Look up. Look down. Look out. Get ready for the biggest bond of all. We are talking Thunderball today, Thunder Nerds.
Thundernerd 1:Let's get into it. Thunder Nerds, I'll go.
Thundernerd 1:Three, two, one.
Thundernerd 1:Thunder Nerds are go. So firstly, let's kick this one off. It's just good to be back. It's been very busy lately. Things have been picking up for me with work and just a few other things, all good things, but, yeah, just been a little bit busy to record.
Thundernerd 1:Now look, if you wanna use the chapter points, by all means, they will be updated, so go and use those. If you are here purely for the chat with mister Saint John Smythe regarding, Thunderball. Otherwise, just a couple of things I wanna talk about, so let's get into this.
Thundernerd 1:This.
Thundernerd 1:It's time for yesterday's news. I saw something come up, and and this was maybe a couple of weeks ago. There were photos that were released of John Lithraow as Dumbledore, and I'm just gonna bring them up so I can look at them myself again. I'm sure everyone's seen these floating around since they came out. I think it looks pretty cool, man.
Thundernerd 1:Looks pretty cool. I'm excited for it. It looks very book accurate and very Richard Harris coded. He's got the half moon kind of glasses. He's got the long white beard.
Thundernerd 1:First thing I noticed the morning that this one came out, I thought, hang on a second. Why is he filming on a beach? And I think a lot of Thunder Nerds probably would have done the same, and just people in general, like, I suppose that would have seen it. Went to Reddit because my my thought was, is this a well, there two things floating around, like, my first thought was maybe that it was going to be that they were shooting things that might come up later and do them while he's a bit younger instead of, you know, de aging type thing. And then I thought, well because because I couldn't think of anything in Philosopher's Stone where he's at a beach per se.
Thundernerd 1:And the only thing I could think of where he goes near the water from my memory of the books the the the only book I haven't read, Thunder Nerds, is Prisoner of Azkaban. Read the others. And I no. And Chamber of Secrets. Haven't read Chamber.
Thundernerd 1:But I couldn't think of where this would be from Philosopher's Stone, but also from the others, because the only time I can recall him going near the water in in this type of way where is when he's at the caves in in Half Blood Prince when they go and look for the Horcrux and, Harry's there and that type of thing. So I started to wonder whereabouts this was, and it someone I think online started to talk about it looks like it's, you know, with Nicholas Flamel in in a a passage of book one that talks about how Dumbledore went to see Nicholas Flamel talk about the Philosopher's Stone at his, you know, beachside kind of house, I suppose. And then there's, of course, photos of what seems to be Nicholas Flamel that have come out since. So it looks like that's what they're doing. They're doing things that they're expanding the world out of the books, things that may have been mentioned in the books but not seen.
Thundernerd 1:We're getting to see those things realized in this, I guess, you know, reimagining of of of Harry Potter, which I think is pretty cool. I like that. I think that that is how you should do this if you were going to do the books and especially book one. There's not a lot of source material, especially if this is gonna be like an eight to to 10 episode kind of, you know, series or season based off book one. So that's one thing.
Thundernerd 1:Now, also, another thing that came up this one's this one's in regards to doctor who. It was Robert Sheeran who who is one of my favorite writers on doctor who. He had a little passage in the doctor who magazine, the latest issue, and this has been doing the rounds recently. It's been doing the rounds as as you can imagine. Right?
Thundernerd 1:And, you know, all the people that that really detest Doctor Who, I suppose, some of these these bigger YouTube channels and and that kind of thing. They they've been having their way. And I don't fully agree with the way that some of these people have been kind of going at it, but I also entirely disagree on the other hand, I don't entirely disagree with what Robert Shuman is saying, and he actually makes a very good point. So this comes from Doctor Who Magazine issue six two two. Now for those of you who who are unfamiliar with Shuman or just don't know him by name, you've seen Doctor Who maybe, he wrote the Dalek's return in Dalek with Christopher Eccleston in Doctor Who series one from 02/2005.
Thundernerd 1:He has also written The Maltese Penguin, The Chives of Midnight, Jubilee, Shenzo, I don't know if that's how you pronounce it, but some some some great stories for Big Finish as well that that that predominantly were were recorded and written before doctor who was revived in 02/2005. Part of the reason he got the well, probably a big reason one of the big reasons he he was asked to or tapped on the shoulder to to to write Dalek, is a kind of reimagining of of aspects of Jubilee, which is Colin Baker, Big Finish audio for those of you that haven't heard that, really worth a listen. In fact, part of the reason I think he was talking to the magazine was because he's doing novelizations of I know Jubilee and I think maybe Charms Have Been Died as well, so kind of novel novelizations of of those great classic audios that he he did once upon a time ago. Now Sheeran, while speaking, makes an interesting point, and that is hard to deny when we talk about it. You've probably seen the comment.
Thundernerd 1:Let's get into that now. He says, I go through phases. I have a real push pull thing with doctor Who. At the moment, I'm in a pull phase. It's weird because the show is probably as dead as we've ever known it.
Thundernerd 1:Now that's the part that's caught the headlines. Now he goes on to explain that unlike in earlier periods of the show, that he feels there's a sense of finality surrounding doctor and its expanded universe at the moment. So he says after '18 1989, he's talking about when doctor ended with Sylvester McCoy and, you know, Sophie Aldridge walking off into the sunset. Come on, Ace. We've got work to do, that that kind of thing in survival.
Thundernerd 1:He's saying we had for years we had a current doctor, and now everything that is ever going to be produced in doctor who in terms is going to feel retrogressive, at least with the new adventures. And then the BBC books at the time, you thought it's the current doctor. It's either McCoy or it's McGann. And he actually is, you know, he's right about that because he he he continues on and he says, no one's going to start writing doctor who books with a Billy Piper doctor because no one knows what that means. In a funny way, the closing moments of the reality war seemed to put a full stop on things.
Thundernerd 1:We didn't have that before. So that's his comments. It is an interesting point because he is right. They they did have a current doctor at the time back then. At least could say that.
Thundernerd 1:That isn't something that we have now because we do not know if Billy Piper is gonna be the doctor. Hell, I don't think RTD knows, really. He probably has ideas floating around, but I don't think he's he's put pen to paper to really flesh that out yet. And and personally, by the by the way the the credits kind of left that ambiguous, I don't think she is the doctor. I think she's probably more the bad wolf and more of an interim type thing.
Thundernerd 1:So, yeah, I guess that's true. Like, you could you could, I guess, make a brand new doctor for novels and audios. You could go and cast someone, something in the same vein of Richard e Grant for The Scream of Shulker, I don't think they will do that because when doctor inevitably returns, and I think it will, I do think it needs a break, but I think it will return at some point. Hell, it just it's it's almost guaranteed because it's cash cow now for the BBC, but when it does return I don't know what I think about that. I I think that it's just if it did return, which it will, it's all of a sudden going to, like, you know, decanonize, if you will, whatever doctor they bring out because they're not gonna acknowledge it, At least not immediately, not directly, I wouldn't say so.
Thundernerd 1:It's like it would almost be a waste of, like, just a novel only, audio only, comic only doctor, the Deaths Deep Canonized. So I don't think they'll do that. They'll they'll continue to do existing doctors, but it puts a hold on that newer stuff and and, you know, a current doctor type thing, because we've we we know where shooty begins, and we know now where he ends. I was listening to the Radio Free Scarborough podcast, shout out to those guys, and they mentioned recently that they had some teeth, some insiders that they know, some some sources that they've collated or gathered over the years of doing their potty that are saying that Bad Wolf is done with doctor. That is interesting.
Thundernerd 1:They're saying that it's done, that that we've seen the last of that and that it hasn't gone the way that they, you know, that everyone wanted it to. So we're in this weird thing where there were, you know, the reality was being we know the Disney deal will elapse, but no one's gonna say anything. We know Shootie was meant to do a season three, and he pulled out and they cut some stuff in the Graham Norton show. It's really weird. And now we're in this plot where we're kinda like, oh, what's doing?
Thundernerd 1:What's what's what's going on with Doctor Who? And we're not gonna find out until the war between the land and the sea, which has been pushed back to the end of next year, I believe. So very weird times. Anything that comes out, I'll I'll I'll cover it. That's kind of what I had regarding that.
Thundernerd 1:There was an article very recently. I'm getting this one from Doctor OTV. This actually came out today. Jane Tranter has kind of hit back at Rob Sheeran, it seems. Speaking on BBC Radio Wales to mark the tenth anniversary of Bad Wolf, she's called out the remarks really rude and really untrue, insisting the show remains full of life.
Thundernerd 1:Quite interesting. Kind of, you know would someone not speak I don't know. Is it worth speaking about? I don't he's kinda just saying his opinion of it feels like it's more dead than we've ever known because of the finality behind it, and and he's given a great justification of why he feels that way. So Jane has said the plans for doctor O are really simply this.
Thundernerd 1:The BBC and the BBC Studios had a partner with Disney plus. We've heard this before for 26 episodes. We are currently 21 episodes down into that 20 episode 26 episode run. We got another five episodes of spin off, The War Between the Land and the Sea to come at some point after that, decisions will be made together with all of us about the future what the future of doctor entails. It is interesting that they you know, doctor who magazine even posted those comments.
Thundernerd 1:They you would think someone gets sign off on all that stuff. Some type of role would oversee all type of franchising and and bring it out, but they it's interesting and telling in a way that Doctor Who magazine printed those words. I think they preface something to be like, these are not our opinions, but they still printed it. Interesting. Very interesting.
Thundernerd 1:Anyway, why don't we bring in Saint John Smart? I think we we let's see how he's doing, and then let's get into Thunderball. Let's do it.
Thundernerd 1:Mister St. John Smith. St. John Smythe, my dear. Mister Smythe.
Thundernerd 1:Mister St. John Smythe.
Thundernerd 1:Welcome, sir. I'm Jenny Flex.
Thundernerd 1:Of you are.
Thundernerd 1:I love an early morning ride.
Thundernerd 1:No. I'm an early riser myself. By the way, the name is James St. John Smythe. I'm English.
Thundernerd 1:Mayday, where have you been? I've been waiting for you.
Thundernerd 1:Welcome. Thank you.
Thundernerd 1:It's good to be back.
Thundernerd 1:Hey. Did you I got a I got a question for you straight away while I'm thinking of this one. Actually, no. No. I'll get into that in a second.
Thundernerd 1:First first thing first thing I'll say is this. I was thinking about this earlier today, and so I'm gonna I'm gonna pose this to you immediately. If you so film and television, right, gaming, sport, books, music. You can only keep one. What is it?
Thundernerd 1:And why?
Mr Saint John Smythe:That's tough.
Thundernerd 1:That is really tough.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. What would
Thundernerd 1:it be? It's
Thundernerd 1:So what would yours be, I wanna know. And then I wanna know what you think other like, the general what do you think the people would choose in mass? What do you think they would choose? So yours first though, like and why? Because it's it is hard.
Thundernerd 1:It is very hard.
Thundernerd 1:I would pick gaming.
Thundernerd 1:Mhmm. Interesting. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Probably because it's taken up a lot of my time. Yeah. But I'm so on the fence as well because there's like
Thundernerd 1:It's a hard man, isn't it?
Thundernerd 1:Like film and TV. Like, the stuff that I watched as a young person defined me as who I am today. It like like, I wouldn't be the same person if I didn't watch James Bond when I was a kid. Yep. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:And, you know, you and I watching Doctor Who and
Thundernerd 1:Oh, yes. It's just so good. It's I think I would choose
Thundernerd 1:to download the next episode and then we'd
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Because I I I gotta be honest. I read, but I didn't I wasn't a reader, if that makes sense. Like, I liked books, but it wasn't my first choice of when I was a kid, it wasn't my first choice of, like, you know, like, I'd I'd play a game or
Thundernerd 1:I would get forced to watch sorry, to play sorry, to read books. Yeah. When I would rather watch a movie.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Yep.
Thundernerd 1:Like, I used to have to I used to get told, like, it's reading time.
Thundernerd 1:Reading time. Yeah. And then you'd You have to read
Thundernerd 1:your book before you go to bed.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Before you go to bed. Feel like
Thundernerd 1:I feel like the general I feel like the ones that would be the most universal would be books and music for the people.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Yeah. Like, I feel like books
Thundernerd 1:and Music. That would be hard to lose music. That's hard. It's hard, isn't it? Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:That's one that the people I reckon would music because they're so they've been around for so long. Music and books have been around, and they'll they'll outlast us all. Like, I kinda think those would be but then I think about film and TV, and I'm like, that's such a, you know, obvious go to for recreation where you can get you can get so much. So I think I'd choose film and TV, but I'm I'm not sure. Tad, it's a difficult question.
Thundernerd 1:Tad. I was gonna ask you actually, did you play this is what I was gonna get into before. Did you play the Indiana Jones DLC? No. Haven't picked it up yet, or you're not like, what what what's your vibe?
Thundernerd 1:No. Haven't picked it up yet. Mhmm. I I kinda got a bit disappointed when I found out that it's not a continuation of the story. It's just an extra chapter slotted in between.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Like, I
Thundernerd 1:That's annoying because I I wanna know what happens between Bond and Bond. Between Indi and what what was their name?
Thundernerd 1:I can't even remember now, but it was like it it's like it's over a year ago that I played it. How crazy is It's already been a year since it's been out. It's crazy. It's gone so fast.
Mr Saint John Smythe:But it was
Thundernerd 1:It's gone so quick.
Thundernerd 1:But it wasn't like look. It was an awesome game, but I'm similar to you. When when it released, when they because I I had my eyes all over the DLC ready to go when it came in. Well, like, trailers and shit. And then when I found out when they're like, oh, it's gonna be like, people were talking about it, and they're like, oh, it's it's essentially like a deleted section of the game.
Thundernerd 1:It's like it's like a section that very easily could have been in the game, they just didn't put it in. And I was like and the the someone was like, oh, it's pretty much like you're you're in like it's like classic sewer level where you're just running around sewers doing, you know, not much. And it's like three hours worth of game plan. I was like, no. I'm not picking that up.
Thundernerd 1:I'm not doing that.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Yeah. I'd have to learn the mechanics again of the game, and I don't wanna jump in and just do the DLC then. I'm gonna have to start from the start because it's it's slotted in in the middle of the game.
Thundernerd 1:Did you delete the file or something? Because it
Thundernerd 1:I've got it on my Xbox.
Thundernerd 1:You got it on your Xbox.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Because I
Thundernerd 1:think it was like if you've got up to a certain part of the story, it'll just be a mission that you've unlocked. I think. It's like if you've spoken to Father Angela or something like that, it'll be there. But I was like, do I wanna play that if it's like a very obvious fucking, like, just deleted part of the game that they're cashing in on? Not really, like
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. I that yeah. I'm I'm glad that we feel the same way about it.
Thundernerd 1:I'm disappointed because I was excited. I was very
Thundernerd 1:excited So for
Thundernerd 1:that that that that was one thing I wanted to talk about. Another thing gaming wise, have you played Detroit Become Human? No. It is fucking good. Have you heard of it?
Thundernerd 1:I've heard of it. I've heard of it. It reminds me from what I've seen, it reminds me of Until Dawn. Have you
Thundernerd 1:Yes. I have.
Thundernerd 1:Played Until Dawn?
Thundernerd 1:Yes. I have. Yeah. And I like that. That was cool.
Thundernerd 1:And they've made a few those guys have made a few anthology like, they've done like an anthology series, haven't they?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Probably about five others.
Thundernerd 1:Have you played the others?
Thundernerd 1:I've played what's it called? The one where they're on the boat.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, the Man of Medan. Yes. Yes.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. I played Man of Medan. Is it good? It was good. But I kind of I figured out everything before it happened.
Thundernerd 1:I just I knew what was going on without the the big OMG moment was not very OMG for me because I picked it right from the start.
Thundernerd 1:Okay. Yeah. Okay. If that
Thundernerd 1:makes sense.
Thundernerd 1:No. That makes sense. I mean, I'm playing Detroit Become Human, and I'm just like I I looked so I've been really enjoying it. Like, really fucking liking it. Like, the graphics look really good.
Thundernerd 1:Like, it's 2020, I think, but the graphics look really good still. And, like, the story's strong. It is Hollywood esque. Like, there's parts where you're like, oh, I think this might happen, it kinda does go that way, but it's it's dense enough in its world building that I and there's parts I'm like, I didn't expect that. Like like, it's it's very similar in like that you said, Until Dawn, you've got decisions to make.
Thundernerd 1:I wouldn't say it's anything like it's nowhere near as, you know, as like if you're playing something like Baldur's Gate where it's got thousands of options of how the game could go, but it's
Thundernerd 1:Fuck. That was good.
Thundernerd 1:Fuck. It's good. But it's got a lot of options that you can that can change the story in a way that Until Dawn is very similar with the butterfly kind of effect thing. Yep. And this I I I think you would dig it because it's some people, like, I saw online going, oh, it's just button mashing and it's slow and boring.
Thundernerd 1:But I like stories where, you know, okay, press press this now within three seconds and decide which one and it's gonna change this. I like that. I like a slower type of story game cinematic.
Thundernerd 1:I can love that.
Thundernerd 1:It's fun. It's cool. It's like a good change in pace. So check that out.
Thundernerd 1:It has it has been on my radar. I have been wanting to to give it a go.
Thundernerd 1:Well, look, it was on my radar from the moment before it well, before it came out, I had it on my wish list. And then I just I saw it on special on Steam. It was $11 down from $50.50 bucks or something
Thundernerd 1:That's good.
Thundernerd 1:Until like I can't remember when, November 21 or or October or something, and I saw it, I was like, I'll pick it up. And And I'm like, fuck. I should have picked this up earlier because this was on my wish list for ages, and it is ridiculously fun, like really good. So check that out. We need to have a little chat about those posters.
Thundernerd 1:Right. Just what is doing with that? So for Thunder Nerds, just for for reference now that you probably saw this, this was a few weeks ago. Amazon I can't believe this happened. I I I was fuming about this.
Thundernerd 1:So Amazon put the films up because they've obviously got the rights to the Bond films. They they put the Bond films up on Amazon Prime, and they put them up with these posters. Now at first glance, you go, okay. And on a little closer inspection, you realize that the guns are gone. Everyone.
Thundernerd 1:All 25 Bond films have Bond on the cover, double o seven written in the background, title of each of them, of course. But Bond is like, fuck. Like Doctor. No, he's kinda standing there like a looks fucking like like a zesty gay man or something. Like he like, it looks weird.
Thundernerd 1:That photo has him with a gun.
Thundernerd 1:Hands up. He's got like
Thundernerd 1:He's doing this.
Thundernerd 1:Just He's holding hands.
Thundernerd 1:He's doing like this. He's like he's kinda like doing like a little like, what are we doing with this? Like so that that was fucked. Roger Moore in a view to a kill one, god help me, he looks like Slenderman. His arms are like photoshopped and AI going like down his arm if you if you can recall.
Thundernerd 1:So bad. Some of them were awful. And and and then get this, the kicker. Now they don't they haven't commented. They have not commented up until now on these posters, and then suddenly, like, you know, very quickly, I I recall at the time, they removed these posters.
Thundernerd 1:Clearly, they'd seen fan backlash and talk around it, and they didn't comment on it. They didn't make a statement, but they did change them, and they changed them to some other posters. But I'm hearing that the posters that they've put up also still have tried where possible to crop the guns out. For what purpose? I do not know.
Thundernerd 1:If we're saying that, you know what are we saying here? Guns are fucking triggering? This is James Bond, man. Like, this this is silly silly trivial stuff that we're talking about. Are we gonna go through an AI all the guns out of out of each Bond film?
Thundernerd 1:So Bond's like holding a marshmallow. What are we gonna do here? Are we gonna are we gonna remove the the the gun from the logo in double o seven? Are we gonna get rid of that gun? Because that's there.
Thundernerd 1:You've left that one there in the logo. Should it say double o seven, no gun? Like
Thundernerd 1:For ET, they re released the movie Don't.
Thundernerd 1:I heard this. With all
Thundernerd 1:the police running around with radios in their hands, whereas in the original, it was all pistols.
Thundernerd 1:This, Thunder Nerds, is why this is why in today's day and age, I collect still physical media for everything that I like. So Yeah. I collect Bond. I've got them three times over on box sets. I've got every classic episode of Doctor Who, I've got them on DVD.
Thundernerd 1:You can find them all on, you know, BBC iPlayer, wherever you've I don't think you can find them anywhere in Australia. I'm sorry, but keep physical media. They can't touch it. They can't go and like edit something retroactively and be like, you know, there's sexual assault allegations or something against John Barryman. Let's cut out every Captain Jack scene in Doctor Who.
Thundernerd 1:Like, they can't touch your physical media. It's becoming ridiculous. What are we talking about? I was thinking about
Thundernerd 1:this the other day, literally while I was watching Thunderbolt, and it I was singing. I'm so glad I've got my DVDs because I can see them 100%. It was the scene of Sean Connery in the little wellness spa where he
Thundernerd 1:where he Need you, sable.
Thundernerd 1:It it was that scene. He doesn't treat that girl as respectfully as As he could? He as he could as he should.
Mr Saint John Smythe:As he should. Like, Sean
Thundernerd 1:I I can see them just removing that scene altogether or doing some really dodgy AI and
Thundernerd 1:And yes. Yeah. You're so
Thundernerd 1:right, man. See them.
Thundernerd 1:But it's like
Thundernerd 1:I could just see them changing all of that. Comes back
Thundernerd 1:this thing of, like, it was a different time and but but they don't see it like that, unfortunately. We are in a time now where things will get removed. You know, what got one of the biggest laughs at when I went and saw Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark at the cinema at a at a at a showing a couple years ago. One of the things that people laugh the hardest at, and it's because it's like they're not laughing because they agree they're laughing because it's a bit botched and it's it's just wrong, and it's not, you know, it's not right. It's almost you're laughing at it, not sorry.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. You're laughing at it, not with it. And that is when Jones is in fucking the Himalayas or whatever, and and she's like, I was 17, and he's like, oh, you know what you're doing.
Mr Saint John Smythe:And he's like, like, my god.
Thundernerd 1:You knew
Thundernerd 1:what you were getting into.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Literally, it's like it's like George Lucas, you fucking shitload. Like
Thundernerd 1:Lucas, keep
Thundernerd 1:that know right
Mr Saint John Smythe:what I mean? It's like
Thundernerd 1:Keep your fantasies to yourself, please.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, George. It so I kinda think that look. What I was saying is keep your physical media. Just just just keep it keep your physical media and and be done with it. But those posters, man
Thundernerd 1:Definitely.
Thundernerd 1:Silly shit. And and a worrying sign a worrying little sign maybe of what's to come seeing those posters. So let's hope that that's the end of that, but Yeah. Let's hold our breath. Now okay.
Thundernerd 1:I apologize for that tangent. Thunderball?
Thundernerd 1:I watched it in my accommodation.
Thundernerd 1:Okay.
Thundernerd 1:So I was very busy, so I I would only I was getting home late, getting getting up and leaving very early. So I was only watching little bits and pieces of it each day. So I was I was gone I was gone for just the week. Yep. But then, literally this morning, I got up.
Thundernerd 1:I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. I got up.
Thundernerd 1:This is interesting. Was like, what
Thundernerd 1:am I gonna do today? I'm gonna talk about Thunderball. I'm gonna watch it again. Huge. I watched it again.
Thundernerd 1:And this time my partner watched it with me. She watched Okay. The whole And she said she really enjoyed it. She wants to now watch these movies with me. Huge.
Thundernerd 1:That's that's pretty good.
Thundernerd 1:That's exciting.
Thundernerd 1:But I said, we have to go back.
Thundernerd 1:We have to go back? Yeah. Yeah. We have
Thundernerd 1:to start at the start. There's no
Thundernerd 1:No dilly dallying. Movie. No. No. No.
Thundernerd 1:We will now if you've if you've committed to the bit, we go backwards. We go go to where we Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:She's got to fit through the three blind mice and the
Thundernerd 1:Three blind mice. Yeah. So
Thundernerd 1:She walked in on that.
Mr Saint John Smythe:She's going, what is doing
Thundernerd 1:with this? He's talking, was like, what the fuck is this? What the
Thundernerd 1:hell is that? So Thunderball.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Alright. Let's let's I
Thundernerd 1:watched the full thing this morning.
Thundernerd 1:So you're you're fresh with this. You're you're ready to go. Now
Thundernerd 1:When was the last when was the last time you watched it?
Thundernerd 1:I watched it maybe three weeks ago. So but I have seen this a few times. So so it's not like I'm, yeah. Like, I I've seen Thunderball enough to to recall it. Not like I could recall, say, Goldfinger, which I've seen so many times, but Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Thunderball, I've seen enough. Like, I've because because it's one of the ones I'd I'd watched, you know, less when I was younger, so I've made up for that in later years, where where I might have slowed down on ones I'd I'd I'd really gone to town on when I was a kid. I've I've ramped up my viewings of things like Thunderball and Fury Eyes Only and that type of thing.
Thundernerd 1:For me, I Thunderball's been one of the ones that I've watched the least.
Thundernerd 1:I thought it would be. And so and
Thundernerd 1:so watching it, there were so many bits that I was I had forgotten about and so many bits that I had only remembered from the old James Bond magazines.
Thundernerd 1:Like Yeah. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Okay. Largo's what what do you call it? His mansion, you know, with his the shark pools.
Thundernerd 1:Yes. Yep. Yep.
Thundernerd 1:And they used to have, like, the the map of Amelia Lago's place.
Thundernerd 1:That's cool.
Thundernerd 1:And used to show you, like, the shark pools, and then it would show you, like, this is where the bombs were kept and that kind
Thundernerd 1:of stuff. That's sick. That's sick. So
Thundernerd 1:watching the movie made me remember the old James Bond magazines and stuff like that. But there were so many bits in this movie where I was like, oh, what's what's Bond gonna do next? How does he get out of this one?
Thundernerd 1:We won't say this just yet, but have you got an MVP locked in in your mind for Thunderball? Don't say I do. Okay. Okay. You do.
Thundernerd 1:You do. Cool. We'll get to that later. I do as well. So okay.
Thundernerd 1:Now, I wanna say with Thunderball that I really enjoy Thunderball. It's one of my guilty pleasure Bond films, and I say that because look, I think it just makes me think of like home. Like the the water, the it it makes it's like, it's nice to watch.
Thundernerd 1:100%. Do you know
Thundernerd 1:what I mean? It's like the beaches and
Thundernerd 1:I love how the whole movie is centered around being in and around the water.
Thundernerd 1:It's cool, man.
Thundernerd 1:All the all the scuba diving and all all the the underwater fights. And I used to after watching this movie, I used to go to the beach Yep. Just down the road from our our house Yep. And swim in the ocean and just, you know, reenact
Thundernerd 1:Thunderball. Like that.
Thundernerd 1:Would have looked like an absolute spastic. But just fly in the water just reenacting like the fight scene. 100%.
Thundernerd 1:It's an interesting one, Thunderball, because I mean well, okay. Well, let me let me throw a few things at you here. Where's my where's my information? Let me just see if I can bring you here and have you on this as well. Now a couple of things.
Thundernerd 1:So 1965 is the year of Thunderball. Terrence Young returns to direct. Terrence had done Doctor. Nolan from Rush You Would Love, and then Guy Hamilton came in for Goldfinger. We get Terrence back for Thunderball.
Thundernerd 1:Now this is interesting. Harry Saltzman and Albemarle Broccoli produce Thunderball along with Kevin McClory. Now that that is an infamous name because this is the dude, Kevin.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, no.
Thundernerd 1:This is the guy. You know who I'm Now talking Yeah. So the the the screenplay is is written by Richard Maybarm, John Hopkins. It's based on a story by Fleming, McClory, and a guy named Jack Whittingham. Music, John Barry, of course, starring Sean Connery, Claudine Orger, Adolfo Selle, Luciana Paluzzi, I believe.
Thundernerd 1:Thunderball, Tom Jones. He that's a great song, Thunderball. It's got one of
Thundernerd 1:the Tom Jones. Yeah. Absolutely killed it.
Thundernerd 1:Apparently, passed out on the last note. He held it for so long. Passed out over it. I don't know if that's if that's like rumor mill shit, but that's what I heard.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Impressive.
Thundernerd 1:A budget of approximately 9,000,000 at the time, box office 141,000,000. It is the highest grossing James Bond film of all time adjusted for inflation, which is interesting. So it their Bond in a way, it it peaked here in Thunderball. Obviously, it's made way more than that on subsequent films like, you know, even the Brosnan's and then of course the the the Craig films. But in terms of adjusted for inflation at the time, this was like almost like 1,400,000,000.0 something or or rather.
Thundernerd 1:So it was big money for the time. And and you can see why coming off Goldfinger, like, people must have just been like, holy shit, that was good, like, what are they gonna do next kind of thing. Now let's let's talk a little bit about this. Now I'm not sure how much you know about this. So the lawsuit around this what happened, right, is there was an unproduced screenplay apparently that Fleming had written with Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham in the late fifties, and Fleming later turned it into a novel.
Thundernerd 1:He didn't credit them, and that's what led to this lawsuit. And eventually, McClory got the rights to be a producer on this film that was part of the winning lawsuit, and it was also that he could ten years later or something like that, I believe, make his own version of the story which became Never Say Never Again, which I believe I've seen once in my entire life and will never maybe we could watch it down the track as a laugh.
Thundernerd 1:I was about to say. Yeah. Could we watch Never Say Never again?
Thundernerd 1:Maybe we need to. Maybe we need to bite the bullet and and watch it for the sake of, like, whatever we think of it. Maybe there's some good stuff in there. I don't remember liking it. I remember thinking Bond looked like an old man, and it was, like, lame.
Thundernerd 1:The music was lame. It, like, opened with, like, this weird, like, thing. It was I I remember it.
Thundernerd 1:I oh, man. I remember watching it when I was a kid and thinking, because I'd never heard of this movie before.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:And they randomly played it during the run of movies on TV. Yep. When I was thinking it was like during the Rod of the Moore movies. Was I was like I was like, oh, yeah. It should be Theory's Only next or something like that.
Thundernerd 1:And then all of a sudden, Sean Connery, never say never again next week.
Thundernerd 1:Did they play that amongst the EON Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:They did. That's how I'd first seen it. And the the one and only time I'd seen it. They played it because remember that run they did where they were doing one each each week
Thundernerd 1:Mhmm.
Thundernerd 1:In order, and it got into do you know what year it was?
Thundernerd 1:I know what year it was. I was gonna ask you if you know. It's 1983 for '83. Now so that that that leads me into a question for you. This competed with another James Bond film at the cinema.
Thundernerd 1:Like, as in, like, it came out the same year and there was a there for the only time in Bond's history, there was rival Bond films in the same year. Do you know
Thundernerd 1:what it was?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:In the eighties. So that would be licensed kill maybe?
Thundernerd 1:Tell you. So A View to a Kill was 85. Okay? Octopussy competed with Yeah. Never Say Never Again.
Thundernerd 1:That's probably why in the run you saw that it came after For Your Eyes Only, because I think it released before Octopussy, but in the same year as Octopussy. So I think Octopussy smashed it out of the park in terms of the box office, like it killed Never Say Never Again. But Roger Moore did face down Connery. He he faced him down. So there you go.
Thundernerd 1:That that's a that's an interesting and little there was initially There you go. There was actually initially I I could fact check me here, Thunder Nerds. I believe, I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure that Roger Moore was meant to have a cameo in this film at the end. Like, there was gonna be like a What? Hang on.
Thundernerd 1:I'll I'll maybe we need to just just check this.
Thundernerd 1:Before we start spreading the
Thundernerd 1:Before I start spreading hearsay, let me Roger Moore Cut. Never say never
Thundernerd 1:This was the start of the Bond universe.
Thundernerd 1:Cinematic. The Bond Cinematic universe. Where is it? No. Roger Moore did not have a coming.
Thundernerd 1:I know that. Where is it? There was something about it. Release. We'll never say never look.
Thundernerd 1:You'll have to find there was there was definitely something about one of them, like, allegedly going to appear in the other. And I'm pretty sure it was one of the bond one of them said that one of those actors said, oh, this was something that was gonna happen, but I can't remember if it was Connery to appear in Octopussy or if it was the other way around. It was there was something, though, around the time of that. Do your own research on that. I I just quickly looked it up and I couldn't find it, but there was definitely something.
Thundernerd 1:Why would Sean Connery agree to being in this movie? Was it part of his the lawsuit, like, or
Thundernerd 1:something was definitely not that. It was just I think it would have been the money probably. They probably just paid him in a like a a decent but then, you know what? The film looks cheap. So if anything, they probably paid a hell of a lot of money to get Connery in the film, and then they had nothing left to do it.
Thundernerd 1:Because he got paid at the time for Diamonds Are Forever, the sum of roughly $8,000,000, and that was a lot of money for an actor at the time when he came back for Diamonds Are Forever. Right? And he only came back there like, he was done with Bond. He in fact in fact, it was actually around this time in Thunderball that Connery apparently, allegedly got very fatigued by the fame and the press intrusion during the press runs of this film, and the tensions with the producers and the media would later kind of go on to to because he he became after this, I believe, disinterested. I kinda think he can see it a bit in You Only Live Twice in the performance.
Thundernerd 1:He's a bit like going through the motions. He's still good because he's Connery, but he's going through the motions. And then he comes back in diamonds, and I and I'm pretty sure it was because he wanted to fund his own, like, acting academy, and he made one in Scotland. And he used the the the funds of diamonds are forever to do that, and that's why he came back and did it.
Thundernerd 1:That's pretty badass.
Thundernerd 1:Which is badass as shit. But That's cool. So maybe he just was like, I'm just gonna get some more money for for Rowan Atkinson is in Never Say Never Again, I'm pretty sure. Just random. I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure he's in that film.
Thundernerd 1:It's a weird film.
Thundernerd 1:It's it's so strange, like
Thundernerd 1:Bearded Blofeld and shit. You've seen Blofeld in that film?
Thundernerd 1:Dawn, do you wanna come do a remake of Thunderball, like, now that you're a lot older?
Thundernerd 1:And And it's gonna be on way less of a budget and look way worse?
Thundernerd 1:It's gonna it's gonna be a lot less quality, it's not gonna be the official lineup of
Thundernerd 1:James Bond films. Does that sound good to you? Done. Like, did that come from? I don't know.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Of course.
Thundernerd 1:I don't know, man.
Thundernerd 1:Find me out.
Thundernerd 1:Maybe there was a bit of ego, but I don't know. Like, maybe what could there have been a thing of like, you know, let me see if I can out outdo Roger and show people that because he I think he did have a bit of that, like, that energy a little Kinda
Thundernerd 1:kinda part of why he came back after George. Maybe. Maybe. I feel like Storm was just like,
Thundernerd 1:let me show you how it's done, my boy.
Thundernerd 1:I'm gonna show you how it's done. Yeah. Bit down, Sean.
Thundernerd 1:But then, like, even when he comes back
Thundernerd 1:Let me show you how it's done.
Thundernerd 1:Like Yeah. He he comes back in diamonds and, like, he goes in the freaking Tiffany Case or whatever her name, goes into a room at one point, his shirt's off, and he like you're like,
Mr Saint John Smythe:oh my god. That's grotesque. It's like not a pretty sight. Right. It's like Are
Thundernerd 1:there any shirtless scenes in Never Say Never Again?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Like, I don't know.
Thundernerd 1:Well, there's a lot of underwater, you know, stuff in Thunderball, so do you reckon he takes the shirt off in Never Say Never Again, or are they like, Sean, put the put the rashie on?
Thundernerd 1:Put the rashie on, my boy. Look, I think they did I think they did that, like, scene where he's like where he gets, like, tortured by getting stretched in Never Say Never It Again. So maybe maybe his shirt's off there, but that that scene's pretty funny in Thunderball.
Thundernerd 1:I I Like We we we both know what it looks like is going on when that's happening.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. We do. But it's also
Thundernerd 1:It looks like he's getting it's like he's getting absolutely railed.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Does. When I
Thundernerd 1:was watching it If you
Thundernerd 1:if you like crop that out, surely there's
Mr Saint John Smythe:been like some edits to that. Surely, someone's done
Thundernerd 1:this. Was I was gonna send you a message
Mr Saint John Smythe:and be like,
Thundernerd 1:hey, I've got a good idea for the for the thumbnail for the for the podcast. Yeah. That's something like
Thundernerd 1:That's that'll get some kicks.
Thundernerd 1:You could probably edit in Emilio Largo standing behind him.
Thundernerd 1:Behind him, Harry. Yeah. My god. Bro, so Don't no. Sorry.
Thundernerd 1:Thunderball, do we should we actually, like maybe we need to get into it now and talk about it. Because there there is some things I I am interested to hear your thoughts on this. I don't even know how I wanna break Thunderball down, mate. Do we wanna just start should we start pre credit like, pre titles as Yeah. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, mate.
Thundernerd 1:Let's start pre titles.
Thundernerd 1:I'm watching this. I had completely forgotten this whole sequence besides the jetpack.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:I remembered the jetpack, couldn't remember anything else. So I was watching it, and I was like, JB, I was like, this isn't like a he's not faking his own death. I was like, why is it? And then he says, Jack Bouvier or whatever his name is.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Like, oh, Spectre agent. Right. Right. And then, yeah, he's following the widow. And then this is I I can see why now Austin Towers gets that joke of that's that's not a woman.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Yeah. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:It's a man, man. Exactly.
Mr Saint John Smythe:It's a man, man. Yeah. Austin, that's my mother.
Thundernerd 1:Exactly. Oh, man. Austin Powell is so good. But yeah. No.
Thundernerd 1:You're you're you're absolutely you're absolutely right because it was a it's it's a clear kind of like what's his name? Like, Colonel Bouvoy or something? Like, Jack Bouvoy or
Thundernerd 1:something? Jack.
Thundernerd 1:It's like Bouvoy or something. It's like
Thundernerd 1:It's like Jacques Bouvoy.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. It's
Thundernerd 1:like Bouvier Bouvoy or something.
Thundernerd 1:It's a clear cop out at the start like, oh, you know, make the audience think it's Bond. And then my my dear Colonel Bouvoy, you you shouldn't have opened that guard door by your shop. Like, that's a pretty cool fight. It's it it is interesting in Thunderball because Peter Hunt My
Thundernerd 1:old mate wearing the dress.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. I know. That is that is pretty
Thundernerd 1:funny. Little legs.
Thundernerd 1:I know. The skinny legs. It it's it's I always found He's
Thundernerd 1:the makeup on?
Thundernerd 1:He's yeah. I know. He's got gone the full he's gone the full thing, but he's gone the full throttle on it. But when I was a kid, what I found interesting about Thunderball, and I found it to be fair, I found it a little bit jarring, and and that is that it uses, like it it puts some scenes and it so Disco Volante at the end when when when Emilio is fighting Bond, when when o o seven's on the the top, like the the stretcher thing, and and in the start, it puts the fight scene in, like, point fast forward and to try and make it, like, faster. And when I was a kid, it used to confuse the shit out of me.
Thundernerd 1:Didn't know what was going on, because it only happens to my memory in two James Bond films. This and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. And
Thundernerd 1:On the beach?
Thundernerd 1:Exactly. On the beach. Yeah. And and it's a trait of Peter Hunt who is the editor of Thunderball. I'm not sure what other Bond films he has edited.
Thundernerd 1:I know he directed his first directing Bond is and his only directing Bond credit is on Her Majesty's Circuit Service, and I believe he edited that as well. Generally, he's a very good editor, but there was I don't know what it was. It was like trying to make the scenes feel more like action packed or something, but it, to me, it looks weird. Do you know what I mean? It looks jarring.
Thundernerd 1:I agree. I I I had to I had to kind of just my partner and I awkwardly like looked at each other every time it happened.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Yeah. Like, what's going on here?
Thundernerd 1:And I didn't wanna bring it up, but because I was like, look look how amazing this movie is, and then it's doing that. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. We both kinda look at each
Mr Saint John Smythe:other. Yeah. I see.
Thundernerd 1:Just don't mention that part.
Thundernerd 1:But but Well, the editing is not Yeah. It's not my MVP.
Thundernerd 1:No. It's not my MVP. I can say that for sure. Now I wanna say this, like, Thunderball is a film, and it's weird to say this about a Bond film because, you know, a lot of Bond films are well, especially of this era we're talking, they're quite fantastical, you would say. Goldfinger has fantastical elements.
Thundernerd 1:You only live twice the volcano base and all that. Thunderball in different ways I found when I watched this three weeks ago, and I'm interested to see what you say here. It has some moments where that it it's not so much you have to suspend your disbelief, although you do a little bit, but it's got more how would I say this? A lot of things are very circumstantial with no explanation of why it happens, but things happen where you're like, that was very lucky that Bond was just in that clinic. And because because unlike Goldfinger
Thundernerd 1:I was gonna bring this up with you.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. It it's a plot
Thundernerd 1:I completely agree.
Mr Saint John Smythe:It's a plot that for
Thundernerd 1:a long time, I have found to be one of the most confusing of what was going on when I was a kid. I I didn't fully understand moment to moment because there's a whole sequence. Right? There's a whole sequence at the start. So Bond Bond offs Colonel Bouvoy who is a Spectre agent.
Thundernerd 1:He he he kills him. We then get to a jetpack that was just there. The jetpack
Thundernerd 1:turns out was real.
Thundernerd 1:It was real. It was real. Yeah. And and one of the only ones of its time, I think.
Thundernerd 1:Wires and stuff like that. And then No. Yeah. Rewatching it, I was like, that looks that actually, like, obviously
Thundernerd 1:Obviously, not Sean. Honorary.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Obviously, that's not real. But I was watching it, and I was like, that actually looks quite real. And then I looked it up, and, yeah, sure enough.
Thundernerd 1:To my knowledge one of It was one of
Thundernerd 1:one two people in the world that could
Thundernerd 1:That's right.
Thundernerd 1:Buy
Thundernerd 1:it. It was it was it was very similar to the the little Nelly from You Only Live Twice at the time where it was it was very rare. There was like only one or or two in the world, and they got access to it to Thunderbolt. And look, it's a sick little spectacle. No doubt.
Thundernerd 1:Like, seeing Bond get on the jetpack is an iconic Bond moment. But and and that's part of the reason why they put the helmet on. Right? Bond Bond stops to do health and safety because they couldn't the the guy wouldn't fly it without the helmet, and so they they had to put Bond in the helmet for those shots because do you know what I'm saying? Otherwise, Bond would probably just fucking fly off with the thing without it.
Thundernerd 1:But the point is, it's an iconic Bond moment. The question is and I guess it's in the editing maybe, like, it cuts away and Bond follows the dude back to the house, but you ask yourself, so hang on. Bond's gone and
Thundernerd 1:How did the
Thundernerd 1:put the jetpack there? Like, did he know that that was gonna be his escape route? Is he planned escape route one, two, and three? Because And because then he's had time to also cross legged kinda wait for the guy in in a seat to get home, so he's beaten him to the house and somehow set up his escape route. So it's a bit fucking convoluted.
Thundernerd 1:I see. I noticed this watching it. Yep. The the first time I rewatched it, I noticed this. And then so for the second time I watched it, I was trying to see if I'd missed anything to see if it would make sense, and it didn't.
Thundernerd 1:And my partner even said, like, oh, that was convenient. And I was like, oh, no.
Mr Saint John Smythe:There's nothing that can be said. There's nothing that can be said.
Thundernerd 1:It's like it's not like you can go, oh, actually, it's it's this is because of this. No. Genuinely, that is convenient.
Thundernerd 1:There's there's a there's a couple others as well.
Thundernerd 1:There is, and and and I think maybe so the song where does the song sit for you? If we're going in that kind of thing, where where does Tom Jones
Thundernerd 1:Thunderbolt? I that love it. I reckon it's one of the best.
Thundernerd 1:It's very much like they figured out a template in Goldfinger, and went like, you know, the Goldfinger singing about Goldfinger, and then with a little bit of Bon Motif where it ramps up, and by the end of it, it really ramps the music up into that Bond motif. It Thunderball really feels like it follows that pattern
Thundernerd 1:of music. I love how it's like singing about Bond.
Thundernerd 1:Yes. Yep.
Thundernerd 1:Like, he always runs while others walk, and he knows the meaning of success.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. It's cool.
Thundernerd 1:It could be about Emilio Largo, but
Thundernerd 1:It could be. But yeah.
Thundernerd 1:It just listening to it, you just think of Sean Connery just being better than everyone else Yep. When you listen to this song.
Thundernerd 1:And and and, hey, I've got something to say. He is on fire in this film, Sean Connery. Like he
Thundernerd 1:Yes, he is.
Thundernerd 1:He is freaking awesome in Thunderball. He like, to me, this is my personal feeling of it, he never betters himself as Bond. This is it.
Thundernerd 1:I was gonna say this is this is peak. This is peak Connery.
Thundernerd 1:This is peak. Like and and I think you'll agree with me in this sense. It's it is an interesting one. It's like, Doctor. No, you can see that he's very clearly like, from the start, he's he's very good.
Thundernerd 1:From Rush Love, he's a bit dangerous. Goldfinger feels like he's really found it. But Thunderball, something is different in Thunderball. He is everything he does, he's so watchable. I mean, in the clinic The way he The The grape from that's a Dine the reference in Die Another Day, like in the, you know, where where Brosnan kind of throws the what's it called?
Thundernerd 1:The he wheels the dude down the thing in the clinic, and then jumps through the window and and eats the grape. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:That's right. Eats the grape, and then in the next in the next shot, he's walking, like, down the hallway, and you can see him chewing.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. So it's it's Thunderball, but it's like and the way, you know, when when Largo later on the on the base, you know, he's like, looks quite difficult, and then he just shoots without looking. And just no, it isn't, isn't he? He's just like blown it's like, oh my god, he's such a badass.
Thundernerd 1:Very good.
Thundernerd 1:Like there's so many moments.
Thundernerd 1:The grape, do you reckon it was written in the script, like Bond then reaches over and takes a grape? Or is that Sean Connery just don't know.
Thundernerd 1:I I don't know because it it Such
Thundernerd 1:a small thing, but it's so
Mr Saint John Smythe:It's so powerful, though. It's so cool. It's like
Thundernerd 1:So cool.
Thundernerd 1:And it very that's a great question. It's like it very well could be that he improved it, but it also could be just as real that maybe it wasn't in the script per se, but the director said, hey, like, when you're going out, grab grab a grape as well, like, on your way out. See, it's hard to know, but it is freaking it's just there's so many moments in Thunderball where Connery is at the apex of his time in this role, and he doesn't, in my opinion, he doesn't get better than in Thunderball. The the with with
Thundernerd 1:I completely agree.
Thundernerd 1:The way he's like with Fiona Volpe, and and you know, he's like, my dear girl, do you think I did any pleasure in what I did tonight? I did what I did for King and Country? Like, he's just cool in every scene that he's in. Like, he's got the one liners, he looks powerful as well. Like, he looks like he'd kick ass.
Thundernerd 1:The way he, like, you know, knocks the dude out in the clinic and wraps the phone around his head, it's like like, it's funny. It's it's It's fucking good. It's cool.
Thundernerd 1:He didn't have to do that. No. He does nothing.
Mr Saint John Smythe:It just wraps
Thundernerd 1:wraps the quarter around his head. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:It's one of the all time Bond performances, I I think, holistically, Thunderball.
Thundernerd 1:Completely agree.
Thundernerd 1:It's unique it's unique in Bond history, this film. Before we get into the rest of the plot, it's unique well, with actually, let me think about this. I might hang on. Could be wrong. Could be wrong.
Thundernerd 1:It's it's unique with two other films in the series. Can you guess why and what films? Let me give you I can give you the films if you want, but I've only just thought I thought it was actually two, but I think it's actually three. Unique. Something to do with James Bond himself.
Thundernerd 1:It only happens three times in the series.
Thundernerd 1:Is it the film has featured another o o.
Thundernerd 1:No. That's a good guess. That is a good guess. This is the only James Bond film to feature every double o agent in one room, allegedly. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Count the chairs. It's got zero like, it's got one to nine on the chairs and and o o seven's right in the place where seven would be and eight would be next to him and nine would be next to him. I love that. Which is sick.
Thundernerd 1:I I I was thinking that, that scene with all the double o's, I was thinking Octopussy with o o nine Yep. Golden Eye with o o Six. Six. Yep. Probably missing another one.
Thundernerd 1:I think Man With The Golden Gun o o two Yeah. Might die at the start of that. I could be wrong about that number though. I'll I'll tell you the films, and then let's see if you can if you can get this. Thunderball Okay.
Thundernerd 1:Skyfall, and No Time to Die. Guess along, Thunder Nerds and Home, do you know what is unique about I was thinking about it while I was watching this and thinking, is this is this something that only happens in two films? And I remembered no time at all, now I'm thinking it's three, but Put you on the spot here.
Thundernerd 1:Give me a hint.
Thundernerd 1:A hint. Gun. That's a hint on multiple levels under nerds. You can if you can if you can
Thundernerd 1:Gun.
Thundernerd 1:Think. Think Skyfall.
Thundernerd 1:Is to with?
Thundernerd 1:Think think
Thundernerd 1:I know I know Connery gets I know Bond gets shot.
Thundernerd 1:That's right. That's it. It's it's one of three double o seven films where Bond gets shot. So he only gets shot in Thunderball, Skyfall, and I I believe he gets shot at the end by Saffin in the leg or something, now that I think about it. In no time to die, I'm pretty sure Saffin picks up a gun and shoots him in the leg or something.
Thundernerd 1:I could be wrong about that one though, but he definitely gets shot in Skyfall on the train, and he gets shot in Thunderball. So not something that happens in a lot of the Bond films, but I just noted that when I saw him shot in the leg, and I'm thinking, is this is there only a couple of Bond films where Bond actually ever gets shot anywhere? And, yeah, there are.
Thundernerd 1:I I remember the old back to the old James Bond magazines. There was like a trivia thing, a fun fact, where it said Bond has only ever been actually been shot once. Obviously, these magazines came out before Skyfall. Yep. Well before Skyfall.
Thundernerd 1:I think before Die Another Day as well, actually.
Thundernerd 1:They did, I think. Yep.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. I said, Bond has only ever been shot once on the Thunderball mission. And I hadn't seen Thunderball yet. So I was like, woah.
Mr Saint John Smythe:God, Bond. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:God, the stakes are that high. Like, the that like, that's like that's like extreme difficulty for Bond. Yeah. He actually gets shot in that one. And I was like, oh my god.
Thundernerd 1:I was like, Emilio Largo must be like he must be like such a good villain or like if he can shoot and then watching it, it's just some random dude, some random henchman
Thundernerd 1:That shoots him. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:That's like on the ground and he shoots Bond in the in the leg. And I was like, oh. Oh. I was like, who was that?
Thundernerd 1:I was like,
Thundernerd 1:how does I noticed Bond made a lot of little mistakes in this movie, like getting shot. Another one where he drops his pistol and his pistol goes off and alerts all the guards. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Yep. Spot.
Thundernerd 1:The one where like, Bond's trying to Bond get gets, like, trapped in the cage. He's too slow getting in.
Thundernerd 1:Yep. Yep. The cage. That's an interesting one as well that we'll that we'll get to, the the cage one.
Thundernerd 1:There was another there was another big one where
Thundernerd 1:Possibly when he gets caught maybe underwater? No?
Thundernerd 1:It's caught.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Is that it or is it around there or is it somewhere?
Thundernerd 1:There was I was it just came into my mind while we're watching it, and then I just started to pick up on things. It probably happens in every Bond movie that I
Thundernerd 1:Well, look, there's definitely there's definitely moments where you'll
Thundernerd 1:Bond's a bit sloppy in this one. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:It I I guess it happened in every film in the sense that he would make every now and then in each film, he'll make a slight, you know, but he always but you are right. Like, he gets he does get shot. That doesn't it doesn't count for nothing, for sure. I mean, it's a let's get back to so we're pass the pre credit, he's like recovering, because I think he actually talking about bombing Sloppy, think he gets injured in that fight in Yeah. Against soul mate.
Thundernerd 1:The fire poker.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. The fire poker. So he's recovering.
Thundernerd 1:Stabbed with the fire poker, and it leaves a big bruise across his back.
Thundernerd 1:He's recovering in this kind of center, right, this health clinic?
Thundernerd 1:It's based near NATO Airbase. Mhmm. Yeah. So it maybe they've got a deal with this, like, wellness center. Maybe it's where because it's where the colonel Francois or whatever.
Thundernerd 1:Well, okay. So yeah. Exactly. So let let let's get into this shit. Because this is where for me and again, I must say this.
Thundernerd 1:I love Thunderball. That I that has to be said at the top. Yeah. Love it, and I call it a guilty pleasure. There is a reason I call it a guilty pleasure.
Thundernerd 1:That is because this film doesn't make a lot of sense to me. There's a lot of things that are a little bit bizarre, And most of it that I have a problem with or or questions around all pertain to the what would you say? Like thirty, forty minute opening of the film where they're all they're at the help before he gets to Nasu, essentially, is where my questions are all raised.
Thundernerd 1:Yes. I I had to kind of explain it as we were going to my partner, and it was a lot of it I kind of didn't didn't know and was just kind of making it up to try to make it make
Thundernerd 1:make it sense. Like, this is what's going on. Like, we're going for
Thundernerd 1:Which is which is where I've come up with the idea of, yeah, they've got a this wellness center, they've got a deal with the airbase because it's they're so close to each other, which is mentioned. Mhmm. The the airbase is so close, which is why the colonel's there, which is why Bond is there as well.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:So m I six has sent Bond to this wellness center.
Thundernerd 1:Because let let's think about this. So early on, we meet Emilia Largo. We meet him very early on, And we see Spectre very early on, and we learn from them very early on again what their plan is. They're gonna, you know, hijack some so this part's pretty straightforward. Their plan is that they're gonna hijack some some kind of missiles and they're going to or two atomic bombs from the Royal Air Force.
Thundernerd 1:They're gonna hijack them, and they're going to hold them for ransom of the sum of £100,000,000 or whatever. So not that much money, right, when when when we're talking today's standards. But they're going to hold it for ransom, and I like all the world building of that old school, like, getting all the agents in going, hey, you know, Operation Thunderball. There's your there's where the name's mentioned in this film. Now getting them all in there, they all open their assignments, and you hear the thing of like, Big has to strike seven times at 6PM or something.
Thundernerd 1:I like that World Building, and then the World Building later you hear on the like, when Bond goes to see Q or whatever in Nassau, and it's on the radio going like, Big Ben did strike, really did strike, like seven times at 6PM
Thundernerd 1:yesterday, like it makes it feel like things power
Thundernerd 1:That hasn't been seen. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's it's so that A mechanical
Thundernerd 1:failure or something like that.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. That stuff I think is cool, world building. Where my problem is, here's where it is. Firstly, so Bond goes to recover from his encounter with colonel Bouvoy, who is killed. Right?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Now a Spectre agent, Count Lippy, just happens to be there apparently, and Count Lippy is working with Fiona Volop, and both of them are Spectre agents, and they have recruited and this what I I can never get this as a kid. They've recruited a guy called Angelo Polazi who is undergoing at this health clinic. He's undergoing like, facial reconstruction, and he's going to pose as Francois Duval, who is the the actual, like, pilot working with the Royal Air Force with NATO?
Thundernerd 1:I think they've planted him in the wellness facility because Bond asks who is in the next room to him, to the the colonel, and they say, oh, it's a car crash victim or something like that. Dying. Yeah. A car crash victim. I think he's got the bandages on because he's still recovering from the surgery.
Thundernerd 1:He is. But they've
Thundernerd 1:put him they've placed him in that wellness facility because that's where they're gonna do the switch.
Thundernerd 1:That's right. That's exactly what's going on because he he's still recovering. They're gonna do the switch. They're gonna their plan is, you know, Fiona's getting close to Francois, and she's go she essentially, it's like, okay, we kill him, and then you take his place immediately. Now did no one think about the fact that maybe you're putting a lot of well, I've got a few things.
Thundernerd 1:Firstly, you're putting a lot of weight into this grand master plan that, you know, our mate Angelo doesn't go off the rail and, you know which he kinda does. He he says, I want you to up this money. I've gone through I've changed my I've gone through lessons, speech lessons. I've changed my vocal box. Like, cool world building stuff where he's like, I've had to learn how to become this dude.
Thundernerd 1:It's almost like method acting type stuff, but he's like, I've had to learn how to become it. I want you to up that figure. So firstly, my question is, what if what if you saying you would do it? Because her answer is, okay, we'll compensate you. We'll do it.
Thundernerd 1:What if he said, no, no, I don't wanna wait. I want you to do it now. Like, I I I'm not waiting until I'm not just gonna assume because he kinda just assumes that they're gonna do it. I mean, and this is a nefarious fucking agent, like like a nefarious like Spectre isn't one to get extorted themselves, you know, revenge, terrorism, extortion. Extortion.
Thundernerd 1:You think they're gonna get extorted themselves. What does he expect? Like, is he Yeah. So one thing is, are you stupid to to even ask that? You'd surely you'd I don't know how you'd do it, but you'd you'd make sure that you don't put yourself in a scenario where they could just offer you later or something or make a deal.
Thundernerd 1:Get them I don't know how you do it, but you just wouldn't even voice that at that point or is my point. Yeah. Two, did they they've put a lot of weight in in like, what if something happened to this guy? Is another thing, and then their plan's fucked. Like, so they have to wait another because he's apparently been doing this for years, they say.
Thundernerd 1:Like, it's like a couple years of him doing voice the plan has been in place. So you're putting a lot of weight in that dude actually being okay. And it is never said why Bond is there. It is never explained that like, essentially what happens is it's very bizarre, man. Like so let's think about this.
Thundernerd 1:Bond
Thundernerd 1:meets recovering from the He's recovering poker.
Thundernerd 1:So he's recovering from
Thundernerd 1:the And fire because this wellness facility, they've got a deal with the the airbase. And because Bon works for the government
Thundernerd 1:That makes sense.
Thundernerd 1:Just thrown it. As someone that works for the for the government myself, It does happen. They do send us to medical facilities that have little deals with with the government.
Thundernerd 1:With the government.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Now listen.
Thundernerd 1:I'm trying to make this make sense.
Thundernerd 1:Here here's the thing. And you know what I'm getting at here, like, it is never so because you corrected me when we're watching Goldfinger, because I said, oh, you know, it's lucky that Bon's there. You pointed out, no, actually, when when when they get to M's office, M does say, you know, you were meant to just keep tabs on Goldfinger, not meant to go off and, like, you know, swoon around and borrow his girlfriend type thing. That explains very easily, very concisely that Bond was there for a reason. The problem with Thunderball is that it's assumed that It was coincidence.
Thundernerd 1:Exactly. It's assumed that Bond goes there to recover from his encounter with Bourvoir. He then notices that someone's got like a Spectre logo or something and goes, hang on, Spectre's here.
Thundernerd 1:I know.
Thundernerd 1:And then was something Not
Thundernerd 1:even that.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, it's not even that. It's like it's like another the account Lippy has a different logo, doesn't he? He has like a logo on his hand or something, Like
Thundernerd 1:There's the tattoo.
Thundernerd 1:It's a tattoo and and
Thundernerd 1:But isn't that the tattoo of isn't that see, this is where it gets confusing. Why does he ring up Moneypenny and ask about that tattoo?
Thundernerd 1:So I think what happens
Thundernerd 1:because I thought that was the kernel, like the I thought that was the real guy.
Thundernerd 1:So are you talking about Francois Daval? The guy that, like, is on
Thundernerd 1:the Yeah. Daval.
Thundernerd 1:No. So so count Lippy's the one that has the mark. And I don't know if he like sees it, and so count Lippy's a Spectre agent. And it it this is where Thunderball's confusing. Count Lippy is barely in this film.
Thundernerd 1:He's got his he's got his head unwrapped at this point. So Why would he wrap his head back up in the wraps afterwards?
Thundernerd 1:So so what happens like, I'll I'll explain this to you. So this is
Thundernerd 1:See, I watched this movie a couple hours ago.
Thundernerd 1:This is what's confusing about it. And I'm like So so what happens is there's a very odd sequence in the and I think it comes down partly to the editing of this film, where you don't see who is attacking who, but Bond and someone else have little encounters at each other. And they're actually meant to be fatal encounters. That's what's weird about it. So for instance it's like, it's very weird.
Thundernerd 1:So what happens is Bond I can't even so Bond is on the stretcher thing, and count Lippy, who's recognized him, comes over to him and says, nice to have met you, mister Bond, and turns the thing on and, like, tries to, like, you know, kill him on this thing. And and this woman comes in, and that's where we have this, you know, very, you know, I won't say anything if you, you know, do what I say, and then oh, no no no steamy shower moment happens. Yeah. Right? Now
Thundernerd 1:Oh, yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Like later on, Bond goes, I'm gonna return the favor. And he sees the same Count Lippy tattoo and notices that he's like in that hot whatever you'd call it, he puts the thing in and turns the heat up to try and off him. And he and he doesn't work. Count Lippie suddenly is like, fine. In the next scene, you see him in like, no, doesn't look burnt, doesn't look anything.
Thundernerd 1:He's fine. But these two guys have just had two attempted killings of each other and then don't address it at all, and you don't ever see count Lippy's face in the scene. That's the problem with it. He comes in That's and and you only see the tattoo, and then he's got the towel on his face or something, does he not?
Thundernerd 1:Why is see, why is Count Lippy in that little heat machine, little steamer machine?
Thundernerd 1:I don't know.
Thundernerd 1:Like, he's there enjoying himself.
Thundernerd 1:I know. He's like just like chilling.
Thundernerd 1:Meant to be there to meant to be there to kill this bloke and take his place.
Thundernerd 1:I don't know why he's Why
Thundernerd 1:are you out in the open?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Like, you're meant you're meant to be heading
Thundernerd 1:Colonel walked past and
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. You're meant to be heading the whole operation of what's going on here, and you're kinda just chilling in the in the retreat thing. So there is a lot of questions because what happens and and and I'll get to another thing that that doesn't make sense. Okay? Because it's easy to forget that Count the Busy is even in this film and is even a Spectre agent.
Thundernerd 1:Why? I'll tell you why. Because he just randomly he randomly after all this happened now this is a long sequence. Right? This is a long sequence.
Thundernerd 1:It's a sequence where we spend in the facility, we're we're ducking and diving, then we get to the whole like and and I feel like this is a little bit lengthy. They they take a bit too much time showing the whole operation of how they, you know, overtake the the NATO jet, get the bombs off. It is a very slowly paced sequence where, you know, maybe if you wanna fall asleep to it, it's nice, but it's a bit too long in the editing. Yeah. Like, in modern times now, we would just show, you know, the part where he gases all the people in the thing, it lands in the water, the and bombs come out, and you cut to the next scene and assume, okay, the bombs got the bombs got taken off.
Thundernerd 1:But here, it's meticulous in how long it takes.
Thundernerd 1:Balcon underwater goes for like I might be exaggerating, but it feels like it goes like ten minutes of damage.
Thundernerd 1:Full ten minutes of
Thundernerd 1:just And just putting hand net over the top of it and removing the bombs.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Removing the bombs, literally. Yeah. Literally. Like, all we'd all we'd probably need to see is the thing going into the water with the underwater landing lights, and then seeing that they offed Old Mate by killing him and not letting him out.
Thundernerd 1:You wouldn't need and then
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Suggest that the bombs go and cut.
Thundernerd 1:Have a two second shot of the bombs being loaded into the thingo.
Thundernerd 1:And then seeing
Thundernerd 1:a whole flute Two second shot of the divers putting the net over the plane.
Thundernerd 1:And that's it.
Thundernerd 1:That's
Thundernerd 1:it. That's it. That's all you need. That you don't need much more, but instead we get this The thing
Thundernerd 1:that makes that scene bearable actually Yep. Pretty decent Yep. Is the music.
Thundernerd 1:The music and the camera work underwater for 1965 is pretty incredible. Like both of them, the music's lovely. It's I mean, Thunderball has a great soundtrack even just away from Tom Downs
Thundernerd 1:and stuff.
Thundernerd 1:It's awesome.
Thundernerd 1:It just fits being underwater.
Thundernerd 1:It fits it so well. Soundtrack. It's just It's perfect. It's perfect. I I agree with you.
Thundernerd 1:But you get what I'm saying, like, could be done in a shorter span of time. Because then what happens is a very random sequence where Bond is in his d b five, and count Lippy tries to come up the side of him and execute him with a gun, But before he can do it, Fiona Volpe, like, destroys count Lippy's car, and we never hear of count Lippy again. Never again.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, yeah. Yeah. Count.
Thundernerd 1:Do know what I'm saying? So
Thundernerd 1:Is Count Lippy the one that bond traps in that little steam machine?
Thundernerd 1:Yes. Yep. Yep. So Right. Exactly.
Thundernerd 1:See see, this is how confusing it is.
Thundernerd 1:I thought that was thought that was old mate with the bandages.
Thundernerd 1:No. No. So so what happens is old mate with the bandages, the reveal is meant to what's meant to happen, it's meant to you're meant to wonder for a bit in the film, who is this good dude with the bandages? Because it's an he's had surgical operation. And what happens is when he when it gets that scene where Fiona gets the phone call and and then she says a code word or something, they go, oh, you know, wrong number, she says.
Thundernerd 1:That's meant to say, I think, come upstairs now. I'm ready to go. So they call they call her on the phone while she's having affair with the the real Francois, who's Domino's brother. She she gets a phone call. Sorry.
Thundernerd 1:Wrong number or something. Then he goes, okay. I've gotta go. Judy calls, door opens, and he is looking at himself. That's the surgical replacement Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Which is Angelo. Now Yeah. Now, Lippy is the guy who was overseeing the whole plastic surgery. You see him a few times. He's a regular looking dude.
Thundernerd 1:What you don't see from memory, and I could be wrong because it's three weeks ago, what you don't see is that him in one shot with his face with the the tattoo, and that's where the confusion happens. Because you start to think that the guy that has the the facial thing on, you think he is the one with the tattoo, but it's not him. It's the it's Lippy.
Thundernerd 1:Right. That confused me just then.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. So
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Lippy Okay. Like, is a Spectre agent who's working with Volp, and what and so I couldn't work out two things I couldn't work out. One, why the fuck did Volp just kill him out of nowhere? There's no explanation in the film to explain why it happens. He she just like, he tries to kill Bond, and she instead kills him.
Thundernerd 1:The only thing I could find when I
Thundernerd 1:looked it up Meliel Largo says something, doesn't he?
Thundernerd 1:I don't I don't I actually don't think he does. That's the
Thundernerd 1:Or is it number number one? Is a is scene with Blofeld? I
Thundernerd 1:I think
Thundernerd 1:there's something they said.
Thundernerd 1:What happens is Blofeld the only scene of Blofeld in the film from memory, you hear his voice a few times, but you see them operating the plan and and you find out that someone was a betrayed specter, and and it's but that's all handled within the sequence. The guy gets exploded in the chair, and and he goes, here's the plan. We're gonna do this, that, and the other. What it doesn't explain to you anywhere is from what I could find online on all Wikipedia well, like, on Wikipedia and other plot synopsis is that she kills him because Lippy failed, which is what you'd assume. Spectre don't like they don't tolerate failure.
Thundernerd 1:We know that from from Rush With Love. So they've probably if you do the math, they've they've done that thing wherein from Russia they go, you know how he he kills one of them like Constantine or whatever, and then goes, we don't tolerate failure. It's essentially you would assume off screen Blowfeld has said, Valp, we almost had the whole operation go belly up because, like, one, I don't even know if they even know by the end of it, the Bond was working around the the the thing. I don't even know if they they know that. But two, the big and this is the big one.
Thundernerd 1:He he using Angelo, Angelo almost jeopardized the entire mission because he almost went, hey, I want more money. And I think that because he had chosen Angelo, and Angelo almost fucked the whole thing up, Blofeld sends an order to her to go, off him. He's he's done. And they kill him. But it's but it's never in the script, and it's not and it's not clear to you.
Thundernerd 1:You have to do the legwork to to figure that out. Right? And and think about this from Bond's perspective.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Have you found something?
Thundernerd 1:I think yeah. So apparently, in the in the novel, it's explained that Blofeld makes the order because of Lippy hired Angelo
Thundernerd 1:Yep.
Thundernerd 1:To be the stand in, and that's what messes up almost messes up the whole operation because she starts demanding more money.
Thundernerd 1:There you go. So it's exactly what I was saying. It's like he he but but in the film, you have to do the legwork yourself because the film doesn't tell you that. So it should just be a little bit of something that they put in there to go get you from a to b, you're not having to retroactively figure this out yourself and go, what the hell is going on? Because here's the other thing that happens in the film.
Thundernerd 1:Connery gets back to base. He never asks why someone just exploded a car next to him. As far as Bond's concerned, there was a car that he was driving next to, and all of sudden the car is blown up, and then he he doesn't like swing the car in and go follow the the chick on the bike and go, who was that assassin? What was that?
Thundernerd 1:Here's another one. Yeah. Why doesn't she she blows up the car. Cool.
Thundernerd 1:Yep.
Thundernerd 1:She drives off. Cool. Why does she then park and launch the bike into a fucking lake, and now she's just standing there in the middle of nowhere without without transport?
Thundernerd 1:Assumption would be that she's trying to, like, she's kinda, like, get rid of the bike in case Bond tails back and tries to find someone on a bike, but Bond never does. So I I don't fully understand it.
Thundernerd 1:She takes off. She leaves Bond. Imagine if she's she just launches the bike into the water, turns around, and Bond's just pulled up in his car just being like
Thundernerd 1:What are you doing?
Thundernerd 1:Okay. Explain yourself, bitch.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Like, what are you doing? Like, so
Thundernerd 1:What are you doing?
Thundernerd 1:It doesn't it doesn't make sense. And and then Bond never gets back to he he he very quickly gets back to head, like, HQ because he for the for this whole Thunderball mission type thing, but nowhere does he say, like, oh, hey, I just wanna let you know, like, something weird happened, like, someone tried to there was someone on a bike who who, like, exploded a car next to me on my way back. He doesn't he doesn't mention anything. He doesn't even mention like a little jive to Moneypenny about this thing that just happened or rather. It just becomes something that Bond as far as you're concerned, this is what happened.
Thundernerd 1:Bond's driving along, a car next to him explodes, and he's like, anyway, I'll just keep driving. It's like it doesn't make sense.
Thundernerd 1:That's the thing. He goes to press one of his little switches to deal with this car that's shooting at him. And then someone else blows it up, and he just oh, yes. Very good. Just keeps driving.
Thundernerd 1:Fucking what?
Mr Saint John Smythe:What is going on? So so Bond
Thundernerd 1:gets back, and now he says and again, no mention here if there is any in universe reason that Bond was keeping tabs on Lippy or something. It's not mentioned here because what happens is Bond gets back and he goes, hey, I just just think you should know. I think I should go to Nassau. And he's like, why do you wanna go to Nassau? Is it your water your fondness of water sports or something?
Thundernerd 1:And Bond's answer is, no. No. This Angelo was was was was there, or this this Francois was there, but then Francois. Yeah. It's one or the other, and they're like, but hang on.
Thundernerd 1:He's dead or something. And then they go, well, if Bon's seen a dead man that was apparently this guy, that's room that's that's reason enough for me to send him to Nasu to go and meet with Domino, who is Francois's sister. And then from there, it goes on. But he they never mention oh, that was a coincidence. That was lucky that that happened.
Thundernerd 1:Like
Thundernerd 1:And what's with the relationship between Largo, Domino, and Domino's brother? Like, why have is it because they've targeted Domino's brother, and so they're just like, oh, we'll take his sister as well.
Thundernerd 1:I don't know. I I don't know. I mean, you could almost there's a reason for him not to play up. If she's some type of hostage, there's a reason there's insurance for them to go, you know, execute this plan as you should. Don't don't try any funny business, but that's not why she's there.
Thundernerd 1:She's there she's in a relationship with Largo. It's it's Yeah. I I don't understand that and and how that fits in with the dynamic of Angelo who's now mentioned for a lot of the film
Thundernerd 1:because of her grief. Domino's Largo's sugar baby.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Essentially. Yeah. Like, it's very weird.
Thundernerd 1:But why are they trying to so they're using a double. So so obviously, Colonel Duvall Yep. Doesn't work for Largo.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Yeah. So Because
Thundernerd 1:otherwise, he would be like, yeah, sure. Here's the bombs.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. So it's just a thing that double. Yeah. What's happened is it's like a Spectre Count Lippy, the Spectre agent, he's the one who's employed like Angelo. He's employed Angelo directly to undertake surgery to take the form of the actual RAF pilot, Deval.
Thundernerd 1:That's what's that's what's going So it's very yeah. It's very it's very interesting. It's it's it's a it's a very because M Bond gets there and he's trying to question, you know, your brother Francois Duval, like, what's going on with him? And he's trying to understand where her part is in it. By the way, when he steps off the the boat that he arrives at the casino in, and he's just running circles around Largo Bond, like, in the game.
Thundernerd 1:And he looks so sick at the table. Like, Bond looks so cool.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, mate. Everything everything from Nassau onwards is really good. It's just it's con the start of the movie is confusing.
Thundernerd 1:That's the part that's the part that is really confusing. So when Bond gets there, he kinda runs rap laps, sorry, around like Largo. He's trying to figure out, you know, where are the bombs. We get him go to visit Emilio on the and I love this about these old Bond films where it's similar to Doctor No and and Goldfinger, we've talked about, where the villains the villain and Bond know each other, But they they they keep each other. It's like keep your enemies close.
Thundernerd 1:Or you oh, sorry, your friends close, but your enemies closer. That's how the old Bond films were. It like, I'll treat come to dinner tonight, Bond. Like, I know you you've you're around the casino, you're saying, you know, Bond's like, it's your specter against mine, And it's like it's like, they know what's going on, but Yeah. But they just treat us like a gentleman.
Thundernerd 1:I can't kill Bond because that'll draw the heat on our operation.
Thundernerd 1:So I'll keep him close. You know, I'll show him around the place.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, yeah.
Thundernerd 1:I love that.
Thundernerd 1:And then when the time is right, we'll we'll take him out.
Thundernerd 1:I love when Bond, you know, the guy comes to keep tabs on him, and he just turns the shower and he goes, now run back and tell you, you know, like, he's just a guy working for a bigger fish.
Thundernerd 1:That's another thing. Another little thing that doesn't make sense to me.
Thundernerd 1:Okay. Tell me tell me what it is.
Thundernerd 1:Felix lighter. So obviously, Bond knows someone's in the room. Mhmm. Because he's with the tape recorder hidden in the book. Yep.
Thundernerd 1:Listens to the footsteps.
Thundernerd 1:Which I like how that's made, by the way, that directing of like seeing where where he's like thinking about where the footsteps. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Like where where he would be. Yep. Love that. But knock at the door, he opens the door. It's Felix Leider.
Thundernerd 1:Good evening. He goes he's yeah. He's like, hello, o o. And then boom, he gets punched in the gut and then gets dragged in. And then Bond walks in there.
Thundernerd 1:He fucks up old mate hiding in the shower.
Thundernerd 1:Who's still conscious, by the way. Who's still
Thundernerd 1:Still conscious. And he goes, oh, sorry, Felix, but you're about to say double o seven. The guy's right there. The guy that the bad guy's right there.
Thundernerd 1:Make it make sense. Make it make sense. Because he he literally He
Thundernerd 1:just like, you can't why did you just punch me in the?
Mr Saint John Smythe:Yeah. Why did you just punch me for nothing?
Thundernerd 1:Do you just wanna punch me? Like, so so
Mr Saint John Smythe:he's like, well, good evening, o o. And then exactly like you said, all of a sudden he's like, you were about
Thundernerd 1:to say double o seven. Now run back and tell your master or whatever. It's like,
Mr Saint John Smythe:Don't say it then.
Thundernerd 1:That does not make sense
Thundernerd 1:to So me at again, weird Bond film because there's other ones like Octopussy, you know, Spy Love Me, You Only Live Twice, Moonraker where there are really outlandish things you have to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the ride. This one is different. This one, it's like it's actually more a more realistic plot. The the bombs is a more realistic like, you know, hijack the thing and and for some money. But what doesn't make sense is more so like actual plot details are very convenient and also like not explained or just weird like that you just mentioned with that one.
Thundernerd 1:I was I remember watching that as well and thinking exactly the same thing going, why did you just say that? I love the shark pool. I think that's sick. Love that.
Thundernerd 1:Love that.
Thundernerd 1:I love Bond going out onto the island and again shooting the thing with him and just kinda hanging there and being on the island with the villain.
Thundernerd 1:On the on the shark pool, did you know that
Thundernerd 1:I did. I I think I know you were able to say. But let's say They used they
Thundernerd 1:used a little bit of plexiglass to separate the sharks from Sean Connery, but they only used a short a really short piece of plexiglass where the shark could just swim over the top.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:And apparently, the sharks swim over the top and Sean Connery goes, holy fuck. He launches himself out of the pool So and almost got he almost got eaten by a shark, apparently.
Thundernerd 1:So that's close to being true. I'll tell you there's two things. The first thing is that, like, you know, anything goes in the sixties first. Like, do they shoot a real shark? Like when when Bond's like, you know, just, you know, like in the water when when he needs to go down and look at the the thing and that's camouflaged.
Thundernerd 1:Did did they shoot a real shark?
Mr Saint John Smythe:Does it look pretty real?
Thundernerd 1:And it it swims off with the blood pouring out of it. I thought they did.
Thundernerd 1:I think they did.
Thundernerd 1:I was literally like, oh my god. I was like, that's pretty good effects.
Thundernerd 1:Because I think it's real. I think there's two. I think there's one like towards the end and then there's another like with the speargun, but there's another where he's like, well, just shoot that one there Felix in the from from the chopper. Just shoot that one and you you shoot it and you see it dying. Right?
Thundernerd 1:So that's one. Another thing is
Thundernerd 1:There's definitely one at the end as well.
Thundernerd 1:There's one at the end as well.
Thundernerd 1:During the fight.
Thundernerd 1:So this is probably like the birth of, you know, the whole what would later be like, you know, no animals were harmed in the making of this film. Probably started with You know what mean?
Mr Saint John Smythe:Like like, there's a couple
Thundernerd 1:of sharks that would definitely kill the Now now so
Thundernerd 1:No animal besides two sharks were harmed
Thundernerd 1:in Two sharks. Now so one thing is that they used a dead shark, and I'll tell you where. When Bond's like when Bond's swimming, he's he after he's, you know, had his encounter and he goes to swim out, a shark is coming up behind him just as he jumps out of the pool, that's dead. Yeah. They just like were dragging that thing on a wire to try and did you know?
Mr Saint John Smythe:Really? So they they wanted it
Thundernerd 1:to be like, you know, bond because I remember when I was a kid going, oh, fuck. Like, that shark, what if Sean, like, tripped him or something? But what I found out when I was watching the making of it was that was that that was a
Mr Saint John Smythe:dead shark. And they were just like pulling along.
Thundernerd 1:That they shot with the
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Could be. So so
Thundernerd 1:Well, we needed the dead sharks.
Thundernerd 1:Needed one. So there you go. But anyway, so that's one thing. Two, you are correct about the story, which is a really interesting story. So that they go into that on the making of Thunderball where, you know but that that that what actually happened, which which it's in the film.
Thundernerd 1:So it's the scene where he gets out of the way. That was the moment. That was it. So if you recall, what so so so what happened was Connery Connery was swimming. The plan was that Connery was meant to wait for a couple of sharks, and then he was gonna swim through the tunnel, and he was gonna come out the other side, and he'd get out.
Thundernerd 1:He thought the sharks had passed, and this is where I think what you're saying, one of them got over the glass. It swims down the tunnel at the same time that Connery is swimming down the tunnel. And he looks up ahead of him and gets the fright of his freaking life, and his instinct was to just get to the side and hold his hands up, and they cut they left it in the film. They've put the shot of Connery. The if you watch it again with that knowledge, watch his eyes, that is genuine that's not acting.
Thundernerd 1:That's a guy who's seeing a shark ahead of him going, like, what do I do? Like, outside of filming, like, what do I do? And he just kind of lets it go, and then he continues to take. But it's sick. It's a it's a one that you can find on the making of the film.
Thundernerd 1:They go into a bit of talking about how that whole thing played out and all that, but it's awesome. Oh, yeah. I've one of my favorite moments in Bond is because, you know, when you watch, you look at my god, like because he handles it pretty well. He he he's still pretty cool and calm when you see him in that moment about it, but there is a slight glimmer of terror in his eyes when you see it.
Thundernerd 1:That's that's wild.
Thundernerd 1:So what about Domino?
Thundernerd 1:I think so my thoughts are Domino. I really like her as a character. I think she does a really good job. I like the I like the way that she she's the one that kills Largo at the end.
Thundernerd 1:That's cool. That is cool.
Thundernerd 1:I think that's I think that's really cool. And she she saves Bond's ass because Bond's you know, Largo's got the pistol pointed at Bond. Yep. She saves his ass. I find it a bit a bit weird that she's like I was saying before, the whole thing, she's like
Thundernerd 1:The dynamic?
Thundernerd 1:She she refers to him as her guardian and all that, like
Thundernerd 1:Yep.
Thundernerd 1:What the fuck? But I think she's she's stunning. She's I think she's stunning.
Thundernerd 1:In my opinion
Thundernerd 1:Very
Thundernerd 1:hottest boner.
Thundernerd 1:Very attractive. Really? Yep. That's yeah. I'm
Thundernerd 1:not surprised. Yeah. I've always thought that. I've always thought that she was the best looking girl.
Thundernerd 1:The bikini that she wears, the black and white bikini?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. It's just she just looks she's just hot. Like, that's just it. Like, she's in my opinion, the she's the hottest Bond girl. But maybe the only other one, and you can barely even call her a Bond girl, I love the look of shit.
Thundernerd 1:I can't remember her name. She's barely in Brother Club. Irma Blunt. Irma Fuller. No.
Thundernerd 1:But like, the only other one that I think is I really like the chick in Skyfall when he's in Macau, and how she's kinda dressed in the casino. I've always thought she
Thundernerd 1:was really hot. But She is hot.
Thundernerd 1:But and she's almost got a bit of Domino about her though, if you if you think about their looks. They're very they're actually kinda similar. But Yeah. But I've always thought, yeah, Domino, she's she's one she's a cool Bond girl. Like, she looks good.
Thundernerd 1:She saves Bond's life. Like you said, she's got a bit of an arc. Like, there's a bit even though the dynamic is weird, there is a bit to her character at least because Yeah. It's not like she's just it's okay. You know what?
Thundernerd 1:When you when you're thinking of Bond girls, compare them all to, you know, Stacy from A View to a Kill. That's your barometer of like a Bond girl that does something and a Bond girl that services nothing to the plot. Stacy service services nothing to Avude or Kill. She's just a maiden a damsel in distress the entire time she's in that. Whereas here, Domino's is serving the plot.
Thundernerd 1:I wanna talk about Vargas.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Yeah. Like, he's such a random Oh my.
Thundernerd 1:He's Wait. He's like, Vargas, what? He asked about Vargas' hobbies or something.
Thundernerd 1:Vargas does not sleep. No hobbies. Does not does not make love. What do you do, Vargas? And Vargas is like almost like ashamed.
Thundernerd 1:It's like
Mr Saint John Smythe:almost like he like looks away. It's like, what weirdo, this Vargas.
Thundernerd 1:I love that.
Thundernerd 1:Such a random like like, you know, he's not is he like the odd job to to Goldfinger's is he or is he what is he? Like, is he is he he's like the henchman of of Emilio, but he's such a random b, like, b minus henchman that you never you barely see in the film. You know what I mean? Like, Fiona Volpe is a better, like, henchman in
Thundernerd 1:this like film. The henchman of the movie.
Thundernerd 1:100% she is. 100%. And then Vargas is like
Thundernerd 1:And Vargas is just like
Thundernerd 1:You got the point. Yep. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:I love it. That's such a good scene.
Thundernerd 1:That's a great scene. And the way Bondi does it with one hand, just turns around and just gets you with one hand with those sunnies on.
Thundernerd 1:Big gun.
Thundernerd 1:When she's like With a chat.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. And gets pinned to the tree, and he's like, no.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. And the way that Domino's like, she's like, oh, like she's like, you know, Vargas is is standing right behind you, and he's like Yeah. And he's like, really? Like, really? And then not not even a care and just shoots him like it's sick.
Thundernerd 1:So sick.
Thundernerd 1:He was good. He was really good, Vargas.
Mr Saint John Smythe:He's cool. I actually
Thundernerd 1:like him. I like when he's like throwing the grenades down in the water, and he's like, there. There he is. There he is. And he's like, and that music is it as as the as the grenades go off in the water, and Bond's getting like, that's cool.
Thundernerd 1:I like that part. Yeah. And then and you think about, like I always found it funny when Bond comes out of the water after that whole encounter, and he kind of just gets up and like walks to the road and finds again a very convenient Fiona Volpe on the road and gets a lift with someone who's also integral to the plot. Just somehow he's just lurking around the shoreline type thing. But like, I've always found it funny how Connery gets out of the water and he's barely, like, puffing, but he's you're like, fuck.
Thundernerd 1:He must have swam a long way from where the Disco Volante was is is out there in the water, and he's he's, like, just been in the water. He's he's had grenades go off in his ears. He's had to then swim the rest of the way to the shore. This guy's fit as anything. He's barely barely huffing and puffing when
Mr Saint John Smythe:he gets back to the when he gets back to the beach.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Is that a is that a Casino Royale reference when he gets in the car and she drives him and they're both like, you know, we we're both staying here kind of thing?
Thundernerd 1:I thought that when I saw it.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Because like
Thundernerd 1:I mean, it could be. It very well could be. Because it I like that. A little joke. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. It's like, she's like, most men don't like being a passenger
Thundernerd 1:or something like No. We just don't like I just don't like being taken for a ride.
Thundernerd 1:Most men don't like being taken for a ride. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:What what do you think about like like, Paula's there? I always thought it was funny how, like, Bond is like, he he first meets Domino with Paula, and then Poor Paula. Poor Paula. Can we say that?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Good stuff. And she gets tortured, and she doesn't say a word, and she kills herself.
Thundernerd 1:That is about us.
Thundernerd 1:What a bad bitch.
Thundernerd 1:What a bad bitch. Just takes her like a pill and like a cyanide pill and it's like, I'm not I'm not saying a word. But it's actually quite dark that that whole thing where Yeah. She Bond finds her and he's like and you can see that there sorry. There's a mozzie here.
Thundernerd 1:You can see there is remorse on his face when he sees and he goes, fuck, like, I've just lost an agent. But he but you can also see that switch, that killer switch in Bong where he goes, right, I gotta get on with the mission. I can't spend time in the morning. I've gotta get on with what's going on, and I'll I'll avenge her type thing.
Thundernerd 1:Small detail that adds a lot to the the character.
Thundernerd 1:100%. 100% it does. She it's so when when they first meet Domino, they they they come back up for air or whatever because Bond like helps her or whatever underwater when she's got her foot stuck. And then Bond's like, oh, you know, it's not starting. You don't mind, do you, darling, or whatever.
Thundernerd 1:And she's like, not at all. It's like so obvious that that it's just so you could do that you could do less with that sequence and you don't need to make like, surely Domino has would you not figure that out? Would you not be like, why is she like, so wait, this guy's coming with me, but his missus is there, like, she's just gonna wait for no one? This is the sixties, we don't have phones. Is she just gonna, I'll be back darling, I'll swim
Mr Saint John Smythe:back, like, what's going on there?
Thundernerd 1:Domino's. You know what mean? Is that your partner or is that
Thundernerd 1:Is that your wife? Is that who Is that your wife? So what you're gonna come back with me and then take me for a dance later, but you're not gonna is she still out there?
Mr Saint John Smythe:Like, has has anyone like, something like, is she okay? Like, I did I always found
Thundernerd 1:that funny, that part. It's very simple.
Thundernerd 1:Domino thinking. I don't know. Is this a married man?
Thundernerd 1:Is this a married man? What's going on here? The sequence When is he
Thundernerd 1:with Fiona Volpe. Yeah. And he asked that random girl for a dance.
Thundernerd 1:That's funny. That's funny when she's like, I've never met anyone like you. He's like, really? Like, he's just dancing. That is funny.
Thundernerd 1:And she comes over and she's like, I you you should've told me your wife was here or something. Yeah.
Mr Saint John Smythe:I was like, that's
Thundernerd 1:bloody. Imagine that woman was was Domino on the boat.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Literally. Was
Thundernerd 1:like, what? Can I have a ride into back to Nashville? She's like
Thundernerd 1:Pretty Nashville.
Thundernerd 1:She's like, no. You've got a wife.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Oh, okay. Thank you. Yeah. No. But like, I'll see you later then.
Thundernerd 1:It's just gonna be harder than I thought.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Wait till we get to my teeth. Yeah. So
Thundernerd 1:I like that actually as well, that moment where Bond kinda sees the, he he says her name and she's like, how do you know that? And he he just comes up on on the spot like it's written on the inside of your
Thundernerd 1:wrinkle. Yeah. It's cool. Oh, what sharp eyes do you have? Make sure you get to my teeth.
Thundernerd 1:Yes. It's awesome, man.
Thundernerd 1:I love that.
Thundernerd 1:He's so good in this whole film.
Thundernerd 1:I love Felix. What does she say? When she's like, Volpe's in a fan of Volpe's in the bath?
Thundernerd 1:Oh, and she's like, know, pass me my clothes, and he just hands her the shoes.
Thundernerd 1:He hands her a pair of shoes. She's like, oh, can you give me something to put on? Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:She puts a pair of shoes. He says something else, but he comes in. She's like
Thundernerd 1:What does he say? Like
Thundernerd 1:She says something about him being in the wrong room or something like that. He's like, oh, I'm really Not from where I'm standing. To be.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Not from where I'm.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Something like that.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. She says like, you're in the wrong room. And so, not from what I understand.
Mr Saint John Smythe:It's good stuff. It's good stuff. It's it's classic Classic
Thundernerd 1:Bond.
Thundernerd 1:Felix Bring
Thundernerd 1:it back.
Thundernerd 1:Is oh, bring it back. Bring it back. Felix is good in the film. Q's good in the film. I like that they found in Goldfinger that relationship of, oh, that's what Q is to Bond.
Thundernerd 1:It's a bit of a it's almost like you're annoying grandpa or something. That's and and Bond becomes the the naughty kid in school or something dynamic. And they carry that on where he's like, oh oh, good heavens, it's you or whatever, you know. And he's like like, what what a a wonderful surprise. But it's so clearly laced He's and being like cute
Thundernerd 1:and he goes, oh, no.
Mr Saint John Smythe:I love it. I love it. It's so good. I love I was thinking while
Thundernerd 1:I was watching it, like, it's so interesting the different dynamics that Llewelyn has had with the different Bond actors through the years. Like, there's almost a sincerity to his relationship with Dalton, especially in License to Kill, like, because he kind of almost sticks his neck up to try and help Bond in License to Kill, and he's in a bit more of that story than he is in other Bond films. And George, he's got some he's got a really great scene with George, but in fact, I think I've said this to you before, Moneypenny q and m have some of the best written scenes that they have had in the entire series in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It's just a shame that it wasn't with like a Connery or a Roger Moore or something because
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Like yeah. It just needed a bit of bond in there to to be interacting with it because some of those scenes when we get to it are just really, really well written. And then his relationship, he's got a great relationship with Moore, of course, a much more comedic leaning relationship with Roger Moore's Bond, and Roger just knows how to do the comedy elements so well. And I think Pearce found that perfect balance between Sean and Roger Moore. He perfectly balances both of those performances to come up with one that's pretty much in line with both, and their cue his cue scenes as well are just great with him.
Thundernerd 1:You've nailed it. I completely agree. Yep.
Thundernerd 1:What about the what do you think about the do you would you say that the water sequences towards the end again, they're great. The spectacle and I
Thundernerd 1:think it may have got I don't know if
Thundernerd 1:it got an Academy Award. It may have got something for the cinematography, all that underwater. It's like, it's got the most underwater in a film, I think, in terms of what's filmed and shot and and what's what's set underwater is maybe still held with Thunderball, but I could be wrong on that. But aside from that, it is a tad long on some of those sequences again at the end. Same way we were talking before, the action just lingers a tad longer than it should when it gets into that sequence at I the
Thundernerd 1:agree. I I think that the underwater fight scene, it goes for just a little bit too long. And there is, like, one thing that my partner said was when Bond uses his little rebreather device underwater Yep. And she says it's good for only about four minutes. Bond is using it for what feels like I could be wrong, but it feels like a lot longer than four minutes that he's using that underwater.
Thundernerd 1:Didn't think about that. Is that are we talking about the part where is this at the end? Is he using it at the end?
Thundernerd 1:Right at the end, he takes his oxygen tank off and leaves it in the ship. And he, like, releases the air in it so that they all swim into the ship. Yep. Because they see the bubbles coming out, they think he's in there, so they all swim in there. He swims back around using the little rebreather device and drops the grenade in.
Thundernerd 1:I'm I'm pretty sure he's underwater for a lot longer than four minutes post that.
Thundernerd 1:A good point. Didn't even think about that.
Thundernerd 1:I'll be completely wrong.
Thundernerd 1:No. I think I think you're right. He does say there's a time limit. I just can't remember what it is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's something like that.
Thundernerd 1:There there is a time limit. She says four minutes.
Thundernerd 1:Four minutes. So he does say four. Yeah. Well, there you go.
Thundernerd 1:It does say four minutes. I don't know how long.
Thundernerd 1:It's another example of, like, just suspecting at
Thundernerd 1:the end of the movie that he is using it for.
Thundernerd 1:But it feels Feels like longer than four.
Thundernerd 1:Feels longer than four.
Thundernerd 1:Like, it's it's intended to be longer than that time period of four minutes.
Thundernerd 1:Those scenes underwater go for a little bit too long.
Thundernerd 1:Little bit too long. I do like, you know, seeing the thing go through the eye, one of them gets it in the eye. Like, I like seeing the parachuting down. I like the music. Look, there's a lot I like about it.
Thundernerd 1:It's just a tad, again, just a tad too long for how for it could you could shave five minutes off maybe, it's six minutes off and then it would be fine. It's just a bit overly done. And then the Disco Valente, it's just a bit it's it's how do I say this? It's just the editing that kills me. It's just that fast paced editing.
Thundernerd 1:That's
Thundernerd 1:it. A fight.
Thundernerd 1:It's like because then because it's like against the green screen, and it's like the wheels, like, moving itself, like, and going crazy. Like
Thundernerd 1:I'm like that's like more than double speed.
Thundernerd 1:It's literally it's literally more than two times speed almost. It's like yeah.
Thundernerd 1:It looks so bad.
Thundernerd 1:And and and the way that the islands, like, they're passing the islands and shit as they go past, and you're like, what the the the boat's like driving itself and the the green screen doesn't look good. It doesn't look good. Like, it's the the way that the boat the angle doesn't look right. Like, the depth doesn't look right. From where from where we are and where it would all be happening, something's like not right.
Thundernerd 1:It doesn't look right at all. Yeah. But I like how she, yeah, she gets her shot after after that torture sequence, and that guy turns on and, like, lets her out. That, like, minion. Please, like, aye aye
Thundernerd 1:That's weird.
Thundernerd 1:Lets him out.
Thundernerd 1:Why I see. If I was making that movie, I just would have had Domino
Thundernerd 1:Escape. Escape somehow. Like, why get that guy redeemed?
Thundernerd 1:Why why is this guy all of a sudden
Thundernerd 1:Why is he here? Like, why is he, like, now having a
Thundernerd 1:Why is he releasing Domino and then
Thundernerd 1:Random. Random.
Thundernerd 1:He's and he was forcing me to do it. Like, Yeah. And even Bond is like, who's who who are you? Who's he? Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:He says something like that. Yeah. And I'm like, who the fuck is this guy?
Thundernerd 1:And Speaking on behalf of the audience, who is this guy? More. And then again, like the other ones we talked about thus far, the plot ends pretty fast. It ends with
Thundernerd 1:Oh, mate. This is the fastest. It is so fast. It got me by surprise. I was so like I was like just watching it.
Thundernerd 1:I was really enjoying it. And they're in the little raft and he shoots the thing up and I was like, oh, yeah. It's like a signal. And then coming in. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, oh, I was like, this is like one of those sky hook things. And then all of sudden, it just flies up in the air. And then the credits roll, and I was like, oh.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Holy shit. That was fast. Wick. But it
Thundernerd 1:is cool. It's a cool moment where they get where they fly up and all that. But yeah, it's fast. So overall, look, the cinematography, it it's a beautiful looking Bond film. The underwater cinematography is beautiful.
Thundernerd 1:The music from John Barry is on form. Tom Jones is great. Amelia Largo is not that great of a villain.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Should we talk about Emilio?
Thundernerd 1:He's not terrible.
Thundernerd 1:He's not
Thundernerd 1:the worst. Just doesn't really do too much. Like, doesn't have he doesn't have that great dialogue. No. He doesn't have like a big monologue like
Thundernerd 1:Goldfinger or Doctor. No or
Thundernerd 1:Goldfinger or Doctor. No or, you know, like Red Grant.
Thundernerd 1:Be fair to be fair, Fiona Volpe steals this steals the show in terms of the villain role. Like, she is Fiona Volpe is
Thundernerd 1:He's really good.
Thundernerd 1:Is really good. But Emilio look, he's got the eye patch. He's got a you know, the white tux with the black tie, but
Thundernerd 1:He's got the shark pull.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. He's got the shark pull. It's just he's got the disco velante, which which can, like, separate and become faster. The smoke
Thundernerd 1:screen and the yeah.
Thundernerd 1:He's got like, so it's not he's not a he's not the worst James Bond villain, but in my opinion of what we have watched thus far in our watch through, he is coming in at last for me. He is Yes.
Thundernerd 1:I
Thundernerd 1:agree. And overall, you know, Vargas is cool. He's a randomly cool little ratty freaky villain, but he's I would say overall, thus far, the the Thunderball villains sit at the bottom of the rest of the films we've watched. I think Doctor No is a solid villain. I think and he he makes up for, you know, the three blind mice assassins, like, that are kinda just there, but, like, sporadically.
Thundernerd 1:He is really, really good. I think Redgrand is freaking awesome in the way that he kind of Phenomenal. So good. So good. I think Oddjob and Goldfinger an awesome duo, and then Thunderbolt, it's a bit okay.
Thundernerd 1:Like, cool. It's not terrible, but it's just not the best we've seen thus far. It's the the bottom
Thundernerd 1:of I the I completely agree. Largo, he just doesn't have he just doesn't feel very dangerous.
Thundernerd 1:No. He doesn't. He doesn't feel like a physical threat to Bond to me.
Thundernerd 1:No.
Thundernerd 1:You know what mean? Not that Goldfinger did, but he had odd job to make up for the physical physicality.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. And Fiona Volpe, she did feel dangerous in the the way that she would use her like
Thundernerd 1:Sexuality in her
Thundernerd 1:Sexuality in fact she was a woman. Even with Paula, she comes in and goes like, oh, I was meant to go on a date with him tonight as well, and
Thundernerd 1:Yep. That's how she She's cunning. She's cunning.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. She's she's got a she's very cunning.
Thundernerd 1:And she's very concise. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:She doesn't really fit with Largo very well other than the fact that they're both
Thundernerd 1:They're just Spectre agents.
Thundernerd 1:They both work for Spectre.
Thundernerd 1:It's literally the only thing linking them. Like, they don't really I I don't even know do we ever see a scene of them together?
Thundernerd 1:There's one one scene where she goes, I'll kill Bond or something like that. Fuck.
Thundernerd 1:How much is there with them? They don't they don't
Thundernerd 1:really It's where the clay shooting is. Yeah. And they're flying Bonding and she's
Thundernerd 1:yeah. Yeah. No. No. No.
Thundernerd 1:No. You're right. You're right. That's their scene. But that it's it's that's it really.
Thundernerd 1:They don't really have much together in this film. Yeah. It's very random.
Thundernerd 1:Very random. Yeah. Largo doesn't really feel like much of a threat.
Thundernerd 1:But Overall, should we should we get into the MVP and the ranking and and the of of where we'd say this is? Should we get into that now?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Alright. Here we are. Let's get into it. So MVP and then we'll go Letterboxd ranking. What are we giving it out of five?
Thundernerd 1:So do we wanna do a bit of a countdown on the MVP?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. I I think that works well. I like it.
Thundernerd 1:Okay. Okay. Let's let's count this in. You ready for this? On after I say one, we reveal.
Thundernerd 1:Okay. Three, two, one, Sean Connery. Sean Connery.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. It's it's Connery. This is the film Had to be Connery.
Thundernerd 1:Where Connery is the MVP. It can't be denied. He he outshines every other person in the film. And it's not that the directing is not good, it's not that the cinematography is not beautiful and amazing, it's not that the score is not amazing. This time though, Connery's presence cannot be denied.
Thundernerd 1:It is really yeah. It's it's it's all time stuff for Bond. It's one it's one of, in my opinion, the great James Bond performances. And maybe that's another thing we could rank in in films. What are some of the great just holistic film performances of a Bond actor?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. What are which ones are the best? I think Thunderbolt for Connery is his his show reel type stuff where you cut it all together and go, there's the highlight package of what made him great. You can see it all in that film. The charm, the suave, the lethalness, the power, the command.
Thundernerd 1:He walks like a panther. It's awesome.
Thundernerd 1:Like we said yeah. Like we said before, it's this is peak Connery. This is Connery at his best.
Thundernerd 1:Yep.
Thundernerd 1:Yep. He was he was close in Goldfinger
Thundernerd 1:Close.
Thundernerd 1:But he only just got better in Thunderbolt.
Thundernerd 1:100% agree with you.
Thundernerd 1:And it probably drops a little bit from here on.
Thundernerd 1:I think so. I think you're absolutely spot on with that. Now, this is an interesting thing. I I feel like I've spent a lot of this one kind of pulling apart some of the plot holes of of Thunderball, But I wanna just let it be known once again, I feel like I've said this a few times, I love Thunderball, and I always have. I just I just have this soft spot for it.
Thundernerd 1:I think it is because it reminds me of home, reminds me of the water. It's it feels like I'm on vacation when I watch it. I actually even though I've slandered today, you know, some underwater sequences that go a tad too long, I actually like them. Like, I'm talking from a technicality standpoint, It's a bit too long, but I actually like them. I like spending time hearing the score and it fits the water perfectly.
Thundernerd 1:Like you said, I enjoy it. It's like ASMR to me watching it.
Thundernerd 1:I watched I watched this movie for a second time in the last couple days. Yep. It's because I enjoyed it so much.
Thundernerd 1:Yep. No. It's can see why. It's enjoyable to watch, especially if have
Thundernerd 1:a There second are things to are things to pick apart. Yep. And, yeah, there are things that plot holes that aren't great, but it's just everything else is it just makes it so good.
Thundernerd 1:So good. Yep. Agree. Where are you ranking this? Out of five.
Thundernerd 1:This tough. This is really tough. I actually think that my rankings changed for this film because I've looked at what I gave it a few years ago, and I don't, yeah, I don't I don't think I agree with that anymore.
Thundernerd 1:What ranking have you given it previously?
Thundernerd 1:I gave it a four.
Thundernerd 1:You gave it a four. Okay.
Thundernerd 1:I think it's a 3.5 for me.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:I know why I would have given it a four because I find a hell of a lot of it enjoyable, but I just think that between what happens at the start, that first forty minutes of a bit of convolution where it's a little bit hard to follow it, and then a a few sequences of underwater that go a little bit too long coupled with, you know, a a main antagonist that's a little bit forgettable in his own kind of I just think it it for me now, I think Thunderball is a very solid three out of five for me. It's close to a four, but I but I don't think I would put it to a four anymore. Where do you reckon it would land for you?
Thundernerd 1:I am gonna say a 3.5. I agree with all your points. I think I rated Doctor. No a 3.5 as well.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Okay.
Thundernerd 1:I think
Thundernerd 1:And out of Doctor. No and Thunderball, holistically speaking, where do you think one falls with the other? If you were to kind of if you were, like, if you were to go, okay, they're both they're both a 3.5, but which one outweighs the other? Do you reckon holistically you'd have an answer for that?
Thundernerd 1:Which one is better than the other?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Out of the two films.
Thundernerd 1:Thunderball. I think
Thundernerd 1:I agree with that.
Thundernerd 1:Rather than point five, I would like, I'll keep it as 3.5, but if Doctor. No is at 3.5, Thunderball is at 3.7.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it's it's it's it's it's a bit above it. It's a bit above it.
Thundernerd 1:It's not much
Thundernerd 1:above it,
Thundernerd 1:but it's a bit above it.
Thundernerd 1:It's the thing that I that I didn't that Doctor No was lacking was it was just lacking some key things that make bond like.
Thundernerd 1:Yep. Because it's because it's right at the start of that thing, isn't it?
Thundernerd 1:It's right at the start. Mhmm. Hasn't really found its feet yet.
Mr Saint John Smythe:Do do you wanna know
Thundernerd 1:formula yet. Whereas Thunderball has the formula. It's just got some issues, mainly, like you said, the start and then some scenes that just go on for a little bit too long.
Thundernerd 1:It's interesting. I've just had a look to see what Doctor No's ranking was that I gave it. I gave that three star, and I've said now I'd give Thunderball 3.5. So I'm in that same boat that for me, Thunderball is is better than Doctor. No.
Thundernerd 1:Interestingly, the audience median score on Letterboxd for Doctor. No is a 3.4. That's the that's averaging out everyone's who's ever scored it. Right? I'll tell you what from Russia With Love is, because I don't know if we've talked median score.
Thundernerd 1:So maybe we'll we'll start we'll start looking at yours, mine, and then the median score. Median score 3.64 from Russia. It's five for me, easily. The median scores are very difficult. They're very hard to break a good score on Letterboxd.
Thundernerd 1:So that gives you an idea of something. 3.8 Goldfinger gets out of five. So that's the highest we've found so far. Thunderball is 3.2. So Thunderball has actually got the lowest median score out of the first four films we've seen.
Thundernerd 1:For me, 3.5. So is there anything else you want
Thundernerd 1:to talk about with Thunderbolt? We've covered off most of it. I think we've pretty much covered off on everything. One thing that I was gonna tell you about Yeah. Completely random, still Bond related.
Thundernerd 1:Uh-huh.
Thundernerd 1:I was watching a movie the other day. Okay. The Running Man with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Thundernerd 1:This is the one that
Thundernerd 1:Have seen it?
Thundernerd 1:Edgar Wright's got coming out. Yeah? Running like he's adapted Yeah. With Glenn Powell.
Thundernerd 1:So yeah. Yeah. So old movie, the old one with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's got the guy what is his name? Starts with a, like, a y or something.
Thundernerd 1:Yotif or something like that. Who's this? What's his name? I'm gonna Google this.
Thundernerd 1:Is it a good fit? Yeah. But Kotto.
Thundernerd 1:Okay. It was okay. It it was good. Like, Arnie's great in it. Like, if you like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Thundernerd 1:Had you seen it before? No. Or are you doing this in preparation for watching Edgar's No. I just picked a
Thundernerd 1:random movie. Liked Total Recall.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Okay.
Thundernerd 1:It's a movie, like the original. And so I was like, what what else What else? Is similar. Yeah. Okay.
Thundernerd 1:This is like another action sci fi with Arnie. Interesting. I'm Schwarzenegger Powerwall.
Thundernerd 1:Was gonna say, like, you interested are you excited for Edgar's film? I'm I'm I'm keen to see what he does with it.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, I fucking love Edgar Wright.
Thundernerd 1:He's such a good director, man.
Thundernerd 1:He's I love Edgar Wright. Yeah. And Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite movies.
Thundernerd 1:I need to watch that. I haven't seen it.
Thundernerd 1:Oh, mate. The more so a thing with Shaun of the Dead, alright, It sounds weird, but the more you watch that movie, the better it gets.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. It's one of those films where it just gets better and better every viewing.
Thundernerd 1:So every single little line in that movie is like a reference to something that happens in the movie later or a callback to to earlier on in the film.
Thundernerd 1:That's pretty funny.
Thundernerd 1:And the more you watch it, the more you pick up on things, and you watch it and you just go, ah, yes.
Thundernerd 1:That's cool. That's cool. So what were you gonna say about Arnie? Sorry.
Thundernerd 1:So I was watching the movie The Running Man. It's got the guy from his name's Yaffet Kotto. The guy from Live and Let Die plays Kananga. Oh, I see. It's got him in it.
Thundernerd 1:Right. Right? And I was like watching, and I was like, where do I know this guy from? And I was like, that's doctor Kananga. And then another character comes out.
Thundernerd 1:So this guy who comes out to kill both Arnie and doctor Kananga, and this guy that comes out just happens to be the same actor who plays Oddjob.
Thundernerd 1:That's hilarious.
Thundernerd 1:Watching a movie of Oddjob versing Doctor Kananga in a fight.
Thundernerd 1:That's hilarious. How bizarre.
Thundernerd 1:I was watching it and I was like, this is it's Oddjob and Kananga in a fight. A of classic
Thundernerd 1:couple of classic Bond villains. Bond villains clashing in a film.
Thundernerd 1:They're both in a scene together having a fight to the death.
Thundernerd 1:It's it is funny because it's you don't see a lot of you don't see a lot of, like, Bond actors of that era together in other films. The one, you don't see a lot of them in films. I don't reckon. I don't reckon I see it. Like, I saw Goldfinger and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Thundernerd 1:I'm like, oh my god, it's Goldfinger. But you don't see a lot of them turn up in other films, and then to see two of them in one, that is like like rarity kind of shit. Because it was only a View to a Kill where an Oscar winning or Academy Award winning actor came in and played a Bond villain. That's the first time it happened with Christopher Walken. It hadn't happened before that.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Like, before that, that almost started the thing where bigger actors started to come towards Bond and
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Now it's like you would never imagine them to use an unknown actor.
Thundernerd 1:That's that's right. Now it's almost it's it's almost become a thing that Academy Award winners are Bond villains now. That's how it's
Thundernerd 1:it's moved to. To get
Thundernerd 1:a big name for Christophe Waltz, Rami Malek, that that there's three running Academy Award winning actors Yeah. Or whatever.
Thundernerd 1:Which is one thing that makes Quantum of Solace a very strange movie with the villain, with Dominic Green. Yeah. Dominic Green?
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. Dominic Green. I mean, is random. I mean, I I I don't even think though that Mads Milkinson had the recognition at that point. It was really from Skyfall that they hit the ground with like like, Mads Milkinson now, we go, oh, he's a fucking awesome actor.
Thundernerd 1:He's in everything. And during the time of Casino, I don't think he was in a lot Yeah. Before that. I think Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Of course, you're right.
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, it was it was when they got Javier, from that moment on, from the the three films, I'm including Skyfall in that, to No Tone at All, they've all had Academy Award winning actors as the lead.
Thundernerd 1:Javier Baader.
Thundernerd 1:Is it is is Javier a winning actor? Is he a nominee for No Country for Old Men? I might look that up. I just don't wanna because two Christopher Walters, two time winning.
Thundernerd 1:Rami, one He's definitely won. He's won two. He would have won something for Hans Lander in
Thundernerd 1:Yeah. And then I think he won for Django. Glorious. Yeah. He won for Inglourious and Django, I think.
Thundernerd 1:Wait. I'll look up. Did Javier win an Oscar? Yeah. He's won an Oscar.
Thundernerd 1:Yep. So there you go. So last three Bond villains have been Oscar.
Thundernerd 1:No country? Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:Was no country. Yep. Yep. So yeah. There you go.
Thundernerd 1:Hey, just quickly, before we wrap this up, this is a mozzie going around the room and I just want get out of here, it's pissing me off. Haven't been able to get it.
Thundernerd 1:I can't feel that Breaking Bad episode.
Thundernerd 1:Off Fly. Fly. That's yeah. So You Only Live Twice is next. How many times have you seen You Only Live Twice?
Thundernerd 1:Probably
Thundernerd 1:about two or three times. It's not much. Not much.
Thundernerd 1:One of the rare
Thundernerd 1:ones on The first time I ever saw it, because I missed it when it was on TV, could never find it in the video store. You showed up at my doorstep when we were kids and you were like, hey, I've got something for you. So You Only Live Twice DVD, hold on to it for a bit, give it a watch. And that was the first time I'd ever seen it.
Thundernerd 1:Wow. That's crazy. It's a good Bond film. I enjoy it. I'm excited to talk about it.
Thundernerd 1:It's probably the one if you think of a Bond film that the public conscience know the most in terms of iconography of moments, aside from something like the laser in Goldfinger, it's probably You Only Live Twice, Blofeldt's stroking the cat, The Volcano Lair. It's all really famous.
Thundernerd 1:Lair is most Everyone knows that.
Thundernerd 1:Everyone knows it. It's it's it's probably the one that's been the most it's probably the one that's most parodied out of the Austin Powers films. It's Only Live Twice, I would say. Not keen for that one, man. Really keen for that one.
Thundernerd 1:It's been good. Another good another good addition of the potty. Done. I think I think we leave it there. Yeah.
Thundernerd 1:100%. Think we wrap it up.
Thundernerd 1:That was was good. That was a really good chat.
Thundernerd 1:Good stuff. Yeah. It's it's been another good one. Can't wait for the next one. Thunder Nerds, wherever you're listening, do hit the follow button, and you can find in the link tree.
Thundernerd 1:You can find Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, hit the follow there. Subscribe to the YouTube. Notification bells on when videos drop, and I'll tell you what as well. Check-in the notes. I'll put it there in the notes, and it'll be in the link tree.
Thundernerd 1:Thundernode hotline, if you wanna drop a I think it's up to ninety second message, something you want us to chat about. Could be one that you want mister Saint John Smite here and I to talk about with you only do twice as a Bond film. Could be about anything else we've been talking about on the pod recently, drop us a voice message, we'll play it and we'll respond to it on the podcast. But other than that, until next time, mister Saint John Smite, thank you as always for your services.
Thundernerd 1:Thank you for having me.
Thundernerd 1:And over and out.