hero. He is always on the move, visits different parts of the world, always has the most beautiful women around him and can kick the villains in the ass. The start of this legend is captured Famos by Oscar winner Sean Connery. A smart guy with a lot of British charm (though Connery is Scot), always looks elegant, is very world-class and can radiate masculine hardness in serious situations. Certainly it is also a male worldview of men in the early 60s, but Connery hits the nail on the head. Of course, there is no such thing as the sensual Playmate of James Bond: Ursula Andress! How it rises from the sea is simply stunning! (not only because I'm also a Swiss). But it adorns the typical Bondgirl of the Connery era: beautiful and vulnerable. But can be very tough in difficult moments. Joseph Wiseman mimes the first Bond villain Dr. No. With his elegant and dry way, he wants to subjugate the nations of the Earth. Certainly he is also only a chess figure, but can already offer Bond's forehead. Dr. No is dry, devilish and deadly and always with a goal in front of the eyes: World domination! Certainly, the first Bond adventure is still timidly implemented. The action and the effects are cheap. But it sets the genre or franchise the stamp on how the adventure of the British agent should go on. Conclusion: A successful start that still plays with the handbrake. There is still a need to improve. But I certainly have no doubts about James Bond 007!

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shakercoola

Things are relatively low key in Crab Key compared with the elaborate ordnance and eye-popping gadgetry of later films in the series. But, Dr No succeeds at being a straight detective story, pleasingly unselfconscious without hardware-laden formula. Of course it is tongue-in-cheek hokum, but it is fast moving with good momentum. As James Bond, of the secret department of the British Secret Service, Sean Connery plays the elegant playboy spy impeccably. Racing snake figure and panther-lithe movement, he captures the assertiveness of naval Commander turned secret agent with his Navy-like exactness and mien of a cool, suave, womanising agent. The director, Terence Young, prepared Connery very well for the part, coaching him on each aspect of an English gentleman's comportment, diction and accent. The other important role is Fleming's Vice-Admiral - the naval martinet who is loyal to Bond but keeps him at arms length and on his toes.Bernard Lee as 'M' draws attention to the danger of the mission and the man he sends into battle. The stylish bauhaus set design looks very impressive in the large set spaces. The travelogue locations and exotic locales dovetail well too. Other than Casino Royale (2006) and the follow up film From Russia With Love (1963), there isn't any other film in the canon that betters the formulaic elements and the vitality of the James Bond novels. It's a well conceived dose of sheer escapism.

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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.

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Kingslaay

Dr No was the first (Eon Production) film adaptation of Ian Fleming's James Bond in 1962. It showcased the great 007 investigating the disappearance of a fellow agent. Dr No is great in introducing the key elements that would characterize a classic Bond film. From the gun barrel sequence, bond girl, soundtrack, master villain to overcoming great odds. Sean Connery is iconic in his portrayal as 007 and cementing himself as the greatest James Bond. We see the Bond many love, someone who is rugged, resourceful, composed, calm, smooth, ruthless, has human limitations and charm to top it off. The mystery around Dr No adds to the suspense as 007 finally makes his way to the island. A Bond film is also as strong as its villain and plot. Dr No is captivating as a master villain that only Bond can take on to stop his evil plans. Connery's way of dealing with the villain, henchman and chemistry with the Bond girl created the perfect formula for a truly great film. This film is also famous for showing the first great entrance of the Bond girl, Ursula Andress, turn heads of many including Bond himself. The Bond girl is a key part of the franchise and in many ways she is Bond's equal. Films over time have noted that the Bond girl is 007's weakness. When Bond manages to defeat the great Dr No, rescue the mission and land up with the Bond girl it set the groundwork for many memorable films to follow. The only issue is sometimes the difficulty in understanding the plot as the majority of stories are based on Fleming's own experiences in the Navy and involve complex schemes. Once you understand it, the journey is enjoyable. Dr No was indeed a great start to an iconic film series that continues to entertain.

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