Dr. No Review

girl by locker says: I am ashamed to admit, but Dr. No is the first Bond film I saw starring someone other than Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig. I understand why critics view Sean Connery as the ultimate James Bond. Handsome, dashing and witty coupled with a Scottish accent and yet, at times, vulnerable. You can’t go wrong with that combination.

Dr. No is the first of the Bond films to make it to the big screen, and in it we see the Bond formulas we would come to know and love in the years to come – a suave, womanizing spy sent it to get the bad guy and win the girl. He wears a tux, drinks martinis and seduces the women. In comparison to the more explosive Bond films to come (and, as a disclaimer, all the ones I have seen are more modern) Dr. No is sweet and somewhat barebones. Of course, the movie is 50 years old, but the fight scenes lack a punch and the car chase scene is pretty straightforward. They pull behind some trees and the bad guys speed on.

One of the highlights of the movie is the first Bond girl. When Ursula Andress steps out of the ocean as Honey Ryder, it is obvious that every other Bond girl will have to compete with her the way the Bond characters have to compete with Sean Connery. She is smoking hot and combines a damsel in distress with strong character and fight. The modern Bond girls don’t even compare.

Though the movie is dated, I still enjoyed it. It’s a fun diversion and worth spending an afternoon watching, if only to see where all Bond films came from. I give it 4 out of 5 on Netflix.

Juror #3 says: Nothing like some good mindless entertainment. The first in the James Bond series, Dr. No proved riveting, certainly keeping my attention the entire way through. Whether it was a dangerous car chase, a pivotal fist fight, or Ursula Andress' legs, I found myself on the edge of my seat. 

Sean Connery plays the role of a suave, yet deadly British Agent with the authority it demands. He takes a slightly different approach to Bond from what I've seen previously, which is to have 007 play on the naive side to bait his opponents. I'd love to compliment Ursula Andress on her acting as well, but I can't. However, it's unnecessary, she's clearly playing the role of prop. The villain, Dr. No is so intriguing that I really wanted more of his backstory shown visually. 

In the end though that's not what Bond films do, neither is it what a Bond film needs to do. The story begs you to suspend your disbelief several times but whether it's because of the acting, or the way the film is cut, I had no problem letting things go and just enjoying the ride. Typically I bemoan films without a point, without a message. But there is always room for a good James Bond, and Dr. No is one of them. It is what it is, and because I was in the mood for it I'll rate it 4/5.