Bond Secret File #1 - Dr. No

Introduction: 5/10
The introduction of the first film is quite different from what would soon become a staple in the Bond series. The usual semi psychedelic intro credits combined with funky colors and silhouettes of lovely women, is instead replaced by different color circles blinking around, nothing very special in my opinion. Towards the end it changes into silhouettes of a man and woman dancing to Jamaican music. Overall rather bland compared to what the introduction of the Bond films eventually evolve into, and the mix of the Jamaican theme with the classic Bond song doesn't fit quite well.

Title Song: 9/10
One of the most memorable theme songs of all-time is the classic Bond song which usually finds a place in every Bond film; this is what graces the introduction of this film. My only problem was again consistency, the attempt to mix it with Jamaican music near the end I wasn't feeling, instead they should have stuck to the regular theme song the whole way through.

Bond: 10/10
Sean Connery was made for this role, and in my opinion Connery is the one and only James Bond. He has the look, the demeanor, the speech, and even though in my opinion this film was rather dry and boring, Connery's performance was top notch. What Connery also brought to Bond was his suave sarcastic humor, which is a great part of the character. And to think Connery worked as a coffin polisher before he became one the most well known characters in film history!

Bond Girls:

Sylvia Trench: 3/10
According to http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/bond-girls.php Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson), the girl at the beginning of the film, is considered a "Bond Girl", I disagree. With only about two minutes of screen time, she added nothing whatsoever to the storyline. Because she was the first "pretty" girl in the film doesn't make her a Bond Girl in my opinion, but I guess it is an accepted fact that she is. She is seen at the beginning of the film playing poker with Bond, then later in his hotel room. She also makes another "brief" appearance in From Russia with Love and supposedly she was going to have a recurring role in all the Bond films, but was dropped before Goldfinger. The character served no purpose and it’s a good thing they didn't continue the trend.

Honey Ryder: 9/10
Played by Ursula Andress, she reminded me of Eva Gabor from Green Acres; it must have been the accent. Most famous for her entrance from the ocean when Bond goes to Crap Key Island, which was pretty "racy" back then, and later even redone in Die Another Day, with Halle Berry. Now I can see Ryder as a Bond Girl, she was Bond's main love interest, she played a significant part in the storyline and we actually have a back story about her. Her father disappeared while scuba diving on Crab Key, her landlord raped her and in turn she stuck a black widow in his bed causing him to suffer for a week until dying. She states that she never went to school and that when she was a little girl she started reading the encyclopedia, starting at A and now she is at T, which leads one to question her knowledge of anything after T. The character of Honey is rather naive and immature, which I could see with no parents and no education, but turns out to be a great addition to the film and a classic first Bond Girl in the series. Also interesting to note that Andress's voice is actually dubbed in the film, and that famous bikini scene lead to a worldwide increase in the sale of bikini's.

The Villains:

Dr. No: 5/10
Half German, half Chinese, and complete with metal hands, Dr. No is pretty bland. He does not make an appearance in the film until the end and even then it's not much. He came across as a very weak villain, the smaller villains in the film had larger roles than he did. He introduces SPECTRE, a terrorist group that will play a large role in future Bond films, but other than that his character is quite pointless and disappointing.

Miss Taro: 7/10
Played by Zena Marshall, she is the secretary in the Government House in Jamaica; Bond meets her when he comes to get information on Dr. No and Crap Key Island, and asks her if she would like to show him around, of course she agrees. What Bond does not know is that she works for Dr. No, who had Strangeway killed. She gives it all away when Bond arrives at her door, after surviving an ambush she setup, and looks surprised to see him. I thought she was pretty good (better than Dr. No), accept for the fact she didn't do a very good job hiding that she had set him up, Bond easily figures that out.

Total Rating: 7/10

Overall (Including Film Rating): 7/10

7/10