11 Things You Learn Rewatching Dr. No

Bond's debut is a dated but highly entertaining classic.

By Jack Pooley /

United Artists

The James Bond franchise is one of the most lucrative media empires of all time, and with damn good reason. Six decades after the movie series first kicked off, James Bond remains just as popular as ever, with a renewed box office appeal in the wake of the Daniel Craig-starring reboot, and especially the release of 2012's billion-dollar hit Skyfall.

Advertisement

With Craig signed on for at least one more film, the wonderfully titled No Time To Die, we're going to rewatch the Bond franchise in order from the very beginning. That starts now with 1962's spy classic, Dr. No, directed by three-time Bond helmer Terence Young.

Adapted from Ian Fleming's 1958 novel of the same name, Dr. No brought Bond well and truly into the mainstream, grossing an insane $59.5 million against a mere $1 million budget and kick-starting a near-six-decade run of hit spy thriller movies.

Advertisement

Though almost universally deemed a high-point of the Bond canon, revisiting Dr. No with a contemporary pair of eyes does highlight not only its strengths but also elements that haven't aged quite so gracefully. It's to be expected, of course, but viewing the movie under a modern lens is a distinctly different experience.

If you've not seen the film in many years or even decades, now would certainly be an interesting time to give it another whirl...

Advertisement