Rating: 
Summary: O-Bond Odori
Review: This is the greatest 007 movie ever. What I really like about it is the way a big, hairy-backed Scotsman manages to pass himself off as a Japanese pearl diver. People's disbelief was suspended from a much higher ceiling in those days! The storyline is a big improvement on the book which was very low-key and wabi sabi compared to the wonderful idea of a satellite gobbling rocket hiding out in a Volcano ( I think the original story concerned someone growing poisonous flowers in his garden.). This is one film that Austin Powers could never touch because it's so wonderfully far-fetched already. With its ninjas and svelte Japanese maidens slipping in and out of kimonos, this movie is largely responsible for getting me hooked on Japan.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Follow Up
Review: After "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" ends, this book follows up on it brilliantly. This book is an excellent novel of revenge. Taking place in Japan, there is a lot of interesting information about the setting, a trait found in all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. The plot is very exciting and suspenceful, and the ending rivals "On Her Majesty's Secret Service's". One point may be that the film version does not tie in very close to the book. The ending is much different in both, as is the villians plan. I don't like giving them away, but don't expect Bond and Kissy lying getting happily picked up by a British submarine as the ending. And the scenes with Blofeld, which were bungled in the "OHMSS" follow up, "Diamonds are Forever" (in the film series), are handled exceptionally. All in all, this is probably my second favorite Fleming novel, and is an excellent read.
Rating: 
Summary: Illogical but deeply satisfying
Review: YOLT was supposed to be Sean Connery's last official Bond movie (after Lazenby's negative response, Connery came back for Diamonds are Forever), and the producers really decided to pack this one in full. The title song (by Nancy Sinatra) and John Barry score are some of the best in the franchise. The location (Japan) is exotic, and the sets are on a grand-scale level (an inactive volcano which can house a rocket ship, complete with monorail system). A top-notch writer was hired for the screenplay (Roald Dahl),and the script is loaded with exciting gun battles and action sequences. Also included in the movie are some beautiful new Bond girls and the promise of James Bond dying, marrying, becoming Japanese, and meeting Blofeld face to face. By all accounts, YOLT should have been one of the best and most memorable Bond films, providing Connery with a graceful exit from the series. But somewhere along the line, YOLT fumbled and never regained its momentum. Yes the script is filled with action sequences, including a chopper battle in mid-air and a fight at the docks, but to accomdate these sequences the script goes into illogical territory. For example, early on in the film Bond goes to visit a contact named Henderson, only for Henderson to be killed. Bond sneaks back w/the killer, and just *happens* to find a safe in the wall. The alarm sounds, and he just *happens* to grab a set of documents which provide a negative and vital information. Aki, a competent Japanense agent, is killed towards the end of the film and quickly replaced by a new girl whos name isn't even mentioned (Kissy in the credits), all for the sake of sneaking one more Bond girl into the film. Also, Bond attempts to disguise himself as an astronaut and sneak aboard the rocket. What good would this have done? What did he think he could possibly accomplish in space? Connery's performance is also wooden. It doesn't have the charm of either his earlier performances or the humour of his later performance in Diamonds. I understand he was being hounded by the press at this time and desperately wanted to finish this film and quit, but he really should've been able to do a better job. Complaints aside thou, YOLT still manages to entertain, moreso than most of the latter entries in the series. The script is illogical, but at least its fast-paced and rapid-fire all the way to the end. The sense of Bond political-incorrectness is rampant too, with lines like 'in japan, men come first, women come second.' These were the classic lines that made Bondmania, and YOLT also happens to represent the last of the films where Bondmania was truly part of the culture. Final score? Rent YOLT. Buy YOLT. It's more mindless action than plot, but at least you get your moneys worth, and its both Connery and Japanese style all the way.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, best Connery yet!
Review: At the beginning I thought that this will be a great movie! This was really cool because Bond actually almost got killed, but he was saved! I liked the part where they throw Bond over board on the ship and the scubba divers pick him up. The thing that was the best was the helicopter fight in te air. 007 always hits the road with the best action-packed thriller of all time. If I were you and you didn't see the movie, WATCH IT!!
Rating:
Summary: Not as magnificent as the earlier movies, but good fun!
Review: You Only Live Twice is the most POTENTIALLY magnificent adventure movie ever made. It truly had the credentials of one of the best actions ever, although it ended up as one of the worst Connerys of the series (not as bad as Diamonds are Forever). It had incredible action sequences, fantastic Bond women and a good looking screenplay opportunity, however, somewhere along the line, the movie was slightly fouled up! Pleasence is one of the reasons for the disappointment of this film, as he gives a bland, unsatisfying appearance as Blofeld, and the central plot is the other main reason. I think the creator of such characters as Willa Wonka and the Grand High witch along with many others could have created a more satisfying SPECTRE scheme than the hijacking of space capsules. However, I still insist that YOLT is a fantastic action film and the acting, for the most part, is not bad. The film truly deserves 4.5 stars, but it is just fair to round up a Connery film to 5 stars! Buy it and you will not be unsatisfied!
Rating: 
Summary: Weakest Connery Bond, but still fun.
Review: "You Only Live Twice" is the last consecutive Connery Bond film and after viewing the film several times you begin to see why. Released in 1967, James Bond #5 has Agent 007 venture through a tepid plot in Japan to avert World War III. On paper, I'm sure this premise seemed great and I'm told that Ian Fleming's original novel was a really good read. However, the film suffers from a slow pace and Connery's boredom. In Connery's previous Bond epics and even in "Diamonds Are Forever", Connery always gave 007 a fun twinkle. He was an agent with a licence to kill but you got the feeling that Connery was having a blast playing James Bond. In "You Only Live Twice" you don't get that. Bond seems bored and even a little annoyed. The plot is good enough. SPECTRE steals both a NASA Gemini capsule and a Russian spacecraft to start a war between the two super powers. Bond is sent to Japan to investigate and meets up with two Asian lovelys and a team of ninjas. That's pretty cool. The only problem is all this seems routine now; the exotic locales, gorgeous women and gadgetry are all here but there's no sense of spark or even originality. This adventure owes a lot to the success of "Thunderball". The adventure is saved by the film's third reel where Bond infiltrates a SPECTRE stronghold in a dead volcano. This set is amazing. By this point the action heats up and Bond finally begins to lighten up and do what he does best; save the world with class. Connery retired from MI6 after this film but returned in "Diamonds Are Forever". He was far more Bond in that installment than he was here. It is unfortunate that he didn't stay around longer to star in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".
Rating:
Summary: You Only Live Twice
Review: The last of the GOLDEN AGE BONDs. In this spectacular action filled epic Bond finally meets his arch nemesis Blofeld (played somewhat disappontingly by Donald Pleasence). Many belief this to be Connery's worst Bond, but the grand epic scale of the plot (although unbelievable) and scenery makes this a most enjoyable entry. Of particular interest is the incredible helicopter battle between Bond in Little Nellie and 4 heavely armed black copters and the climatic battle betwenn the forces of SPECTRE and an army of ninjas. One of John Barry's best Bond scores. Add this one to your shopping cart.
Rating:
Summary: The True Final Chapter
Review: In my opinion this is the true last James Bond Novel. In You Only Live Twice, James Bond finds himself in Japan facing none other than the infamous Blofeld...The head of SPECTRE...the man who took his wife away from him too soon... M is on the brink of firing a Bond who is so overcome with grief for his murdered wife that he can barely function. Instead of letting him go, Bond is sent to Japan where he will face many trials and tribulations leading up to the suspenseful final chapters. Bond is given a suicide mission and faces Dr. and Mrs. Shatterhand, revealed to be Blofeld and Irma Bunt. This book is superbly written, and the ending is totally unexpected. 5 stars for another Fleming success.
Rating:
Summary: This tape is NOT in STEREO anymore
Review: The VHS tape of "You Only Live Twice" used to be in stereo. It is now in monaural sound just like what happened to the poster cover version of "For Your Eyes Only" a few years back on MGM/UA. The original copies on CBS/FOX Video and Laserdiscs were in stereo. When MGM/UA originally issued "You Only Live Twice" on Video it also was in stereo. It sounded super. Please reissue the stereo version!
Rating:
Summary: Bond Heads East For "You Only Live Twice"
Review: "You Only Live Twice" is the fifth entry of the James Bond series produced by Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli and of course Sean Connery starring as the sauve secret agent. After the incredible box office success of "Thunderball", the producers were understandably worried about how the next film could top it. The response was to place Bond in a larger than life setting on a mission with the highest stakes. The story opens with a US spacecraft in earth orbit when suddenly it is captured by a second spacecraft of unknown origins. This being the height of the Cold War, the American government assumes that Russia is at fault, which Russian officials deny. If anything happens to the next spacecraft, it will mean nuclear war. However, the British are certain that Russia is not at fault and that in fact the rocket that capture the US spacecraft has landed near Japan. The British will send their best agent to discover the true agents of this provocation, the only problem is that agent, James Bond, has just been killed by hitmen in Hong Kong... The production pulls out all the stops in this Bond adventure. Nearly all of "You Only Live Twice" is set in 1960's Japan and in fact the setting is actually considered a character in the plot with its blend of ancient and modern cultures. The cast is also a blend of European and Japanese actors. Tetsuro Tamba was an inspired choice for the role of JSS Head Tiger Tanaka and Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hama were excellent as the Bond girls in this outing. Karin Dor was good as the female villian Helga Brandt but Donald Pleasance and Teru Shimada were slightly disappointing in their roles of Blofeld and the Japanese industrialist Osato. Of course the regular cast of characters M, Q, and Miss Moneypenny (played by Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, and Lois Maxwell) put in their usual fine performances. In addition to the generally fine cast, the film also boast one of the largest and at that time one of the most expensive sets in film history. "Your Only Live Twice" seems to have all the right ingredients: James Bond on a mission of a lifetime, set in an exotic land, with an excellent title sequence and a beautiful title song, several great car and air chases, great fights, the largest and perhaps best firefights ever in the Bond series. Yet, during its initial release in 1967, "You Only Live Twice" seem to have disappointed critics despite box office receipts that nearly matched that of "Thunderball". Many critics felt that Sean Connery was tired of the role and it showed on film. In later years, once moviegoers had seen some substandard Bond films, the opinion about "You Only Live Twice" had improved greatly. This reviewer believes that "You Only Live Twice" is an excellent Bond movie but it is not as good as the previous three outings (From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball". The main problem is the concept of using the setting of Japan as a character in the story. Although the scenes that acquaint viewers with Japan and its culture are very good, they unfortunately tend to slow the story down at times. In addition, Pleasence's Blofeld is not the same character we would expect from earlier Bond stories and it is a shame that of Blofeld's henchman Hans and the beautiful Helga Brandt did not have bigger roles in the script. Today's audiences may find the outer space special effects very primitive. But, all in all, it is still an enjoyable movie to watch. The MGM Special Edition DVD contains an excellent widescreen print of the film and lots of extra features. The two documentaries, one on the making of the film and the other about the Bond film titles which spotlights Maurice Binder are interesting to watch and very informative. If you have only seen this film on TV, it is highly recommended that you see the widescreen version, preferably with this DVD on a large screen TV. Once you do, you will never want to see it any other way again. Although "You Only With Twice" was not Sean Connery's best effort as James Bond, it is still a very good one and one you should not miss.
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