Editing Never Say Never Again (section)

==Release and reception==
''Never Say Never Again'' opened on 7 October 1983 in 1,550 theatres, grossing an October record $10,958,157 over the four-day [[Columbus Day]] weekend,<ref name="BOM"/> which was reported to be "the best opening record of any James Bond film" up to that point,<ref name="Hanauer (1983)">{{cite news|last=Hanauer|first=Joan|title=Connery Champ|agency=[[United Press International]]|date=18 October 1983}}</ref> surpassing ''[[Octopussy]]''{{'}}s $8.9 million from June that year. The film had its UK premiere at the [[Vue West End|Warner West End]] cinema in London on 14 December 1983 with [[Prince Andrew]] in attendance before opening to the public in London the following day and across the UK on 16 December.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}}<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Evening Standard]]|date=9 December 1983|title=It's Coming! (advertisement)|page=8}}</ref> It grossed $157,750 in its first 8 days in London from 8 screens in the West End, placing it at number one at the London box office.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=29 December 1983|page=3|title='Never Say' Terrific 157G In West End}}</ref> Worldwide, ''Never Say Never Again'' grossed $160 million,<ref name="Numbers.com">{{cite web|title=Never Say Never Again|url=https://the-numbers.com/movies/1983/0NSNA.php|publisher=Nash Information Services, LLC|access-date=1 September 2011|archive-date=11 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811050639/http://the-numbers.com/movies/1983/0NSNA.php|url-status=live}}</ref> which was a solid return on the budget of $36 million.<ref name="Numbers.com"/> The film ultimately earned less than ''Octopussy'', which grossed $187.5&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Octopussy|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Octopussy#tab=summary|work=The Numbers|publisher=Nash Information Services, LLC.|access-date=8 August 2011|archive-date=7 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307094429/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Octopussy#tab=summary|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=jamesbond.htm|title=James Bond Movies at the Box Office|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=8 August 2011|archive-date=12 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512231036/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=jamesbond.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> It was the first James Bond film to be officially released in the [[Soviet Union]], premiering in the summer of 1990 with a gala in [[Moscow]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Never Say Never Again|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58025-NEVER-SAYNEVERAGAIN?sid=9edf9eb3-75e4-4c5c-846f-46215eee7149&sr=16.189444&cp=1&pos=0|access-date=2021-06-09|website=catalog.afi.com|archive-date=9 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609204444/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58025-NEVER-SAYNEVERAGAIN?sid=9edf9eb3-75e4-4c5c-846f-46215eee7149&sr=16.189444&cp=1&pos=0|url-status=live}}</ref>

Warner Bros. released ''Never Say Never Again'' on [[VHS]] and [[Betamax]] in 1984,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Videocassette Top 40|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j5I4br0t7cwC&pg=PT35|page=35|date=21 July 1984|publisher=[[Nielsen Holdings|Nielsen Business Media, Inc.]]}}</ref> and on [[laserdisc]] in 1995.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Home Video: Laser Scans|last=McGowan|first=Chris|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZA0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA96|page=96|date=19 November 1996}}</ref> After Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer purchased the distribution rights in 1997 (see [[#Legacy|Legacy]], below), the company has released the film on both VHS and [[DVD]] in 2001,<ref>{{cite journal |date=April 2001 |title=Casino Royal {{sic}} and Never Say Never Again |journal=[[Film Review (magazine)|Film Review]] |issue=127}}</ref> and on [[Blu-ray]] in 2009.<ref name=blu/>

===Contemporary reviews===
''Never Say Never Again'' was broadly welcomed and praised by the critics: [[Ian Christie (film scholar)|Ian Christie]], writing in the ''[[Daily Express]]'', said that ''Never Say Never Again'' was "one of the better Bonds",<ref name="Christie (1988)">{{cite news|last=Christie|first=Ian|title=A Hero's Return|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=18 December 1988|page=20}}</ref> finding the film "superbly witty and entertaining,&nbsp;... the dialogue is crisp and the fight scenes imaginative".<ref name="Christie (1988)"/> Christie also thought that "Connery has lost none of his charm and, if anything, is more appealing than ever as the stylish resolute hero".<ref name="Christie (1988)"/> [[David Robinson (film critic)|David Robinson]], writing in ''[[The Times]]'' also concentrated on Connery, saying that: "Connery&nbsp;... is back, looking hardly a day older or thicker, and still outclassing every other exponent of the role, in the goodnatured throwaway with which he parries all the sex and violence on the way".<ref name="Robinson (1983)">{{cite news|last=Robinson|first=David|title=Never Say Never Again (PG)|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=16 December 1983|page=10}}</ref> For Robinson, the presence of Connery and Klaus Maria Brandauer as Maximillian Largo "very nearly make it all worthwhile."<ref name="Robinson (1983)"/> The reviewer for ''[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]'' summed up ''Never Say Never Again'' by saying: "The action's good, the photography excellent, the sets decent; but the real clincher is the fact that Bond is once more played by a man with the right stuff."<ref>{{cite news|title=Never Say Never Again (1983)|url=https://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/63241/never-say-never-again.html|access-date=30 August 2011|newspaper=[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]|archive-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910043050/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/63241/never-say-never-again.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Derek Malcolm]] in ''[[The Guardian]]'' showed himself to be a fan of Connery's Bond, saying the film contains "the best Bond in the business",<ref name="Malcolm (1983)">{{cite news|last=Malcolm|first=Derek|title=True to his Bond|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=15 December 1983|page=16}}</ref> but nevertheless did not find ''Never Say Never Again'' any more enjoyable than the recently released ''Octopussy'' (starring Roger Moore), or "that either of them came very near to matching ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'' or ''[[From Russia with Love (film)|From Russia with Love]]''".<ref name="Malcolm (1983)"/> Malcolm's main issue with the film was that he had a "feeling that a constant struggle was going on between a desire to make a huge box-office success and the effort to make character as important as stunts".<ref name="Malcolm (1983)"/> Malcolm summed up that "the mix remains obstinately the same – up to scratch but not surpassing it".<ref name="Malcolm (1983)"/> Writing in ''[[The Observer]]'', [[Philip French]] noted that "this curiously muted film ends up making no contribution of its own and inviting damaging comparisons with the original, hyper-confident ''Thunderball''".<ref name="French (1983)">{{cite news|last=French|first=Philip|title=Thunderball recycled|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|date=18 December 1983|author-link1=Philip French|page=31}}</ref> French concluded that "like an hour-glass full of damp sand, the picture moves with increasing slowness as it approaches a confused climax in the Persian Gulf".<ref name="French (1983)"/>

Writing for ''[[Newsweek]]'', critic [[Jack Kroll]] thought the early part of the film was handled "with wit and style",<ref name="Kroll (1983)">{{cite news|last=Kroll|first=Jack|title=Back in the Bond Business|newspaper=[[Newsweek]]|date=10 October 1983|page=93}}</ref> although he went on to say that the director was "hamstrung by Lorenzo Semple's script".<ref name="Kroll (1983)"/> [[Richard Schickel]], writing in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', praised the film and its cast. He wrote that Klaus Maria Brandauer's character was "played with silky, neurotic charm",<ref name=" Schickel (1983)">{{cite magazine|last=Schickel|first=Richard|title=Cinema: Raking Up the Autumn Leavings|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952223,00.html#ixzz1Vl0PhpEl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222000852/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952223,00.html#ixzz1Vl0PhpEl|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 December 2008|access-date=31 August 2011|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=17 October 1983}}</ref> while Barbara Carrera, playing Fatima Blush, "deftly parodies all the fatal femmes who have slithered through Bond's career".<ref name=" Schickel (1983)"/> Schickel's highest praise was saved for the return of Connery, observing "it is good to see Connery's grave stylishness in this role again. It makes Bond's cynicism and opportunism seem the product of genuine worldliness (and world weariness) as opposed to Roger Moore's mere twirpishness."<ref name=" Schickel (1983)"/>

[[Janet Maslin]], writing in ''[[The New York Times]]'', was broadly praising of the film, saying she thought that ''Never Say Never Again'' "has noticeably more humor and character than the Bond films usually provide. It has a marvelous villain in Largo."<ref name="Maslin (1983)">{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=Sean Connery is Seasoned James Bond|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=7 October 1983|page=13}}</ref> Maslin also thought highly of Connery in the role, observing that "in ''Never Say Never Again'', the formula is broadened to accommodate an older, seasoned man of much greater stature, and Mr. Connery expertly fills the bill."<ref name="Maslin (1983)"/> Writing in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Gary Arnold was fulsome in his praise, saying that ''Never Say Never Again'' is "one of the best James Bond adventure thrillers ever made",<ref name="Arnold (1983)">{{cite news|last=Arnold|first=Gary|title='Never': Better Than Ever; Sean Connery Rides Again in the Best of Bonds|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=6 October 1983|page=E1}}</ref> going on to say that "this picture is likely to remain a cherished, savory example of commercial filmmaking at its most astute and accomplished."<ref name="Arnold (1983)"/> Arnold went further, saying that "''Never Say Never Again'' is the best acted Bond picture ever made, because it clearly surpasses any predecessors in the area of inventive and clever character delineation".<ref name="Arnold (1983)"/>

The critic for ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', [[Jay Scott]], also praised the film, saying that ''Never Say Never Again'' "may be the only installment of the long-running series that has been helmed by a first-rate director."<ref name="Scott (1983)">{{cite news|last=Scott|first=Jay|title=A first-rate director works wonders: The classiest Bond of all|newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=7 October 1983}}</ref> According to Scott, the director, with high-quality support cast, resulted in the "classiest of all the Bonds".<ref name="Scott (1983)"/> [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film {{frac|3|1|2}} out of four stars, and wrote that ''Never Say Never Again'', while consisting of a basic "Bond plot", was different from other Bond films: "For one thing, there's more of a human element in the movie, and it comes from Klaus Maria Brandauer, as Largo."<ref name="Ebert (1983)">{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/never-say-never-again-1983 |title=Never Say Never Again |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=7 October 1983 |publisher=rogerebert.com |access-date=18 October 2008 |archive-date=24 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424083846/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/never-say-never-again-1983 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ebert went on to add, "there was never a [[Beatles]] reunion&nbsp;... but here, by God, is Sean Connery as Sir James Bond. Good work, 007."<ref name="Ebert (1983)"/> [[Gene Siskel]] of ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]'' also gave the film 3½ out of four stars, writing that the film was "one of the best 007 adventures ever made".<ref name="Siskel (1983)">Siskel, Gene (07 October 1983). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63150873/chicago-tribune/ "The real James Bond is back, and 007's a winner again"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412012955/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63150873/chicago-tribune/ |date=12 April 2022 }}. ''The Chicago Tribune''. p. 63. Retrieved 23 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com. {{Open access}}</ref>

John Nubbin reviewed ''Never Say Never Again'' for ''[[Different Worlds]]'' magazine and stated that "''Never Say Never Again'' is not great, but Connery is - and for a lot of people, including myself, that was enough. This time, anyway."<ref name="dw32">{{cite journal | last = Nubbin |first = John | title = Film Reviews | journal = [[Different Worlds]] | issue = 32 | pages =45 |date=January-February 1984}}</ref>

[[Colin Greenland]] reviewed ''Never Say Never Again'' for ''[[Imagine (game magazine)|Imagine]]'', and stated that "''Never Say Never Again'' is a complacent male sexist fantasy, where women can be only ''femmes fatales'' or passive victims."<ref name="Imagine12">{{cite journal | last = Greenland|first = Colin |authorlink=Colin Greenland| title =Film Review | type = review | journal = [[Imagine (AD&D magazine)|Imagine]] | issue = 12| pages =45 | publisher = TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd. |date=March 1984| issn = }}</ref>

===Retrospective reviews===
Because ''Never Say Never Again'' is not an Eon-produced film, it has not been included in a number of subsequent reviews. Norman Wilner of [[MSN]] said that 1967's ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' and ''Never Say Never Again'' "exist outside the 'official' continuity, [and] are excluded from this list, just as they're absent from [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM's]] megabox. But take my word for it; they're both pretty awful".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.sympatico.msn.ca/features/ArticleNormanWilner.aspx?cp-documentid=436189|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119210839/http://movies.sympatico.msn.ca/features/ArticleNormanWilner.aspx?cp-documentid=436189|archive-date=19 January 2008|title=Rating the Spy Game|publisher=[[MSN]]|author=Norman Wilner|access-date=4 March 2008}}</ref> Nevertheless, retrospective reviews of the film remain positive. [[Rotten Tomatoes]] sampled 55 critics and judged 71% of the reviews as positive, with a top critics' rating of 70%. The site's critical consensus reads: "While the rehashed story feels rather uninspired and unnecessary, the return of both Sean Connery and a more understated Bond make ''Never Say Never Again'' a watchable retread."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/never_say_never_again/ |title=Never Say Never Again (1983) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=25 September 2021 |archive-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202085842/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/never_say_never_again |url-status=live }}</ref> The score is still more positive than some of the Eon films, with Rotten Tomatoes ranking ''Never Say Never Again'' 16th among all Bond films in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ryan |first=Tim |title=Total Recall: James Bond Countdown – Find Out Where Quantum of Solace Fits In! |date=18 November 2008 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Flixster]] |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quantum_of_solace/news/1780008/3/total_recall_james_bond_countdown_--_find_out_where_quantum_of_solace_fits_in/ |access-date=5 September 2011 |archive-date=4 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204034732/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quantum_of_solace/news/1780008/3/total_recall_james_bond_countdown_--_find_out_where_quantum_of_solace_fits_in/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating generally favourable reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/never-say-never-again |title=Never Say Never Again Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=30 June 2018 |archive-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220200305/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/never-say-never-again |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' gave the film three of a possible five stars, observing that "Connery was perhaps wise to call it quits the first time round".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=16415 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024230324/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=16415 | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 October 2011 | title=Never Say Never Again| work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | access-date=31 August 2011 }}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' gave ''Never Say Never Again'' a score of five out of ten, claiming that the film "is more miss than hit".<ref name="IGN 2009">{{cite web|title=Never Say Never Again Blu-ray Review|url=http://uk.bluray.ign.com/articles/966/966769p1.html|website=[[IGN]]|first=Phil|last=Pirrello|access-date=31 August 2011|date=26 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008233220/http://uk.bluray.ign.com/articles/966/966769p1.html|archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref> The reviewer also thought that the film was "marred with too many clunky exposition scenes and not enough moments of Bond being Bond".<ref name="IGN 2009"/>

In 1995, Michael Sauter of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' rated ''Never Say Never Again'' as the ninth best Bond film to that point, after 17 films had been released. Sauter thought the film "is successful only as a portrait of an over-the-hill superhero." He admitted that "even past his prime, Connery proves that nobody does it better".<ref name="EW">{{cite magazine | url= https://ew.com/article/2008/07/01/best-and-worst-bond-films/ | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080929034740/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20208340,00.html | url-status= live | archive-date= 29 September 2008 |first=Michael |last= Sauter | title= Playing The Bond Market | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=1 July 2008 | access-date=31 August 2011}}</ref> [[James Berardinelli]], in his review of '' Never Say Never Again'', thinks the re-writing of the ''Thunderball'' story has led to a film which has "a hokey, jokey feel, [it] is possibly the worst-written Bond script of all".<ref name="Berardinelli (1996)">{{cite web |first=James |last=Berardinelli |author-link=James Berardinelli |title=Never Say Never Again |publisher=[[ReelViews]] |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/n/never_say.html |access-date=31 August 2011 |year=1996 |archive-date=16 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116095103/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/n/never_say.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Berardinelli concludes that "it's a major disappointment that, having lured back the original 007, the film makers couldn't offer him something better than this drawn-out, hackneyed story."<ref name="Berardinelli (1996)"/> Critic [[Danny Peary]] wrote that "it was great to see Sean Connery return as James Bond after a dozen years".{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}} He also thought the supporting cast was good, saying that Klaus Maria Brandauer's Largo was "neurotic, vulnerable&nbsp;... one of the most complex of Bond's foes"{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}} and that Barbara Carrera and Kim Basinger "make lasting impressions."{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}} Peary also wrote that the "film is exotic, well acted, and stylishly directed&nbsp;... It would be one of the best Bond films if the finale weren't disappointing. When will filmmakers realize that underwater fight scenes don't work because viewers usually can't tell the hero and villain apart and they know doubles are being used?"{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}}

Jim Smith and Stephen Lavington, in their 2002 retrospective ''Bond Films'', lament: "The production chaos is visible on screen, with frequently mediocre editing, direction, stunt work and photography all emerging from the restricted budget. [...] At the time, ''Never Say Never Again'' got away with it, thanks to public and critical pleasure at seeing Connery again. Now it is dated, slow and (worst of all) looks cheap, faring badly when compared to even the poorest of the Eon films."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Jim |last2=Lavington |first2=Stephen |title=Bond Films |date=2002 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-7535-0709-9 |location=London |pages=200}}</ref>