Thunderball (1965)

Thunderball is the fourth Bond film featuring Sean Connery. Many feel that it was the poorest Bond film starring Connery, but I think it's still a fine film, perhaps not as groundbreaking as the first 3 films, yet nonetheless royally entertaining.
The reason for that is mainly because of the stunning action. Most of the action in Thunderball takes place underwater, and the action sequences are both original and brilliantly captured on celluloid. Indeed, I think Thunderball is the first Bond film in the series that stands out from other films because of its action. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is perhaps debatable (later Bond films often had the tendency of becoming more and more "superficial"), but for this film it works.
The plot follows the successful standard set by Goldfinger, featuring an over the top scheme by SPECTRE to seriously damage the western democracies while getting a boatload of money on the way. SPECTRE plans to do this by using two atomic bombs they successfully stole from a NATO bomber. 007 picks up a scent and eventually tracks down the bombs, just in time, as always.
The usual Bond elements are in place. The villain is menacing enough, though perhaps not as memorable. The Bond girls are fantastic looking. Bond's gadgets are nice and imaginative. The song and score, while not top notch, more than fulfill their roles. In short, if you're a fan of 007, you should not miss this film.
8/10