Never Say Never Again is a remake of Bond adventure Thunderball, but improved on its predecessor in several ways. Thunderball is the fourth James Bond adventure and was a sensation back in 1965. Adjusted for inflation, it's still one of the most successful entries in the franchise period, but it led to decades of problems for producers EON too. The Ian Fleming novel Thunderball started life as a screenplay, which he co-wrote with Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham. Fleming later grew bored of the process but decided to recycle the story for a novel - where he failed to credit his co-writers.

They sued Fleming after Thunderball was published, and as part of a settlement, McClory was awarded the film rights to the book. A deal was later made for him to produce EON's Thunderball, with an option to remake it a decade after the film's release. The producers assumed the James Bond movie series would be finished by that point, but it was still going strong and after a decade McClory hired Sean Connery to co-write Warhead, his first attempt to remake Thunderball. When legal issues nixed that version for straying too far from the source, Connery later agreed to reprise 007 for Never Say Never Again, a more straight-ahead remake.

Related: James Bond's Most Successful Movie Damaged The Franchise For 50 Years

Never Say Never Again Has Better Casting & Pacing Than Thunderball

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr No and Never Say Never Again

Never Say Never Again had to stick close to Thunderball's narrative for legal reasons. Thunderball featured some mind-blowing underwater sequences back in 1965, but in truth, the film hasn't aged that well. The pacing can be incredibly slack, and it takes far too long for the main plot to kick into gear. Even the underwater sequences run too long, and the scene where Bond essentially blackmails a nurse into sleeping with him makes for uncomfortable viewing nowadays. While Never Say Never Again has arguably less action than Thunderball, it still does a better job of pacing the story.

The unofficial Bond Never Say Never Again rarely drags the way Thunderball does, and while it's dated in certain regards too - especially in music and fashion - it zips along at a nice clip. Part of Connery's deal for returning was approval in Never Say Never Again's casting, and Klaus Maria Brandauer's Largo and Barbara Carrera's Fatima Blush are the standouts. The former gives far more texture and nuance to Largo as a character and is one of the most underrated Bond villains. Carrera's performance as the vengeful henchwoman is the most purely enjoyable of the movie too and stays just the right side of camp.

Never Say Never Again Has A Better Sean Connery Bond Performance

Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again

Never Say Never Again marked the seventh and final time Connery played Bond in a movie. It's a marked improvement from his previous turn in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, where he looked visibly bored with the character and franchise. Unlike Roger Moore's James Bond movie run, Never Say Never Again wisely acknowledges 007 is older, and makes that a part of the story. The Craig era would play with themes such as the need for secret agents in the modern world and his age - but Never Say Never Again explored both first.

More than anything, Connery seems to be enjoying Bond again and such a long gap between appearances allowed him to bring new layers to the part. This 007 is a little gentler than Connery's other turns in the role, but that doesn't mean he can't hold his own in a fight. Thunderball saw the spy become something of a cartoon character, and Connery himself would lament the way the series started to focus on action and gadgets over character and story. Never Say Never Again let Connery's 007 become a little more human, and he even got to retire in peace at the end.

Why Never Say Never Again Remade Thunderball

James Bond and a woman in Never Say Never Again

As mentioned above, the deal EON made with Thunderball became a major headache in later years. Because SPECTRE and Blofeld made their debut in the Thunderball novel, McClory was later granted the rights to use both, meaning they vanished from the EON series until 2015's Spectre. Naturally, EON was unhappy with plans for a Thunderball remake, leading to years of McClory and the producers ending up in legal tangles. Warhead tried to use Thunderball as a jumping-off point but added more elements such as Blofeld planning to blow up New York using robotic sharks armed with nukes.

However, EON insisted such a plotline went far outside the bounds of Thunderball's story, which is what McClory was permitted to adapt. Never Say Never Again is thus relatively faithful to the 1965 movie, though it colors outside the lines in terms of how events play out. Never Say Never Again is itself a flawed spy thriller that can be too goofy for its own good, and it lacks a real standout setpiece. That said, it's a marked improvement on Thunderball and a fitting farewell to Sean Connery's James Bond.