Dr. No (1962)
87%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 4 nominations
Featuring plenty of the humor, action, and escapist thrills the series would become known for, Dr. No kicks off the Bond franchise in style
Dr. No is the OG Bond movie that started it all, and boy, does it show. While it may seem a bit quaint compared to the later films, it’s still a fun ride full of action, espionage, and Sean Connery’s suave charm. Plus, who doesn’t love a good villain with a secret island lair? It’s the perfect movie to kick back with a martini (shaken, not stirred) and enjoy some classic spy movie goodness.
Production Company(ies)
Element Pictures, Film 4 Film Nation Entertainment,
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Dunn’s River Falls, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1962
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.66 : 1
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Runtime:1h 50m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 8, 1963 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 4, 2007
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Zena Marshall, Eunice Gayson, directed by Terence Young, written by Ian Fleming, Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, produced by Albert R Broccoli, Harry Saltzman, action, adventure, PG, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Bosley Crowther, Nell Minow, Nick Cramp, Kim Newman, Sean T, Kal X A, Mr N, Jeff B, James Bond 007
Worldwide gross: $16,079,357
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $178,810,610
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 761
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 19,499,521
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $1,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $11,120,507
Production budget ranking: 1,623
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,988,393
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $161,701,709
ROI to date (est.): 945%
ROI ranking: 135
Ursula Andress – Honey Ryder
Joseph Wiseman – Dr. No
Jack Lord – Felix Leiter
Zena Marshall – Miss Taro
Eunice Gayson – Sylvia Trench
Terence Young – Director
Albert R. Broccoli – Producer
Harry Saltzman – Producer
Ian Fleming – Writer
Richard Maibaum – Writer
Johanna Harwood – Writer
Director(s)
Terence Young
Writer(s)
Ian Fleming, Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood
Producer(s)
Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (60) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (3)
All of the elements of the formula are there, but in pleasing moderation.
October 13, 2008
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
An entertaining piece of tongue-in-cheek action hokum.
March 1, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Of course, it’s nonsense — pure, escapist bunk, with Bond, an elegant fellow, played by Sean Connery, doing everything (and everybody) that an idle day-dreamer might like to do.
May 9, 2005
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
October 9, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
It is a fine start to a series which has provided the moviegoing public with some cinematic gems.
June 19, 2001 | Rating: 3/5
Nick Cramp
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
With a debut like this, it’s no wonder that it spawned one of the biggest franchises ever.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The first movie to feature Ian Fleming’s iconic secret agent seems almost quaint when compared to the pictures that followed, but that’s hardly meant as a knock.
September 25, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
It’s like a prototype requiring polishing; and more than twenty subsequent films would keep reshaping and perfecting that template.
August 24, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
This is the birth of Bond and the beginning of something special.
July 16, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Kelechi Ehenulo
Confessions From A Geek Mind
Stylish, armed with handsome production values, and sporting a confident lead actor, Dr. No is a strong entry point, elemental in kickstarting the global phenomenon we know and love.
March 27, 2020
Jake Tropila
Film Inquiry
This is the first of lan Fleming’s droll, nasty and absorbing spy thrillers to reach the screen. It augurs well for the future of the series.
October 7, 2019
Clyde Gilmour
Maclean’s Magazine
The first half hour I took to be a fairly good spoof on sex-espionage films in general… Then James Bond lands on Dr. No’s atomic island and science fiction takes over with lethal results in every sense of the word.
August 12, 2019
Dwight MacDonald
Esquire Magazine…
Plot
James Bond 007 is Britain’s top agent, and is on an exciting mission, to solve the mysterious murder of a fellow agent. The task sends him to Jamaica, where he joins forces with Quarrel and a loyal C.I.A. Agent, Felix Leiter. While dodging tarantulas, “fire breathing dragons”, and a trio of assassins, known as “the three blind mice”. Bond meets up with the beautiful Honey Ryder and goes face to face with the evil Dr. No.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Fresh Kernels database doesn’t say anything goofy or funny about the film, but it does mention that Ursula Andress makes a memorable entrance in a bikini.
Terence-Young.jpg
