What makes it different from others?

Highly Overrated But Still Good

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Silly '60s spy caper Fathom stars Raquel Welch as curvaceous skydiving dental assistant Fathom Harvill, who becomes involved in all manner of espionage shenanigans after she is approached by Colonel Campbell (Ronald Fraser), chief of H.A.D.E.S. (Headquarters Allied Defences, Espionage & Security), and his assistant Timothy (Richard Briers), who need her help in locating the Fire Dragon, a missing H-Bomb component that is also being sought by Red Chinese agent Peter Merriwether (Anthony Franciosa). All is not as it seems, however, and Fathom soon realises that she cannot take anyone at face value.From the opening sequence, in which the camera lingers lovingly on Welch's body as she carefully packs her parachute, it is abundantly clear that director Leslie H. Martinson's main priority is to exploit his sex symbol star's impressive physique; it certainly isn't telling a coherent tale, the twisting plot for Fathom requiring far too much concentration for a frivolous spy romp with the constant distraction of such a gorgeous lead. Still, with Welch slipping into a variety of sexy outfits for her undercover activities, including a dress that is like a red rag to a bull, and a green bikini guaranteed to impress, the film is never a chore, I suppose.

From the opening shots of the film, where the camera moves across the legs and buttocks of Ms Welch in a swimsuit, the viewer is under no illusion as to the main attraction in this flick. In a terribly contrived story with Ms Welch as a champion sky-diver, lured into espionage and intrigue, those who manage to sit through this turkey will get few thrills from the viewing. There are boat chases, airplane chases, and a car chase or two, but nothing that will linger in memory.While Raquel is certainly attractive, in the modern era one is not accustomed to seeing women with a quarter pound of eye makeup, but that was the strange standard of beauty among "glamorous" stars of that time. If you like looking at a scantily clad Ms Welch, I would recommend 1 Million Years BC, where the absence of dialogue does not compromise her acting performance. And that flick does manage some drama.

This movie starts with it's strongest part, Raqual Welch in her prime at every possible camera angle packing her parachute. They even use what was still rare in 1967, a classic shot of her back side. I doubt that anyone complained about that.Once this opening sequence is over, the film settles into a light plot involving a stolen Chinese Artifact which everyone is after though the good people versus the bads ones are very hard to sort out.Tony Franciosa is the other name actor in the cast but this movie is mostly Raquel. The rest of the supporting cast makes out alright but the action is slight and the style of photography is much in evidence in this film. Welch gets a 10 for effort but the script is a little lame so over all the movie is not that good. Still, there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours.Raquel & Tony face down a bull in one sequence. There are times when everyone around her seem to be part of a load of bull. Raquel is Fathom, the lead character who gets involved with a lot of people but manages somehow to come out whole.

The sixties saw a craze for spy movies – the Bond films, the Harry Palmer films, plus countless others. Some were serious (e.g. The Defector, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold), others were very tongue-in-cheek (e.g. Our Man Flint, Operation Kid Brother) – but for a while the genre literally overflowed with releases. The twist in "Fathom" is that the all-action leading character is a girl. This is essentially a female variant of the James Bond movies, with sexy actors, sunny locales, a deliberately implausible bubble-gum plot and, of course, characters with outrageous names!American lady skydiver Fathom Harvill (Raquel Welch) is touring Southern Europe when she is approached for a difficult espionage mission. Scottish colonel Douglas Campbell (Ronald Fraser), who claims to work for the top secret agency H.A.D.E.S, informs Fathom that a device for triggering atomic weapons has fallen into the hands of someone working for Red China. The device has allegedly been hidden inside a Ming dynasty dragon statuette, which is housed in a guarded villa close to the Mediterranean coast. Fathom's job is to parachute into the villa unobserved and recover the device. However, she meets Peter Merriweather (Tony Franciosa) – an agent in the employ of the Red Chinese – and he tells her that she has been hoodwinked by Campbell. Merriweather's story is that Campbell is not a government colonel at all, but a con man who is trying to pull off a jewellery heist by involving her (unwittingly) as a burglar. Poor Fathom cannot know who to trust, nor even which side she is on, as she gets drawn deeper into the plot….."Fathom" is a light, breezy addition to the genre. The plot is absolute nonsense, of course, with characters that change sides more often than they might change underwear, and over-the-top action sequences between the plot twists. Welch isn't remotely challenged as an actress by her role as the titular character, but she is put through her paces as an international sex symbol. It's a test she passes with flying colours, looking ravishing throughout in her blinding array of dresses and bikinis! Franciosa as the love-interest-who-might-be-a-villain smiles toothily a lot, and that's about all, in his easy-going role. The locations are appropriately gorgeous, Johnny Dankworth provides a jazzy score, and the film skims along brightly. When you sit down to watch a movie like this, you know just what you're getting. There's no grand intention here – these people simply want to entertain, and that's just what they've done in their simple way. Give it a fortnight and you'll have forgotten you've ever seen "Fathom"…. but it's harmless fun whilst on.