Blu-Ray Review:

James Bond:

Dr No

By Jason Gillard

*Screenshots are not from the Blu-Ray source.

Movie

Dr. No was the movie that started it all for the James Bond character, it is also the film that started Sean Connery's career.  This movie is filled with interesting characters, beautiful locals, and cheesy effects!  I happen to like the cheesy effects and I think it adds to the film's charm.  For those of you who don't know the plot, here is a little plot synopsis.  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 CIA 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.  This film came out in 1962 and it shows.  It's nothing like the action films of today, and one has to chuckle just a little bit when you see scenes of him driving or some really over choreographed fight scenes.  I started watching James Bond in the Pierce Brosnan era, and never really watched any of the old films.  But after reviewing the ultimate edition sets I grew fond of the old films as well.  Now that they're coming out on Blu-ray it's really exciting to see these films again, looking as good as when they were first released into cinemas.  Dr. No is a great ride and one that you should not miss.

8 out of 10

Video

Dr. No has been given a 1080p transfer and it certainly shows.  It also should be noted that the film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:66:1 and that the black bars on the side of the picture are supposed to be there.  For a movie that came out in 1962 the transfer here is quite stunning.  Lowry Digital restored this movie and it's pretty much free of any dirt, clean and pristine.  Black levels in the film are equally good and the detail really surprised me as you can see grains of sand on various beach shots.  This is also a colourful film and scenes in Jamaica jump off the screen.  Overall I can't imagine this movie looking any better.  I would even go so far as to say it probably looks better than when it was originally shown in theaters.  Bond fans can rejoice!

9 out of 10

Audio

Like the video transfer the audio has been given a significant upgrade.  Presented in 5.1 DTS Master Audio, the soundtrack is quite good, but it really shows the limits of 60's sound recording.  Most of the dialogue has the tinny sound to it.  The score though comes across nice and rich, but anything recorded on location leaves a lot to be desired.  I was surprised by how many directional effects were used. The people who made this track have done a wonderful job with what they had to work with.  Like the video I can't imagine it sounding any better.

8.5 out of 10

Extras

Here is what's included in the way of extras:

-"The Complete Special Features Library: Mission Dossier" - Audio Commentary -Featuring Director Terence Young and Members of the Cast and Crew
-"Top Level Access 007: License to Restore" – Featurette Detailing the Bond Ultimate Edition Film Restoration Process
-"Declassified: M16 Vault" - The Guns of James Bond -Premiere Bond
-"007 Mission Control" Interactive Guide Into the World of Dr. No
-Inside Dr. No
-Terence Young: Bond Vivant
-Dr. No 1963 Featurette
-"Ministry of Propaganda" - Original Trailers, TV Spots, Photo Gallery and Radio Communications

These are the same extras from the ultimate edition sets.  It's too bad there isn't any new specific blu-ray material.  But at least they have ported everything over.  These are presented in SD so I think they dropped the ball there and should have converted these to HD. My favorite extra of the whole set had to be "License to Restore" which details the restoration process.  It's fascinating what went into the restoration of these films.  I also liked the "Guns of James Bond" feature, it was a lot of fun.

7 out of 10

Overall

If you're a fan of this movie or James Bond in general, you should pick up this disc.  The great transfer and sound along with some good extras make it easy to recommend.

8 out of 10

Dr No is available now from Amazon.com