Dr. No (1962) | The Franchise Launchpad

The movie that started it all. While the sixth novel by Ian Fleming, it is the first official James Bond film. Many of the tropes that would become synonymous with the James Bond franchise were already present in the first film by MGM. Dr. No. It kicked off the franchise with a fair amount of style and flair. It also quickly cemented Sean Connery in the role.

So, how does it hold up to the scrutiny of this somewhat picky and occasionally fickle reviewer? Not bad, actually. When it comes to the James Bond films, for a long time, I preferred the Sean Connery films as they were often considered a little more serious in their nature and content. By the end of Connery's career as James Bond, however, the movies were already getting a little cartoonish and goofy. Nonetheless, in the early days, it was mostly just good, old-fashioned espionage.

Pros

Good characterization of Bond and his abilities as a spy
Bond makes mistakes, which can be either a good thing or a bad thing
Grounded action with simple and straightforward spy work
Mostly a murder mystery before it becomes traditional Bond vs villain
Classic Bond villain

Cons

Many of the fist-fights are poorly choreographed and look goofy
Plot is mostly forgettable once the goal is finding Dr. No
Car chase sequences leave a lot to be desired
Sound editing is rough; lots of spots where the movie is quiet then suddenly loud
No special themes or music other than the traditional James Bond theme, so get used to the 007 theme song that will be throughout the rest of the series
Definitely not a movie for the sensitive, “modern audience”

Plot and Thoughts

Dr. No set the stage for the rest of the franchise in a lot of ways. It established the pattern of Bond movies where James Bond has a mystery to solve, which leads him to a primary antagonist, who is often larger than life. Along the way, he meets a few comrades who will inevitably die, or end up in his bed, or both. Then, by the end, he gets detained by the villain in some fashion and manages to escape before finally toppling the villain's plot in dramatic style. I'm describing this to you now because you can expect many of the Bond movies after this to have a similar pattern. The plots of the movie are important, but there are plenty of other little details that add to the experience.

Being the first film in the franchise, Dr. No is a little more grounded than most of the others that would follow. There's no gadget portion of the movie where anyone instructs 007 on how to use his special toy cars, or fancy watch equipped with lasers or explosives. It's just good, basic spy work.

An MI6 agent and his secretary are mysteriously killed in the Bahamas by assassins. He was investigating a lead from the CIA involving rockets and a mysterious scientist known as Dr. No. MI6 wants to know what happened to him and his information, so Bond is sent to investigate. Before he’s able to check into his hotel, he encounters an assassin sent to pick him up at the airport and kill him. He’s unable to get any info before the man swallows some cyanide. Upon visiting the office of the dead MI6 agent, Bond finds out a local professor of geology is somehow connected and teams up with the CIA to dig deeper into the mystery. As Bond works to uncover who may have killed his compatriot, he slowly uncovers a sinister plot involving the mysterious Dr. No and an even more mysterious organization called S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

Where the film really works is in the subtle "showing instead of telling" techniques it uses in characterization for Bond. For example, he has a great deal of caution about getting a ride with someone at the airport. He is suspicious of everyone he talks to until they prove to be an actual ally—or in one instance they’re just a wandering photographer who is innocent of any crime. He anticipates the enemy's movements and plans, such as a poor assassination attempt by one who forgets how many bullets his gun can carry—a detail that Bond is very aware of. He uses simple tricks in his hotel room to know if someone has looked through his things. He comes across as a legitimate spy who is skilled in his job. However, he is still human because he makes mistakes from time to time. Subtlety is not a strong suit of the franchise most of the time, so revel in it here.

The villain, Dr. No, is not the bombastic, over-the-top type of villain; his metal hands are the wildest thing about him. He is subdued and menacing in a quiet and ominous way. He's a very traditional villain and his evil nature is made that much more apparent and creepy by his quiet delivery and strict posture of Joseph Wiseman’s performance. He doesn’t show up until very late into the film, but he makes a big impression immediately and ends up being one of the most memorable villains of the franchise as a result. I especially enjoy the scene in which he gets irritated with Bond over dinner and expresses disappointment in how Bond views the world, as though he’s so much more intelligent than everyone else that he’s just hoping that someone could challenge him intellectually.

The main Bond girl, Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), is something of the first tough girl in the series. She's definitely in over her head like many of the Bond girls end up being, but she's brave, determined, and innocent in a way that makes her character likable. She's a girl who comes to a secret island to forage for and gather sea shells that she can sell by the seashore, despite the risk of the murderous Dr. No. She doesn’t really do much once she’s introduced, which is common for the ladies of this franchise, but she gives Bond a woman to rescue in the final act.

Where the film struggles is in its action. The Bond franchise, though priding itself on being a blend of action and espionage, doesn't really have any good action sequences for the first few movies. There are a couple of car chases, but too much of it is the green-screen effect from the ‘60s that has aged too poorly to make it the least bit exciting on modern TVs that can show you every detail. There's a sequence where Sean Connery is going around punching people as a facility blows up, as well as a few small fistfights in the beginning, but the fight choreography leaves a lot to be desired. Fortunately, the subtler and subdued characterization and spy work of 007 make up for the lack of exciting action.

TL;DR (Conclusion)

Dr. No is not the most exciting Bond film, nor does it have the most intriguing plot. Regardless, it is a strong start with some good characterization of Bond's abilities and subtle spy work techniques that help carry the film through its more forgettable action sequences. It’s a great introduction to a lengthy franchise and one of my favorites.

Hair of the Dog Bonus Drinking Game Rule

If you're playing along with the James Bond drinking game rules, as well as the Universal Drinking Rules, you'll be pretty well covered with drinks through Dr. No with just the "Titular Line" and "Theme Song" rules alone. However, if there's something that is mentioned or perhaps more central to the plot of this movie than others is the use of nuclear technology, or rather, the radiation from it. Radiation is what sets Bond off to find Dr. No in the first place, and it is the thing that the evil mastermind is using to accomplish his goal.