Search - Never Say Never Again on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 5/9/2022...

Sean Connery 007 Bond in his later days and not MGM, James Bond! Not so shaken or stirred!

Keith A. (Keefer522)
Reviewed on 9/7/2013...

Sean Connery returns to the James Bond role after a dozen years in this "unofficial" 007 adventure that is not considered part of the "regular" Bond series. This flick was made independently by a different production team after a long series of legal wranglings between author Kevin McClory and the Ian Fleming estate that stretched back nearly 20 years.

The film is essentially a retread of 1965's "Thunderball," with 007 on the trail of two stolen nuclear missiles in the Bahamas, but it moves at a much slower pace and feels quite dated. This movie is at least a half hour too long, and aside from one hilariously cheesy scene set in a video-game arcade to put it in the "80s" time frame, everything else - from the sets to the technology and the music - looks and feels straight out of the 1960s.

Still, it's fun to see Connery playing Bond again with his usual self-satisfied cool, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Max Von Sydow have nice turns as the villains "Mr. Largo" and "Blofeld," and a young Kim Basinger plays the obligatory Bond Babe, "Domino."

Without the familiar "James Bond Theme" or the "gun barrel" opening, and with different actors playing "Q," "M," "Moneypenny," etc., "Never Say Never Again" is like watching a weird alternate-universe version of James Bond.

007 fans might dig it as a curiosity item, but it's not something I'll watch again anytime soon.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

An Entire Scene Is MISSING from this DVD

gobirds2 | New England | 10/19/2000

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Did anyone out there who bought this DVD or reviewed it take the time to watch it? There is an entire scene missing from it!After James Bond crashes the formal gala affair and leaves the doorman in the coatroom, the film jumps directly to the video duel between Largo and Bond. The scene in between is missing. That scene is where Bond surprises Domino. She had previously seen him at the health spa where he gave her a rub down, she thinking he was a member of the staff. The scene that is missing is where Bond introduces himself to her and she stumbles over her lines ordering a "Bloody Mary with plenty of Worchester sauce."For that significant omission I can not recommend this DVD. Also, other than the trailer there are no extras on this DVD. The aesthetic qualities of this film speak for themselves."

Sean Connery's Last Bond Film Is A Flawed Winner

Erik Rupp | Southern California | 01/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Holding the rights to Thunderball, Kevin McClory decided to make a new Bond Film in 1975. Amazingly enough, Sean Connery was interested in playing Bond again if he had script approval. The film originally was going to only loosely based on Thunderball, but after a few years of legal battles with EON it became simply a remake of that earlier film. Still, it is a good Bond film, even though it does have its flaws. The most obvious strength that Never Say Never Again has is Connery, Sean Connery. Even though he looked his age, he looked fit and ready for the usual Bond action. In fact, he looked like he was in better shape than he was for his last Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever, in 1971. The plot of the film very closely follows that of Thunderball, with some updating of the details and technology for 1983. Director Irvin Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back) does a fine job with the movie, and the cast gives some excellent performances (including Klaus Maria Brandauer as Largo, Barbara Carerra as Fatima Blush - her performance and character seems to be the blueprint for Xenia Onatopp from Goldeneye, Kim Basinger as Domino, Bernie Casey as Felix Leiter, and the great Max Von Sydow as Blofeld). The weaknesses of the film? It doesn't quite LOOK as spectacular as the official Bond films - it has a lower budget look to it than the EON films. Another flaw: the characters of "M" and Nigel Small-Fawcett, both of whom seem like they belong in a Bond spoof rather than the real thing. Both of them ruin their respective scenes due to the attempts at comedy by Edward Fox and Rowan Atkinson. The music is often great (some really good Jazz), but at other times seems inappropriate for particular scenes. The lack of the "James Bond Theme," also detracts a little from the film (but not much). But when you've got Sean Connery, a solid plot, and a good (overall) supporting cast, you've got a winner. NSNA could have been better, but for a Bond film outside of the official EON Productions banner Never Say Never Again acquits itself quite nicely. It's a shame that the DVD wasn't given the Bond Special Edition treatment, but it is still worth buying anyway."

Missing Footage? You Can Get it Replaced.

John Cox | Studio City, CA | 01/05/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As some of the reviews here note, there is a large piece of missing footage on this DVD between chapters 19 & 20 (when the disc changes layers). Is yours missing footage? Here's how to check. Start at chapter 19 and follow Bond as he gate crashes the Casino and sticks the bouncer in the closet. If your DVD jumps from Bond leaving the bouncer in the closet with the "bomb" in his hand (Bond says,"Good boy"), to a scene inside the casino where Bond, Domino, and Largo enter the private game room (Largo saying, "These are my friends..."), then you've got a dud. What you should have seen is Bond going from the bouncer in the closet -- to a shot of Bond through the casino door peep hole -- he enters casino -- sticks gun in ice bucket -- enters video game room -- meets Domino ("My name is Bond, James Bond") -- meets Largo, etc. If yours is defective (and many of them where) the good news is you can return it and get a replacement DVD by calling MGMÕs customer service dept at 1-877-MGM-4YOU (or emailing them at 4you@mgm.com) and following their instructions. I did this and I now have a new, complete NSNA DVD."