Dr. No (1962)

James Bond is the epitome of cool. I loved everything about these movies. Bond always had an awesome car, top of the line suits, amazing women, incredible adventures, and all the insane gadgets. As an 11-year-old boy in the mid 90’s there was nothing better to me.

Dr. No is where the legendary film franchise begins and where so many of the iconic tropes we’ve come to love and expect in every new Bond movie, still to this day, started. The gun barrel beginning to every movie is my all-time favorite opening to a movie. Dr. No however is the only one in the series to not go to a cold opening, instead it launches straight into the 007 theme song. Our opening scene has a calypso version of three blind mice as three assassins make their way through town to kill a British agent on a mission in Jamaica. When the agent doesn’t report in, his secretary attempts to contact MI-6 but is killed making the radio call. We are then taken to “Le Cercle Les Ambassadeurs Club” in London where we are introduced to our hero at a Baccarat Chemin de Fer table. Arguably the greatest hero introduction of all time. So calmly playing a game of chance and kicking ass at it. The lady in the red dress gets frustrated and our hero tells her “I admire your courage Ms.?” To witch she replies “Trench, Sylvia Trench. And I admire your luck Mr.?” the camera cuts to see our hero for the first time, he lights his cigarette and says “Bond, James Bond.” If you can find a better character introduction, you are wrong.

Bond gets a message and returns to the “Universal Exports” office where the MI-6 headquarters is located. This is where we are introduced to most of the main players in the series for the first time, Moneypenny, M, and Q. Although the latter is referred to as Major Boothroyd and doesn’t receive the Q moniker until Thunderball and is also the only time he is played by Peter Burton. M then gives Bond a briefing on the mission in Jamaica, replaces his Barretta, and sends him on his way.

I may smoke a lot of pot, but Dr. No is the reason I have always wanted to go to Jamaica. When Bond arrives there, he is greeted by three different people, a photographer, a driver, and a suspicious looking guy in a suit, who is none other than our final series regular C.I.A. agent Felix Leiter. He leaves the airport with the driver, whom he already knows is the enemy, so he can interrogate him. After the interrogation is un-successful Bond finally meets with his contacts and is on the mission. His investigation of what happened to Agent Strangways leads him to a boat captain who takes locals and tourists out fishing, and after a bit of a misunderstanding it is revealed that the boat captain Quarrel was helping both the C.I.A. and the British Intelligence. Bond learns what Strangways was looking for from Felix and Quarrel which leads him to Crab Key, an island owned by a Chinese-German scientist called Dr. No. All the locals know to stay away because no one ever returns from Crab Key as there are rumors of a dragon on the island. Rumors that Bond dismisses and decides he must go to there to investigate. After a few assassination attempts, he manages to convince Quarrel to take him to the island once he discovers that the rocks from the island collected by Strangways were radioactive but the geologist that had examined them lied saying they were just normal rocks.

Once they arrive at Crab Key Quarrel and Bond meet Honey Ryder, a girl who sneaks to the island to collect sea shells (presumably so she can sell them down at the sea shore…), but it does not take long until Dr. No’s henchmen become aware of the intruders. Honey Ryder’s first appearance could very well be ever more iconic than Bond’s with it being recreated twice more throughout the series. Dr No’s minions are unable to kill the intruders from their boat, so they threaten to come back with the dogs which also re ignites the fear of the dragon to which Bond assures them that it is not a real dragon. Once the dogs fail to find our group of heroes the minions are forced to bring out the “dragon” which turns out to be a tank with a flamethrower on the front. It may not be a real dragon, but it is still pretty awesome, just not so awesome for Quarrel as he is caught in the dragon’s fiery breath causing Bond and Ryder to surrender. After being brought to Dr. No’s amazing lair (seriously it is amazing!) we are treated to the original bad guy giving away his plan and the first mention of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. scene then leading us into our climax. After Bond refuses to join S.P.E.C.T.R.E. he is locked up but is able to escape rather easily as he is the greatest spy of all time. Making his way to the main control room Bond is able to sabotage Dr. No’s plan and cause a reactor meltdown destroying the island lab.

The franchise spans almost 60 years and the 25th installment coming soon, and regardless how great some of the other actors are who have taken over the mantle since, none have been better than the original, Sean Connery. Its influence on the genre is in un-calculable, it has led to multiple sequels as well as countless knockoffs and spoofs. He is a pop culture icon.

James Bond will return in “from Russia with Love”.