Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Dr. No’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Something I have always wanted to be a part of when it comes to television and film, is the chance to bear witness to the creation of an absolute icon. Sure, I've managed to live through and enjoy epic sequels and this comic book renaissance, but I've never truly seen an iconic character or franchise come to life. 

After all, shows like Star Trek and Doctor Who hit the airwaves well before my time, but I suppose the plus side of living in this digital era is that while I may or may not see the creation of an icon, I can go back and visit the particular film or moment when one was created, such as say… when the character of James Bond was introduced to and enchanted audiences around the world. Because he is a fictional man that captivated us like no other with his actions and his cunning mind and I am no exception to that rule because I absolutely adore his movies.
 
Call it what you will, guilty pleasure or the like, but this is a franchise that is different and unique and as the 25th Bond film, No Time to Die, approaches its release date, we here at Nerds That Geek thought it was high time to celebrate the film career of the most famous spy on the silver screen, starting with a look back at where it all began... Dr. No. Now this is a Bond picture that we won't spend much time on plot wise because if you're reading this, you obviously have an interest in Bond and you've no doubt seen this one by now. No instead, I thought it would be worthwhile to talk about the sheer magic of the film because after viewing it again after all these years, I caught quite a few things that speak to how wonderful and important this film turned out to be. 

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In fact, it's funny looking at the film now when it comes to how well it set everything up for the future. I'm sure at the time no one was certain they had a hit on their hands or even 24 sequels for that matter, but all the fundamentals are here and that's a big deal. This is of course the first appearance of the villainous organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E., a group that would terrorize our beloved spy for years to come and what made their first appearance so special was the fact that Dr. No was a cold, calculating, intelligent monster and his grand scheme raised the stakes significantly. There was a legitimate threat in this film, one that left you curious as to how our intrepid spy would escape because at the time, there was no formula, there were few gadgets in this one, simply Bond's skill and cunning intellect and watching him figure out how to save the day was absolutely thrilling. 

Speaking of Bond, we do need to spend a few minutes spotlighting this iconic character and the man who played him, Sir Sean Connery. That matters for one particular reason... the future of the franchise depended on his performance. If Connery played Bond wrong, we would not be sitting here discussing this film but thankfully that's not the case because wow... he brought Bond to life. Granted Sean plays him vastly different than how Bond appears in the novel but who cares? James Bond in this film is suave, debonair, cunning and ruthless and all around one bad ass spy. You want to see him save the day and vanquish the bad guy because he's just that cool. 

In the end however, this is truly a timeless classic through and through. Yes, the clothes from the era may be horrendously outdated, but one can easily overlook that. After all this is a simple spy adventure that just happened to turn into one of biggest franchises of all time, and the story and acting trumps that sixties feel every single time. If you haven't seen this one yet, be ready for a slight surprise when it comes to the opening credits since it's not what you might expect from a Bond flick, but once you get past that... it is a wonderful and marvelous film that kicked off one incredible journey after another.

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