Thunderball (1965) DVD Review – UK

SPECTRE has stolen two nuclear bombs from a Vulcan bomber and is holding the world to ransom in a massive £100 million extortion scheme. Agent 007, James Bond, is sent to recover the weapons before they can be used.

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15 Sep 2026 (3 days ago)

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Runtime

2 Hours 10 Minutes

BBFC rating

Region

Region 2

Sound

Dolby Digital 5.1

Aspect

2.35:1

Release year

1965

Details

James Bond is called in to thwart a massive extortion attempt by the criminal organisation SPECTRE after they manage to hijack a RAF Vulcan bomber carrying two nuclear warheads. Unless the British and American governments pay the staggering ransom demand of £100 million, the bombs will be detonated in two major cities. Naturally Bond must put aside his usual mix of womanising and brawling with villains and get down to business.

Following a promising lead, Bond travels to Nassau in the Bahamas where the sun shines brightly and trouble is never too far away. After several encounters with SPECTRE operatives he eventually comes face to face with the mastermind behind the plot - Emilio Largo, SPECTRE's number two. Largo is operating from a luxurious yacht which also happens to be hiding the stolen nuclear weapons beneath the waves.

What follows is one of the most memorable confrontations of the early Bond series, with underwater battles, exotic locations and plenty of gadgets from Q Branch helping Bond in his mission to recover the bombs before SPECTRE can carry out its deadly threat.

Picture & Sound

The picture quality is surprisingly impressive. Given the age of the film stock I was not expecting too much, especially after the relatively poor transfers of some of the earlier Bond titles. Here however the image is bright and colourful with a consistently high bit-rate and no obvious artifacting. There are still the occasional age-related imperfections - a few stray marks and a brief moment of pixelisation early in the film - but overall MGM deserve considerable praise for the quality of the transfer.

The soundtrack has been remastered into Dolby Digital 5.1 and while it obviously cannot compete with modern action films it still offers a respectable listening experience. The surround channels are used mainly for atmospheric music and occasional environmental effects, while the LFEs make their presence felt during explosions and some of the larger action sequences. Dialogue can occasionally sound a little subdued, resulting in a bit of remote control juggling as the volume needs adjusting between quieter conversations and louder action scenes.

Overall

The special effects in Thunderball marked a noticeable step forward for the Bond series. Whereas some of the earlier films relied heavily on miniature models and occasionally unconvincing effects, the work here feels far more ambitious. The extended underwater sequences in particular were groundbreaking for their time and remain impressive even today. Indeed, the film's visual effects were recognised with an Academy Award.

Once again MGM have produced an excellent DVD package with strong picture quality and a generous selection of extras. Each successive Bond release in this series seems to improve upon the last, making it increasingly difficult to see how MGM can continue raising the bar. Compared to many other studios who fill their discs with dull menus and pointless extras, these Bond releases continue to set an impressive standard.