Dr. No | 100 Movies Bucket List

 

I've heard of all the James Bond movies, but the only one I've seen is the one that was on the bucket list last year - Casino Royale. And while I enjoyed that, it didn't make me want to watch any other movies in the franchise.

So I can't say I was particularly excited to see this on the list. 

However, as this one is the first, of course it's on a list of classic movies. 

The score is iconic. I'm sure many of the movies use the same theme song moving forward, but it's great to experience it for the first time here because of how iconic it has become. Even if you know nothing of Bond, when you hear the score you immediately know what franchise it comes from. 

It's interesting to see the way everything began. It's clear that things are being tried out and experimented with. 

I can't say that the story itself grabbed me. It had engaging moments, but the overall plot wasn't one I was particularly interested in. 

I also wasn't particularly interested in the characters, including Bond. With the supporting characters, they felt like they were only created to move the story forward, and not to feel like real people in this world that we need to care about. 

With Bond, I think because he represents so much, and created a franchise that's focused around the character, he feels more like an abstract idea than a real person. So while watching this, it felt like I was watching James Bond the idea, rather than James Bond the man. 

That being said, the film opened a lot of doors for what the spy genre can do, and how unique these films can be. Of course this isn't the first spy film ever made, but it's definitely been used as a blueprint. 

But while I appreciate that this was the first movie, as someone who's not really a fan of the character anyway, I didn't love the film. 

There were some great things about it, mostly tied to it being the first. But viewing it as a standalone movie, it wasn't for me.