Marco L
(CASTELLANO) Hay películas de Bond que se sienten extrañas dentro de la propia saga, y esta es una de ellas. No forma parte de la línea oficial de EON y, aunque cuenta con Sean Connery de vuelta en el papel, la sensación es la de un regreso algo forzado. Es cierto que resulta curioso volver a verle con el esmoquin y la pistola, pero también es evidente que los años habían pasado y que el personaje ya no le encajaba del todo.
La historia, que retoma la trama de Operación Trueno, no consigue el ritmo vibrante de las mejores entregas y por momentos se vuelve lenta. El guion intenta compensar con humor y personajes secundarios, pero la chispa clásica de Bond aparece de manera intermitente. Lo más destacado probablemente esté en el villano, interpretado con intensidad por Klaus Maria Brandauer, y en la presencia magnética de Barbara Carrera.
Visualmente cumple, con escenarios correctos y una fotografía cuidada, pero no logra la elegancia ni la frescura de otras cintas de la saga. Es un título curioso, casi de coleccionista, que sirve para ver a Connery en su última encarnación del agente 007, aunque en el recuerdo quede más como una rareza que como una entrega imprescindible.
(ENGLISH) There are Bond films that feel out of place in the saga, and this is one of them. It doesn’t belong to the official EON line, and although Sean Connery returns to the role, it feels like a somewhat forced comeback. Seeing him again in the tuxedo with a gun is intriguing, but it’s also clear that time had passed and the character no longer fit him naturally.
The story, a reworking of Thunderball, lacks the vibrancy of the stronger entries and drags at times. The script tries to balance this with humor and secondary characters, but the classic Bond spark only shows up intermittently. The real highlights come from Klaus Maria Brandauer’s intense villain and Barbara Carrera’s magnetic presence.
Visually it delivers, with solid settings and polished cinematography, but it never reaches the elegance or freshness of other films in the series. It stands today as a curiosity, almost a collector’s item, letting us see Connery’s final 007 performance—more of a rare artifact than an essential entry.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
08/28/25
Full Review
Paul M
Just came on the telly and thought oh dear what a wig, not quite so cat like, bit slow etc and then i got it and suddenly I was along for the ride. So much fun, everyone was having fun, the crew, all the actors hamming it up. Kim Basinger looking edible, Edward Fox, badly miscast but being the Jackal in the wrong job. To compare this with the soulless, quite frankly insultingly stupid Craig offerings like the world's worse actress playing the new black female 007, is to compare fois gras to turnip. Love the scene in the health spa where the 'maid' massage girl whatever she was rolls her eyes in orgiastic ecstasy at the taste of posh duck liver patè before getting down to a bit of old fashioned rogering...my favourite will always be Goldfinger, which inspired me to drive the Swiss alps as a student. I don't actually like Sean Connery as a person having lived next door in the Bahamas but as an actor, he's yup a bit hammy but he's just a naughty Scotts man playing himself and that's fine. The film is, yes that was fun, from the early 60s 20 years of Bond to this goodbye in 83. Sure he's 20 years older, it shows and it's ok, more than ok, it's fantastic
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
08/27/25
Full Review
Jacob B
Owing to its unofficial status in James Bond's filmography, it's not uncommon to see Never Say Never Again be treated as a red-headed stepchild. It's an issue that's not helped by the fact that Sean Connery was reprising his role making it harder to ignore than the more unanimously poorly-received Casino Royale film from 1967 since that was a spoof film and thus not worthy of Bond fans' attention. NSNA also has its share of defenders however, insinuating that 007 fans are operating under an "only the creator does it right" mentality and pointing out that the official series wasn't exactly in the best place at the time, seeing how Roger Moore was actually OLDER than Connery. Keep in mind that critics generally liked this film, albeit not an outright darling. Other things that contribute to the film's polarising status are the behind-the-scenes drama and how much one enjoyed Thunderball, which NSNA serves as a remake of. And I didn't even have to bring up that this was from the same director as The Empire Strikes Back, meaning that some people's expectations would be set unrealistically high. I liked NSNA and, if I'm being honest, prefer it over Thunderball. The latter film is still enjoyable in its own right but it had pacing issues that made the plot feel more convoluted than it should've been. Not to mention having to follow the critically acclaimed From Russia With Love and Goldfinger. NSNA, on the other hand, had to deal with Octopussy which I haven't seen yet but have heard of how tonally indecisive it is. NSNA isn't perfect, even when ignoring the Thunderball connections. It has a couple of goofy moments (Bond kills a guy with his own piss, for instance), it still remains committed to the formula for better or for worse (there's a reason why this film's Q is a one-scene wonder; by not just being a retread of Desmond Llewelyn) and I think the runtime could've been trimmed down a bit but overall, I had a good time watching this film. Sean Connery still delivers a good performance (and the one-liners, too) as an older 007, Fatima Blush is an enjoyable villainess, the action sequences are really fun and the cinematography is quite good too. Everyone talks about how Thunderball's underwater sequences have stood the test of time but let's not act like the crew didn't do a good job here as well. Max von Sydow as Blofeld really was a missed opportunity, wasn't it? And this movie can't be called that bad when we get to see the OG Bond and Johnny English in the same film. Finally, I thought this film's theme song was better than the Tom Jones one from the official discography. Placing the song in the action prologue was an odd choice but it didn't bother me that much and I figured it was a case of killing two birds with one stone because they didn't want to risk getting sued if they made their own opening credits sequence. Frankly, knowing how this film originated from a producer's petty rivalry with EON Productions, it's a miracle that the final film is even watchable in the first place. It's certainly a better send-off for Connery's Bond than Diamonds Are Forever was.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
07/26/25
Full Review
James P
Yes NSNA may not be a genuine Bond film but compared to the mediocre final 2 that Grandpa Moore did this one is superb! Connery looked like the Bond we first saw in the early 60's despite being 52 and a greying toupee! Kim Basinger is foxy, Barbara Carrera is a sexy lunatic!
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
06/13/25
Full Review
Liam D
after rewatching Thunderball earlier this year and being kinda let down, I prefer Never say Never Again. Sean Connery gives his best performance as Bond since Goldfinger and the plot is a lot less boring
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
05/30/25
Full Review
Obi-wan K
Mid pacing
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/28/25
Full Review
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