Dr. No/YMMV

• And You Thought It Would Fail: The protagonist was a virtual unknown, and the book series did not have much recognition. Therefore, United Artists gave the film a miniscule budget and, for the US release, it premiered in the Midwest prior to the big cities, since UA feared it wouldn't find much of an audience. It had a decent run, leading to the even more revered sequel From Russia with Love, and finally a third movie, Goldfinger, a smash hit that made Bond a cultural landmark.
• Best Known for the Fanservice: The scene where Honey Ryder emerges from the ocean wearing only a revealing (for the time) bikini is not only the film's most iconic scene, but one of the most iconic moments in the entire James Bond franchise. It would later be copied by Halle Berry in Die Another Day, and Daniel Craig would do a gender-swapped version in Casino Royale.
• Continuity Lock Out: While the movie was shot to be the first in the series, the book takes place immediately after From Russia with Love, which ended with Bond seemingly dying from a poisoned knife to the leg, making it a confusing place to start.
  • The novel of From Russia with Love itself goes out of its way to be accessible to a new reader, beginning with SMERSH going over their previous entanglements with James Bond, and one 1960s-era collection goes straight from the first installment to From Russia with Love to this.
• Damsel Scrappy: Honey's incredible naivete and ignorance (she seriously believes the tank is a dragon?!) is not endearing, nor is her incredibly dumb way of trying to prove to Bond it could be a dragon.
  • Note that Quarrel also thought it was a dragon, so she wasn't alone in that.
• Fair for Its Day:
  • Quarrel was seen as a very progressive black character at the time the film came out, as he is a competent and loyal informant for the CIA who accompanies Bond in Storming the Castle. He still has loads of fans today, but modern viewers have been known to be put off by his being more fearful than Bond and the scene where Bond tells him to carry his shoes.
  • The use of Yellowface for every major Asian character is cringeworthy today, but Dr. No and his associates are portrayed as dangerous and competent villains who are Worthy Opponents for Bond.
• Fan Nickname: Ursula Andress as "Ursula Undress", due to her famous bikini scene.
• Fashion Victim Villain: The clear plastic radiation suit Dr. No wears in the reactor scene. Almost literal, since he dies wearing it.
• Funny Moments:
  • Bond's surprised reaction to seeing Francisco Goya's Portrait of the Duke of Wellington (which had been stolen at the time of filming) displayed near Dr. No's dinner table.
    • What's even more hilarious is that, in real life, the painting was stolen by a bus driver who just wanted TV licensing fees to be abolished. In the Bond universe, it's implied that Dr. No simply made off with the painting without arousing any suspicion whatsoever. Keep in mind that this is a man who has very obvious artificial hands and would wear a Nehru Jacket in the middle of London.
  • After the hearse the Three Blind Mice were in drives off a cliff and explodes:

Bystander: "How did it happen?" Bond: "I think they were on their way to a funeral!"

• Magnificent Bastard: Dr. Julius No is one of SPECTRE's top operatives, and a man of charm and charisma who rules Crab Key, Jamaica with his two metal fists. Seeking to disrupt a space launch from America, No outplays everyone sent to the area until Bond's arrival, and even for much of the film, Bond is entirely within No's power, only surviving thanks to outwitting No's assassins. When encountered by Bond, No reveals how he completely outwitted the Tongs after crawling up from nothing in Hong Kong as the son of a German missionary and a Chinese woman. Joining SPECTRE, No seeks to help overthrow the orders of NATO and the Warsaw Pact alike, and remains one of the most dynamic and striking villains Bond ever faces.
• Nightmare Fuel:
  • The chilling murder of Strangways and his secretary by the Three Blind Mice.
  • The scene where Professor Dent sneaks a Tarantula into Bond's bed and it climbs up his arm can (and will) scare Arachnophobes.
    • This was a meta-example for Sean Connery, who had to have a glass plate separate him and the Tarantula and, for close-ups, used a stunt double due to his severe Arachnophobia.
    • Stuntman Bob Simmons, who actually had the spider crawling on him for the close-ups, called it the scariest stunt he ever did.
  • Quarrel getting burned alive by the dragon-tank.
  • The dinner scene is particularly unsettling, because Dr. No never even changes his facial expression, only the tone of his voice. Occasionally, it even looks like he has Black Eyes of Evil.
  • Dr. No being boiled in radioactive water. While not graphic, it's a horrible and painful way to go.
• Signature Scene:
  • Bond's introduction, with the first occurrence of "The name's Bond. James Bond."
  • Bond waking up to find a tarantula in his bed.
  • Professor Dent's death. "That's a Smith and Wesson... and you've had your six."
  • Honey Ryder's entrance from the sea in her bikini.
  • Dr. No's introduction and his dialogue with Bond during their dinner.
• Special Effects Failure:
  • In the words of David Morgan-Mar: "I couldn't reproduce the obvious sheet of glass between James and the spider that you can see in the film".
  • Bond's desk driving during the chase sequence with the Three Blind Mice is painfully obvious.
• Tear Jerker: The death of Quarrel.
• Values Dissonance:
  • The use of Yellowface for every major Asian character would never be allowed today for very obvious reasons.
  • Bond ordering Quarrel to pick up his shoes didn't age well, either.
• What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids?: Bond coldly executing Professor Dent by shooting him in the back.