He’s Not Canon, But He’s Bond: Revisiting Never Say Never Again
Welcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell welcome special guest Pete Wright of Trustory.fm to dig into Never Say Never Again (1983), the unofficial Bond outing that dragged Sean Connery back into the tux via one very petty lawsuit.
The trio wrestles with this film’s odd status: no John Barry theme, no Aston Martin, yet a leading man everyone insists is somehow the definitive 007 anyway. That push-pull between “unofficial” and “essential” drives the talk, especially once conversation turns to how this Connery stacks up against every other Bond.
From there it’s conversation fuel: a laser watch treated like scripture, a shark chase that may have inspired an Austin Powers bit, and a supporting cast the hosts can’t stop gushing over, including a memorable early film role. Very-1983 touches keep things loose.
It lands somewhere warm and a little chaotic, fitting for a movie that sits in a contested corner of a franchise everyone loves arguing about. Nothing here spoils the plot, so newcomers and completists can listen freely.
Links
TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy Studios
If you could keep just one gadget from this movie for yourself, which would it be?
