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In 1962, three of the most immortal words in film history were uttered onscreen for the first time: "Bond. James Bond." Dr. No was the first look that audiences got at Bond in action (if one puts aside the American TV version of Casino Royale), and while it hasn't aged well since it was first released, it's still a diverting action picture that first established what would soon come to pass as franchise traditions.
By now, the character of superspy 007 needs no introduction, having become ingrained into cultural lexicons all across the globe thanks to his massively popular adventures. But what some movie fans might forget is that after 40-plus years of seeing Bond do what he does best, his first time at bat was a fairly modest little venture, especially in comparison to some of the more grandiose and gleefully far-fetched entries the series would turn out.
 Britain's MI6 agency has just lost contact with one of its officers stationed in Jamaica. When both the officer and his secretary turn up missing, who else is on the case but James Bond (Sean Connery) himself, whisked from a rousing game of baccarat with the alluring Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson) to head the investigation. As it turns out, the missing agent was on the hunt for the source of some interference taking place with America's rockets at Cape Canaveral. All signs point to Crab Key, a nearby island that's shrouded in mystery and lorded over by a shady figure known only as Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman). It doesn't take long for Bond to become the next target on Dr. No's list, as the deeper he digs into the case of the disappearing agent, the more his life is in danger, forcing Bond and his new allies, CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) and jovial fisherman Quarrel (John Kitzmiller), to think on their toes and stop the mysterious madman from completing his most iabolical scheme yet.
For those cinephiles who were weaned on Bond's more elaborate, action-packed escapades whilst growing up, a rude awakening awaits you with Dr. No. Aside from a little car chase and a somewhat explosive climax, Bond takes on the role of a private eye more than he does a one-man army, his investigation taking up the vast majority of the running time. But don't take that to mean that Dr. No is the black sheep of the series; on the contrary, several Bond standards are introduced. You've got yourself the exotic locale, the "gun barrel" opening sequence, (which is ruined a bit by the schizophrenic switch from Monty Norman's famous theme to a calypso tune), the megalomaniacal villain, and even though gadget man Q isn't officially in sight, there's the minor character of Bond's armorer at the beginning to fill the role. Also, and most notably, there's Ursula Andress as the very first Bond Girl, a gorgeous shell hunter named Honey Ryder who becomes involved in Bond's plot to get to the bottom of what Dr. No's up to.
With all of these ingredients added together, you'd think that Dr. No was just about the perfect Bond flick, right? Well, not so fast. There's certainly a lot to admire here, from the impressive sets and beautiful location shooting to Connery's precedence-setting, rough-and-tumble depiction of a staunch and determined 007. But not so invigorating is the plot, which is fun and intriguing up until a point (right around when Honey enters the picture), at which the film becomes leaden and almost too silly. The last quarter of the picture, set in Dr. No's underground lair, is filled with stuff going on, but the pacing is such that even though Bond is trying to stop world domination from being achieved, it's all being handled with the urgency of someone trying to find the TV remote.
The flick doesn't so much pounce on the climax like it was a three-legged gazelle, but rather it ambles upon it like an already-stuffed lion, almost passive and uncaring about how the story ends, as long as it does. In addition, Wiseman's Dr. No is all-too underwhelming, effective when kept in the shadows but remaining that way for way too long; the film builds him up to be this supreme force of evil, so don't be surprised if you're disappointed when it turns out to be some guy traipsing around with metal hands instead.
Dr. No finds itself in the awkward position of being lauded for kicking off one of the most enduring cinematic franchises and doing first what has since being commonplace and even taken for granted in the series. As a movie on its own terms, however, Dr. No is more than a little underwhelming, though it contains a fair amount of thrills all its own and works at least quite a bit of the time as a good example of pure, escapist entertainment.
Director: Terence Young
Writers: Richard Maibaum and Johanna Harwood & Berkley Mather, based upon the novel by Ian Fleming
Cast: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Bernard Lee, John Kitzmiller, Eunice Gayson
Rating: PG (some violence and sensuality)
Classic Movie Guide Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Run Time: 110 minutes
Studio: United Artists
Format: Color, widescreen
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