Bond raises the stakes Bondiana flourished. This is felt from film to film. The stakes are rising, and so is interest in the franchise. Agent 007 continues his ascent to Olympus. And here is a new picture about the adventures of James Bond called "Thunderball". In general, there are many problems associated with this picture. Initially, it was this film that was supposed to be shot first, but litigation between the creators forced the film adaptation of Ian Fleming's eighth novel about the adventures of a British spy to be postponed. At the same time, they decided to shoot "Doctor No". However, a common language was found between the producers, and the picture was given the green light. Bond has already started saving the world for the fourth time. It is difficult to see anything fundamentally new in the picture. This is a film with an already established concept, a set of action, beautiful places (now in the Bahamas), good humor and, of course, an interesting plot, without which no picture about an English scout can do. The budget of the picture has grown noticeably. More money was allocated for the production than for all the previous Bond films combined. And this is felt by the action that meets the audience on the screen. The Academy Award for the best visual effects confirms how responsibly the authors of the picture approached the creation of the visual. It should also be noted here that director Terence Young, who presented the first two Bond films to the world, has returned to work. The film seemed to have returned to its origins, because the previous picture was shot by another director, which was felt in the narrative and dynamics of the film. No. "Goldfinger" is not a bad work. This is a solid, strong action movie, but Young's hand is easily recognized in the first two films and in Ball Lightning. Agent 007 is once again facing a dangerous spectrum. The criminal organization is now preparing an atomic apocalypse, blackmailing the world powers by stealing nuclear bombs from them. The audience is confronted by a powerful villain number two, who acts famously and opposes the English agent in every possible way, played by Sean Connery. The Scotsman's bond, by the way, is still as dangerous and at the same time trustworthy. He acts clearly, always solves issues correctly, and is ready to fight for the safety of the planet until the very end. As always, developers from the Q department help him, who will again surprise the viewer with novelties from the inventors' arsenal. I liked the fighting scenes. There are quite a lot of them here, and sometimes they may even seem too long, but it's not even bad. It is interesting to watch how Bond fights criminals, does it deftly and skillfully, leaving no chance to his opponents. "Thunderball" looks like a fairly large-scale and robust project, sending Agent 007 and the audience on another adventure. The film turned out to be cool and memorable, as if taking the franchise to a new level of storytelling. This is a great blockbuster, which still looks dynamic and interesting today. Connery, as always, is good, and his adventures are fun. 8 out of 10