The best thing about this franchise is how each film is a time capsule of it’s era. Fashion, music, politics, etc.

“What’s a Geiger reading?” Boy, that makes me feel old! Any Boomer or GenXer can tell you exactly what a Geiger counter is-it measures radioactivity. It was something anyone who lived through the Cold War knows instinctively.

When Dr. No said "1 million dollars", I couldn't help but think of Dr. Evil. 🤣

19:31 Notice when he used the Geiger counter he first waved it over his wrist, that's because many watches made around that time used radium to make the watch hands/numbers glow in the dark. So he used his watch to test the Geiger before using it on the package. Neat little detail.

The sunglasses guy is Jack Lord. Best known for his long run in the TV show "Hawaii Five-0". "Book him, Dano!"

Watching the entire Bond franchise is a class in how movie making has changed over the decades.

The next film, "From Russia With Love", is my personal favourite of Connery's Bond films, but it's the one after it, "Goldfinger", where they pinned down the "Bond-Formula" that becomes the template for the franchise moving forward.

“Clean up on aisle, my panties” 🤣🤣🤣 could be the funniest thing I’ve ever heard, and that’s saying a lot with all the sayings and one liners you have been so kind to give to us. LOVE your videos ❤

20:37 "Who just walks around in heels and a robe?" The way I immediately shouted the name Blanche Devereaux at the screen had my cat jumpy as all hell! 😹

Just letting you know, Ashleigh, that the James Bond movie series doesn't really kick into high gear until Goldfinger. Dr. No was a rough first attempt during a time when the studio didn't even know if the books would translate well to film. From Russia with Love is considered far superior, but plays more like a classic spy thriller than a James Bond movie. Goldfinger is actually where the James Bond franchise really established itself.

Haha 🤣 I love the big "Don't @ me!" energy Ashleigh had when trying to explain the choice/order of Bond movies in her intro. That was the expression of someone who has stared into the face of internet fandoms and seen the terrors lurking within.

The reason the radio operator hands his report to the secretary, who brings it to the boss, who then comes to the operator is because the operator is never supposed to leave his post. Everything is live, it's not all being recorded to a computer. If an important bit of information comes across his radio while he's running across the office, then it's lost forever.

The painting is of The Duke of Wellington ( Sir Arthur Wellesley ), who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, with some help. The painting had been stolen shortly before the film was made, so it's a sort of topical joke. The painting was recovered some years later, but not from Doctor No's destroyed lair in the Bahamas.

In the days of flashbulbs, photographers would often lick the end of the flashbulb to moisten it, in order to make a better electrical connection, increasing the chance of it working.

Sean Connery had large tattoos on both forearms. One said "Scotland Forever", and the other said "Mum & Dad". They were usually covered with sleeves or makeup when he filmed.

"You've had your six" Bond then shoots the man in cold blood. That's the "License to Kill" part. It was pretty hard core for 1964 to have the hero so casually execute a man.

"All I wanted was banjos, and I should've stopped it there " - Ashleigh LMFAO 😂

in the book, honey's backstory is more tragic. it's implied that her family was killed by dr. no, when her father refused to work with him [how their home burned down]. she's raised by the former family's nanny, in a hovel till she was 15. it's here she began reading the encyclopedias, because the nanny couldn't afford to send her to school. when the nanny died, that's when she's assaulted by the nanny's landlord- violently breaking her nose [her one "flaw"] in the process. after that, she lived on the streets, where she became known for always carrying a knife and knowing how to use it. she's diving for shells, to sell them to american tourists, so she can save up and travel to nyc to have her nose fixed. once that's done, she wants become a high end call girl / escort so she can live "the good life." at the book's end, she's the one that save's bond, by navigating the boat away from no's island during its contained meltdown- because she knows the area's waters. this is all while bond's passed out, due to injuries fighting the "3blind mice." at beginning of the next book, it's reveled bond used his connections to set her up nicely in jamaica and get her a job at the jamacian natural history museum- where her father used to worked.

I think watching the entire franchise in release order is the best way. You get to see how it developed and changed over the years and it will add context and history for the later films. You also can't watch Austin Powers until seeing a lot of James Bond because Bond is the pop culture Austin Powers is spoofing, so you need to know Bond to understand the jokes.

Ashleigh was straight up dehydrated this whole film. 🤣🤣🤣

"That intro is fun" Welcome to the fandom. 90% of the love is to the intro. You're in for a real treat with the rest of the series :D

Fun fact: Sean Connery was already balding when he was cast as Bond. He is wearing a toupee in each of his films as 007. 😂

Couldn’t be happier for you undertaking this Goliath of a project, Ashleigh! And yeah, everyone knows the Bond formula but the wildly different movie-to-movie execution is one of the most fascinating things about this franchise.

THANK YOU for starting from the beginning. The franchise has its ups and downs, but it really irks me when movie channels decide to just skip movies in franchises! It's a roller-coaster, and you're supposed to enjoy the ride for what it is.

"Soften him up means 'beat him'?" Ever see a hammer for tenderizing meat?

When I first heard the iconic “Bond, James Bond” come out of his mouth, I knew right then and there that Sean Connery would forever be THE James Bond. After watching your reaction, Ashleigh, I’m still sticking to it! R.I.P. sir

Did she actually say "Is that Neopolian?" 😂 So cute.

"What the ... is a Geiger reading?" I weep for your generation. 😮‍💨

Oh, yeah! Do it Ashleigh! Watch all of them! In order. Don't get confused about Sean leaving for a movie and returning either. Follow the release order.

Felix Leiter, the CIA agent, pops up in a bunch of these movies as well. He is the American counter-part to 007. Usually by different actors until more recently.

The Mt. Rushmore of James Bond films for newbies: Goldfinger, The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldeneye, and Casino Royale!

Ursula Andress emerges from the ocean in a bikini holding seashells. Ashliegh - "I have ALWAYS wanted to BUY one of THOSE!" Me too Ashleigh. Me too. LMAO

Your rage over the camera moving away from showering Connery was glorious!

The Smirnoff brand started in 1864. It's now part of a British company.

I love how the iconic first intro of a "Bond Girl" and Ashleigh notices the conch shells, then a few moments later 007 running down the beach and she calls out his dong flapping in his shorts. I can honestly say that has never been pointed out to me before, while the other is a historic moment in time with thousands of articles about it- none talking about the economics of conch. This is why I watch 🤣

It cracks me up how in just a few minutes, Ashleigh goes from sounding like a teenager, “…life before cell phones. Craazy!” to a 90-year-old lady, “…them blue britches.”

The movie where the "James Bond Theme" was called "The Doctor No Theme" "007" is his code number. the "Double 0's" are 9 agents in MI6 who are the best they have, and have a literal "License to kill"

Desmond Llewellyn portrayed the gadget supplier, Q, through the entire franchise with the different Bonds, until The World is Not Enough in 1999.

Dr. No was actually 1962. The Second James Bond film, "From Russia with Love" was 1963.

Now that she has a taste for Sean, let's get Highlander in the rotation.

Ashleigh as Ursula emerges from the sea: I always wanted one of those! Me: Me too, Ashleigh. Me too.

In the 30s-60s the establishing shots of everything were just the way films were made. Someone drives up, it shows them exit the car, walk up the steps, and then to the door. Modern movies edit some of that out, which is why older films can seem long to some people.

“Neopolean.” I love this girl.

I could get into the attention spans of the younger genrations or that you don't know a lot of the details of history, science, or spycraft; but you are so delightful. This was the first movie of the franchise and an introduction to the characters and flavor of the stories, so it's amazing what was done on such a small budget. This created a new genre diverging away from serious, dark, plotting movies of espionage to a fun action-adventure romp with world-wide heavy consequences. The sequels with larger budgets didn't have to introduce everything and could take you on a whirlwind adventure to exoitic places. Also, you didn't make movies with non-stop action then or it gets boring and even more unbelieveable - there are already a lot of over-the-top fantastical elements to the stories. The lulls drive up the suspense and cause the action to have so much more impact. They also give the audience time to put themselves in Bond's environment. Ian Flemming wrote all the James Bond novels the movies are based on, and he led a very interesting life including as an international playboy(he came from old money); where he had a few run-ins with Nazi spies including at a fancy casino in Lisbon Portugal. Ahead of World War II, he volunteered to use his international talents (languages and playboy reputation) ; and during the war he was the director of a special division of British Inteligence(using a lot of creative thinking) where he directed operations including some extremely out-of-the-box ones. One of those was having a fake courier body wash up on a Spanish shoreline like it came from a British ship that was just sunk by a U-boat, and he was carrying papers and plans that indicated where the Allies were going to invade next - fake papers that referenced nazi operatives in England that were already found out and that British intelligence was using to feed disinformation. After the war, Ian Flemming didn't know what to do with his life until he starting writing stories; and he incorporated a lot of his experience into them. There was a great difference from his real experience of the cold, dark, unpleasant, slow-moving operations to his fictional stories that he wanted to be engaging, fun, and alluring that the flamboyant "Playboy" spy of James Bond was created. He wanted and created a fantasy character that every guy wanted to be, and every girl wanted to have. That is one of the magic things of the Bond stories and movies.

Bond notices a painting in Dr No’s lair and stares closely at it. This painting is the ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ by Francisco Goya. It had been stolen in 1961. The filmmakers included it as a little in-joke, suggesting that Dr No had stolen it.

This movie made history with the "You had your six," scene. It was the first time the hero killed an unarmed enemy. At the time, it was an obvious "This story is way darker than you are used to." It is up there with Neo dodging bullets, the first interracial kiss in Star Trek, "I don't give a damn" in Gone with the Wind... It changed cinema forever.

Fun fact prolonged exposure to cold, wet conditions supresses your immune system and does in fact make you more succeptible to getting colds among other things.

"His voice is so deep and sexy" My grandma (1907 - 2004) used to say Connery' voice would roll down your pantyhose. My (naughty) aunt (1926 - 2014) would then add: "Along with the slip and the panties"

Ashleigh, don't make a final decision until you get past "Goldfinger". That's when a lot of the tropes and stereotypes that people think of when they think of Bond started. "From Russia with Love" is a good movie but they still were trying to be a little more realistic and practical with the gear and gadgets.

Hi Ashley - there's two main ways you can get injured by radioactivity. One is if high-energy radiation passes THROUGH your body, damaging your cells. That is very hard to treat and is horribly damaging. The second way is if you are contaminated by environmental debris - for example, radioactive dust or water on your skin and clothing. These then irradiate you like the first way, only much slower. The team are just washing/scrubbing the contaminants off, which would stop any further damage.

You can usually find a conch shell on the beach just after a hurricane in Florida. The locals used to call them hurricane hams, because before refrigeration it was the only meat fit to eat when the bridges were out and the roads were damaged.

27:32 this part, I could watch just this part over and over. Love it😂🤣😂 the way you said it 😂🤣😂 great, that's why I like your reactions.

I can’t wait until she meets P.Galore

"I know Sean Connery from Indiana Jones" That hurt, Ashleigh. That hurt. 😢

As a kid growing up, Bond films widened my mind with locations all over the world. I was mesmerized by the accents (although very stereotypical) and exotic scenery.

To be honest, you’re not wrong about this one. “Dr No” is definitely not peak Bond, and probably my least favourite of the Connery films. “From Russia with Love” is my favourite, but “Goldfinger” (the third Connery film”, is widely regarded as a classic and one of the best from the entire series. The Bond films are all very much of their era.

It’s funny that you mention how slow the film was for you, but back in 1962 Dr. No was probably the first action type film that was cut (edited) in a much quicker fashion than other films of that era. This was down to British film editor Peter Hunt (who would go on to direct one of the best non Connery Bond films) who wanted the film to be fast paced, and thankfully Dr. No’s British director Terence Young was on the same wavelength as him. The 2nd film in the series, From Russia with Love, is a step up from Dr. No in terms of script, budget, gadgets etc. Bond’s adversary in this one, Donald Grant is played by Robert Shaw, who 12 years later would play the shark catcher Quint in Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.” This 2nd film starts to show a little of the ‘Bond formula,’ that movie goers would come to love, but the true formula doesn’t cement itself till the 3rd film, Goldfinger, the following year. Get to that one and I think you’ll be interested enough to watch the entire series.

The casino game Bond was playing when you see him is Baccarat. I play it myself. It's a one-on-one game where players use 2 or 3 cards to get a higher hand than the opponent. It's much more common in European casinos than American ones.

I'm gonna watch every Bond reaction video on this channel.

Hey Ashleigh! Been following you awhile and just wanted to say I appreciate that your reactions are always such a good length. Nice meaty, 35/45 minute videos.

Because of her strong accent, Ursula Andress was dubbed throughout the film by another actress, Nikki van der Zyl, for the spoken lines, and by Diana Coupland for the part where she sings.

The theme is so iconic

Fun fact for the future: this was Quarrel’s second appearance in the books. As he’s killed off in this one, the eventual first appearance adaptation (Live And Let Die, which was the second book) was rewritten as the character “Quarrel, Jr”. As for why this one first, and not the actual first book: the rights to that one were sold separately as a prospective TV series.

FYI Ashleigh, the portrait at 37:18 is the Duke of Wellington by Francisco de Goya. The painting had been stolen from the National Gallery in London by the time the movie was released in what the newspapers called the "Heist of the Century". By then, international art thieves were suspected, and it was until much later that the real thief was called, a pensioner that worked at the museum. There is a wonderful movie about this called The Duke.

That electronic device near the start was a shortwave radio transmitter. Radios were enormous before modern microelectronics.

Ashley being constantly down bad on young Connery is hilarious 😂

James bond movies gradually get better and better. Took them a minute to figure out the right formula. They DO get good.

This movie was made before viewers had the attention span of a gnat. Action cinema didn't come bursting out of the gate like Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Dr. No was the only Bond movie to now have a "Bond song" but after this one, each had a song dedicated to the movie. Shirley Bassey one of the best. You'll hear when you get to Goldfinger.

Sean Connery is my favorite James Bond. These movies are classics

Glad you are reacting to these Ashleigh! James Bond truly is one of the greatest franchises of all time! I grew up on these films and own them all. The classic spy thriller stories with MI6 and the CIA are so interesting. Bond is definitely a badass and a ladies man. He’s that guy that fits the phrase “Every woman wants him and every man wants to be him.”

I'm so glad you're starting this franchise from the beginning, not a lot of people have and I think it's best to start here to really understand the character and get used to the clichés. It does get better as it goes along

1) He was wiping her lipstick off of his lips with her towel, 2) When he paused to look at that painting it is because in real life, that very famous painting had been stolen from a museum, so they put a copy on the set and wrote it into the script to show Dr. No’s criminal activities, 3) the next two Bond movies are way better. Watch “Goldfinger” next and you will be hooked.

Bauxite is the ore that we get Aluminum from.

I could do that dance... Not like that guy.. I can't go as hard as that guy.... So so funny. You're so much fun to watch.

This actually my first ever viewing of Dr. No. I've see most JB except the most recent. You deserve a ton of subscribers just for the "Cleanup in aisle Ashleigh" line!

“How did you know what to do?” Giant sign saying Danger level.

When Sean Connery was in the navy he got two tattoos on his right forearm:'"Royale Navy" and "Scotland Forever."

This is brilliant that you're going to watch them all. Fantastic idea!

john connery about women "Every once in a while you give them a little slap" xD its such a different time xD

37:17 that painting is a inside joke. It is a famous Goya painting that was stolen in 1961, the joke is that Dr. No stole it (it was recovered IRL a few years later). Also, don't sweat whether you like it or not. Even fans of the franchise will agree that they're not all gems. It's more about being iconic than about being good films. The nice thing is that the order you watch doesn't really matter that much. If you do get to the point where you're about to give up, watch the 2006 Casino Royale. It's more modern filmmaking and you'll get some eye candy with it too.

The moment from 20:36 "Who just walks around in heels and a robe? Not me, can't be me!". Let us dream Ashleigh, lol

Keep going. The next two will be getting progressively better.

Dr. No is more of a traditional espionage movie, which is why it's slow. The later films really establish the Bond movie, which are usually more fun to watch.

Dr. No is definitely the slowest paced.

The woman licked the flashbulb to make sure it made contact to fire. Hadn't thought of that in forever

I'm not surprised by your reaction Ashleigh. A few years ago I showed all the Bond films to my housemate who had never seen any, and he was struggling to get past some of the most outdated aspects of the early ones, especially in terms of pacing and action choreography. That being said, the saga grew on him very quickly and he enjoyed them more and more as we got closer to the modern era. I suspect you'll have a similar experience so don't give up! :)

I'd agree with others here: "Dr. No" is slow-paced and rough hewn, "From Russia with love" is better paced but still hasn't the "Bond formula" down. But if you can sit through them you reach "Goldfinger" which is... awesome. It's weird stuff, megalomaniac plans, a hyper stylish Connery (the glen-check three piece suit alone!) and it's way faster paced - keep going till "Goldfinger"! Best regards Raoul G. Kunz

"... running your mouth without really assessing the situation.." Yeah. That's partly how Bond is. He's supremely confident. He's also good enough to back up that kind of ego. It's also partly his way of trying to disrupt /expose the bad guys.

Remember when Jethro thought he was a "Double Naught Spy"? Granny was not happy with the modifications to the truck.

You are probably right that Napoleon changed his name after the Ziggy Piggy Adventure with Bill and Ted...to commemorate an ice cream flavor.

Its so unbelievable funny to watch movies with you! thank you! 😃

I never realized just how much I needed Ashleigh's commentary on the James Bond films but now I'm totally living for this the next 25 or so weeks. (From Russia with Love is *much* better.)

"Who just walks around in heels and a robe?" I do if I'm expecting my husband. Preferably his robe and my heels are black.

I’m so happy your watching the series, they are my favorite. From Russia with love and gold finger are some of the finest movies ever made I think

One of the most iconic scenes in movie history and your take-away is the conch shell. 😂

I hope you keep this up. From Russia With Love and Thunderball are two of my all-time favorite "mindless" films!

James Bond is an agent with M.I.-6 which is the British Secret Service OO7 is his designation, he has been given a license to kill enemies if necessary, and he is based on a series of books and stories by Ian Fleming

LOL you're so funny! I love this channel haha

Not so much this first film but over time getting the job of singing the Opening song became a big deal. Many of the songs became top of the music charts. The James Bond theme is almost as famous as the theme for Star Wars, Jaws & Indiana Jones. President John Kennedy once said how much he really enjoyed the Ian Fleming novels on which the movie series is based.