NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN

NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN: What makes a Bond film a Bond film? Is it the gadgets? The girls? The familiar 007 theme song? Or is it the man behind the gun? Producers of this 1983 flick were counting on the latter, having lured the original Bond, Sean Connery, back into the role after a 12 year hiatus. While Octopussy starring Roger Moore hit theaters the same year (and ended up grossing a bit more money), Never Say Never Again is a fine return to form despite lacking several staples of the franchise, including key cast members, the opening “gun-barrel” logo treatment and John Barry’s signature score. Connery’s presence alone ensures a more rough ‘n tumble approach to the onscreen action. A loose remake of Thunderball, the film one-ups the original in many respects including the health spa fight sequence that plays like a professional wrestling match. Kim Basinger pushes the PG-rating with an array of see-through outfits and Rowan “Mr. Bean” Atkinson provides comic-relief. An Atari-inspired videogame battle between Bond and lead villain Maximillian Largo (Klaus Maria Brandauer) is the only sour note in this Ian Fleming anomaly. Presented on Blu-ray from MGM, the film finally fits rather nicely into franchise history, looking just as good as any of the previous remastered titles. Extras include a commentary and three featurettes.