I was 10 years old when Thunderball was released in theaters in 1965. I was a Sean Connery/007 fan after seeing Dr No, From Russia With Love, and Goldfinger. Although I didn’t follow the plots very closely at such a young age, I was clearly a Sean Connery (as James Bond) fan. And all these years later, Sean Connery is still THE REAL 007. All future James Bond actors were cheap impersonators, unimpressive imposters.
Thunderball was a huge disappointment for me in 1965. Too much was filmed underwater and I remember being totally confused about who the good vs bad guys were in large groups of frogmen swimming in their wet suits. And I wasn’t sure which one was Bond? Still, after all of the passing decades of rotating Bond actors (and dozens of beautiful Bond girls), and plot evolutions … Thunderball still remains a my personal greatest disappointment of all Sean Connery / James Bond movies. I really lose interest as the underwater battles ensue and multitudes of spears surge through the water at each other.
Still, I prefer Thunderball over most other Connery-less Bond movies. Sean Connery simply adds legitimacy and credibility to all of his 007 movies. As well, the cinematographs, filming locations, and high quality colorized film stock are exemplary! Clearly, Thunderball was the most expensive Bond production through 1965.