Thunderball

Thunderball is the 9th of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, though the fourth in the series of movies. Adjusted for inflation, it was the most successful James Bond film grossing $924 million using 2007 adjusted numbers.

Made during the Sean Connery era, the movie often resembles the special effects of the same-era Batman tv show. For example, you can tell the boat is going really fast when they speed up the camera. And the only thing missing from the fight scenes are the "Ka-Pow!!" and "Blam!!!".

However, don't let this deter you from watching this movie. The chauvinistic Bond never disappoints. In one scene, one of the beautiful starlets lies in the bath tub when he walks in. I bit stunned, she asks if he can hand her something to put on. He reaches out and hands her a pair of shoes.

And for the corny-coolness factor, when asked what Bond does for a living, he responds, "I'm sort of a licensed trouble-shooter."

I rate this movie 4 stars. There are enough one-liners that will keep you laughing. However, if you are like me and aspire to be cool, this Bond film gives you a healthy dose of things you wish you could say on the spot and do as a secret British agent.

On a side note, the movie was remade in 1983 and called Never Say Never Again. The plot is nearly the same and this time Domino is portrayed by Kim Basinger. Additionally, Never Say Never Again ran in theaters during the same year as a competing Bond film, the titillatingly titled Octopussy.