‘Never Say Never Again’ Review (Blu-Ray)

Sean Connery returns to Blu-Ray in his final James Bond movie. The story behind the making of “Never Say Never Again” is a story of Producer Jack Schwartzman one-man war to make a Bond feature without the backing of the studios. To accomplish this feat, he went back to basics by bringing the original Bond, Sean Connery, out of MI6 retirement. In a fight for Bond dominance, the major studios were actually releasing another James Bond movie at the same time.

“Never Say Never Again” starts off oddly in an art imitates life fashion. Sean Connery had given up making Bond movies in order to shake the Bond label as an actor and move on to other roles. “Never Say Never Again” features an older Bond in semi-retirement. British Intelligence has moved on from using the Double 0’s, but a spry new M would like to keep Bond in shape. It’s not long before Bond once again beds the girl and becomes fully entrenched in another plot to take over the world.

In this “Thunderball” remake, Bond must save the world from Armageddon when two atomic warheads are hijacked by the evil Spectre organization. The film features the subtle Bond humor that’s missing from the more recent Bond release “Quantum of Solace.”

Oddly, “Never Say Never Again” starts off with a love song that seems to sap the energy from the opening action sequence. Throughout the film, there are several highs and lows to the story. At times, you will be entertained. While, at other times, you’ll wonder why the heck you’re watching this. The answer to that question is of course Sean Connery. Where the plot fails and the subtle British humor runs thin, Sean Connery is there to immediately capture your attention. Unfortunately, “Never Say Never Again” is then capped off with an underwater climax that once again robs the adrenaline from the feature. Fortunately, with this Blu-Ray release, you’ll be able to learn the truths behind all the bad decision making in “Never Say Never Again” with “The Big Gamble” Featurette.

“Never Say Never Again” may not be Sean Connery’s best James Bond film, but it still is a Bond film worthy of being added to any collector’s library – in only to see Sean Connery in his final Bond film.

Special Features:
- Commentary with Director Irvin Kershner and James Bond Historian Steven Jay Rubin
- Theatrical Trailer
- Photo Gallery

Three never before seen Bond Featurettes:
- “The Big Gamble” Featurette – See the story of how Jack Schwartzman went back to the Bond roots to recreate Thunderball with Sean Connery’s input. It’s an interesting tale of how Schwartzman created an independent Bond feature, while battling his way through endless litigation and way too many cooks in the kitchen. Learn how Sean Connery’s wife helped come up with the title Never Say Never.
- “Sean is Back” Featurette
- “The Girls of Never Say Never Again” Featurette – Discover why Director Irvin Kershner threw Kim Basinger’s husband off set.