Terence Young

Director of early Bond films.

Dr. No (1962) -- This movie would have been fantastic and brand new in 1962. Today it's been spoiled by James Bond parodies, decades of Bond sequels, and of course all the movies that came after that were influenced by this one. As with anything groundbreaking and influential, eventually it seems (unfairly) cliché. Still, it somewhat holds up. Sean Connery is a good James Bond and manages to be about the sleaziest thing ever on a movie screen while still being charming and even believable. Ursula Andress is so-so as the Bond girl and Joseph Wiseman is pretty good (if not on screen enough) as Dr. No. The trailers to the movie had just the right tongue-in-cheek tone -- with Bond narrating some of the jokes, etc. -- and that's missing in the actual movie, which is probably why the parodies (and later movies) are better than this one. Eventually someone got it. (Terrence Young also directs the sequel, From Russia With Love.)