Bond-a-thon: Dr. No

It's a bit staggering to think that the James Bond series is still going strong today, with several cast changes and ever adapting to the current political climate, I can't really think of another film series that has persevered quite like it. Sure there have been others that have petered out over time, but I can't think of another one that is still going strong 53 years later. Looking back on the first film, Dr. No, I'm not sure the people making it had any idea either. Still, it's fun to look back at the older films in the series and see where it all started. 

James Bond (played by Sean Connery) is sent to Jamaica to try and track down another missing agent, who was working with the CIA to try and determine the source of radio jamming aimed at disrupting space shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral. Teaming up with local CIA agent Felix Leiter (played by Jack Lord), he begins to investigate what happened to the missing agent. Their investigation leads Bond to a local island, Crab Key, and it's mysterious occupant, Dr. No (played by Joseph Wiseman). While checking out the island, he also encounters local shell diver Honey Ryder (played by Ursula Andress) who finds herself caught up in Bond's adventure. 

So much of what would become staples of the series begins here, with the iconic opening barrel shot, the legendary Bond theme to the meglomanical villains bent on world domination. But at the same time, this entry is a great deal more reserved than what would come after. Bond doesn't really have any of the gadgets he's known for, operating more on his wits and practical spy tricks. In addition to being a spy thriller, it also functions quite well as a traditional detective story with Bond tracking down each clue to figure out what happened to the missing agent. It doesn't really have the huge action sequences the series would come to be known for. This may be in part because this first film didn't have the big budget the later installments had. Still, there was plenty of room to grow and this film laid the groundwork for everything that was to come.

This also marks the first outing for Sean Connery as Bond and needless to say it was a star-making turn for him. It's interesting to look at his first performance as the character he would be most identified with and while not all the trademarks are there yet, he still is very much the quintessential Bond from the word go and the one all others would be based on. Ursula Andress similarly is the first of many, many Bond girls and looking back on it she set the standard as well. But also, over time the Bond girls have grown from being damsels in distress to equal partners as the series went on and matured. 

Still, Dr. No is a strong start for the James Bond series. It is the basis of everything that has come since. Sure, some of the subsequent films have certainly been better than this one, but as it is the first, it has an important place in the ongoing adventures of James Bond.