A interestingly dire rehash of Thunderball, 22 Feb 2002

Unfortunately, Never Say Never Again is a poor excuse for the veteran actor's return. The humor is over-the-top, the direction is pedestrian, and the storyline drags. Were it not for the simple pleasure of seeing Connery playing 007 one more time, this film would have been nearly unwatchable. All things considered, it's not a very good movie, but at least Connery's charisma salvages parts of it.

The hallmarks of every Bond film are the big, often-absurd action sequences. Thunderball has several, including a spectacular (if overlong) underwater climax. Never Say Never Again can boast only one -- a wild car chase with Bond on a Q-designed motorbike -- and that's choreographed without flair. With the exception of a few isolated incidents here and there, like the silly fight that demolishes a health clinic, this film fails to generate much excitement. And the absence of the John Barry/Monty Norman "James Bond Theme" leaves a musical hole that Michel Legrand's feeble score cannot plug.

The acting is variable. Brandauer is effective as Largo and Max Von Sydow may be the best Blofeld of all. Barbara Carrera is suitably sexy as the predatory Fatima. Kim Basinger is a singular embarrassment, not exhibiting the slightest wisp of acting talent. The usual "London group" of M (Edward Fox), Q (Alec McCowen), and Moneypenny (Pamela Salem) seem like impostors. It's especially odd seeing someone other than Desmond Llewelyn tinkering with gadgets.

There was a great deal of hype in 1983 about the "dueling" Bonds -- Roger Moore's Octopussy versus Sean Connery's Never Say Never Again. Ultimately, both entries were duds, with Never Say Never Again offering slightly better entertainment based solely on Connery's presence. Nevertheless, it's a major disappointment that, having lured back the original 007, the film makers couldn't offer him something better than this drawn-out, hackneyed story.

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