Rating: 
Summary: A Welcome Return
Review: This is Connery's brief return to the Bond series, and, unfortunately, he makes us want to keep him in the role longer. Also featured for the last time is Blofeld, played by Charles Gray, and is not bald this time around! In the beginning, Bond is on a violent rampage after Blofeld, who killed his wife. After Bond thinks he disposed of the villain, he is assigned to investigate a diamond-smuggling operation. His first lead is an extremely skimpily-clad Jill St. John, probably the most scantily clad woman in the series so far. Then it is off to Las Vegas to follow the diamond trail. Check out the 1971 shot of Vegas and compare it with one from the past year or so! Whew! Bond finds out that Blofeld is not dead, and is posing as Jimmy Dean. Meanwhile, two homosexual hitmen are assigned to dispose of our hero. This film is full of one-liners and tongue-in-cheekness that sort of set the stage for Roger Moore's reign.
Rating: 
Summary: Connery's 007 Deserved Better
Review: After rejecting "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" in 1969, Sean Connery was enticed by United Artists to reprise James Bond for a $1 million salary plus two film projects of his choosing. It's a shame that "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971) turned out to be his weakest 007 effort. This time around, the Bond producers deliver less than their usual value for money -- cutting corners to compensate for Connery's salary and a tighter shooting schedule. How else can one explain the lame climax on Blofeld's oil rig, which was more elaborate in the original script (ending in a Bond-Blofeld chase). Had George Lazenby continued as Bond, with director Peter Hunt at the helm, one senses that "Diamonds Are Forever" might have been a stronger adventure -- with a more generous budget. Instead, Connery's return sets the stage for Roger Moore's tired reign, judging by the film's increasing emphasis on comedy. "Diamonds Are Forever" has its moments: an excellent pre-credits sequence; the memorable car chase through the Las Vegas strip; and Bond's confrontation with TWO Blofelds. Unfortunately, the film is a convoluted mess, with a few glaring production flaws (watch the moon-buggy chase) and a surprising disregard for continuity (such as the fate of Plenty O'Toole). Despite Connery's stylish performance, it lacks the excitement and polish of previous 007 efforts. One can be grateful that Connery decided to play Bond for a final time in "Never Say Never Again" (1983) -- a more satisfying farewell than "Diamonds Are Forever."
Rating: 
Summary: A GREAT SWANSONG....
Review: Okay, not the best of the bonds, nor one of connery's best. but it was a highly entertaining film that reminds us that it was this film that began the lighter tone that moore would perfect in the seventies. personally, i found it refreshing that connery took a more casual, humorous tone in this film. clearly he preferred not to make bond a raving lunatic after the death of his wife in ohmss...connery's bond would be too cool and emotionally detached for that! i like the villains and the quips, connery at his funniest( e.g. "...as long as the collars and cuffs match..."). suspension of disbelief, of course, but, beside the worst of all the felix leiters, i think in this film, connery deserved to go out on a more humorous, campy, less serious note after all the classics he delivered, since dr. no - maybe he was giddy and just wanted to have fun after the moral victory he scored w/the producers in squeezing out the then highest salary(i believe) paid to an actor to that point! to sean, you're now and forever the one, true bond, no matter how you interpret the role!
Rating:
Summary: The one with the gay hit men (who we didnt know where gay)
Review: Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint make this somewhat slower Connery entry worth watching, especially the very memorable nuts-2-dynamite "owwwww" pleasure cruise ending. The problem is that Connery never really feels at home as Bond again in this one, probably because George Lazenby took over from him the year before as Bond, not that Connery can not do Bond, but the story just does not quite have the pep of a bond movie, but is still a classic in the series, just not an A+, but gets the upper B+, A treatment because it is still a Connery Bond movie.
This is a "Hunt the Blofeld" plot with the target trying to rule the world, but really doesn't make such a big impression, a good introduction with Connery already up against this enemy, is actually the highlight of the whole film, the remainder mostly somewhat seen before car chases, but Connery does wrestle with semi-naked women, a few inventive killers or killing methods along the way, it is not the disaster some quite make it out to be, Bond lovers will rate it highly, but we all know we have seen Connery better, but the film should stand on its own merit, and it can.
Like we said A... just not A+.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Bond
Review: I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I think "Diamonds Are Forever" is the best Bond. It deftly mixes real danger (getting buried alive, gay psychokillers) and high wit (Bond: Relax. I've got a friend, Felix, who can fix anything. Tiffany Case: Is he married?).
Jill St. John, who plays Tiffany Case, has some marvelous repartee with Connery and the other characters. She's brash and sexy, a type of Las Vegas goddess.
Charles Gray, as the cross dressing villain, Blofeld, is similarly delightful. While holding the major powers ransom to global destruction, he makes the following aside to Bond: "I do so detest martial music!"
Finally, the theme song sung by Shirley Bassey is terrific, among the best of any Hollywood movie. Suggestive and clever, it provides a romantic foundation to the story.
Rating:
Summary: The First Campy 007
Review: According to my reading, 1969's ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, the first James Bond film without Sean Connery, didn't live up to expectations (although I think it's one of the best of the series), so the producers lured Connery back to the role for a million dollars.
Connery, always incensed that the producers made the lion's share of Bond profits, asked for, received and then, out of spite, gave away the million dollars to Scottish charities.
Nobody cared about the payscale then: Connery was back as Bond and that's all that mattered.
Although the previous films had come close at times, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER was the first flat-out camp take on the spy film. Connery looks like he's ready to roll his eyes at times and then having fun at others. The gay killers Wint and Kidd are very funny in several scenes (Bruce Glover, who plays Mr. Wint, is Crispin Glover's dad). Blofeld even shows up in drag at one point!
It's fun to see Las Vegas, circa 1971. During the car chase on Fremont Street, you can see the construction signs for the Union Plaza in the background. One daylight shot shows Bond driving a red Mustang past the Dunes...and he's immediately in open desert!
Jill St. John and Lana Wood certainly fill out their roles and become memorable Bond girls. Bruce Cabot, the studly male lead in the original KING KONG, plays an old henchman. On the DVD, you can catch Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. in a deleted cameo.
I still think the best Bond films are the first three, the one starring George Lazenby, and Pierce Brosnan's first outing.
But, like THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER are among the most fun.
Good time had by all.
Rating:
Summary: FOREVER SEAN
Review: With the best theme song leading the way, Sean returns for the final (official) time in this enjoyable laugher. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER works just as YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE did: humorous dialogue, an unbelievable storyline that doesn't push for reality, great soundtrack. Throw in 1970's Las Vegas (Sammy Davis, Jr. appeared in the film but his cameo was left on the editing room floor), gay hit men and Connery's exit from the series isn't so painful.
Rating:
Summary: So Bad It's Good
Review: This film renders the Austin Powers parodies utterly moot. The cavalcade of bad double entendres ("Hi, I'm Plenty! Plenty O'Toole!"), goofy characters and cartoony action sequences make this Bond outing a real side-splitter. The superb car chase in the middle of the glittering Las Vegas strip kind of makes up for the dissapointing (albeit comical) climax. Good fun if you've got a sense of humor.
Rating: 
Summary: Flat 007 entry where everyone seems bored
Review: A podgy, balding actor doing a bad impersonation of Sean Connery stars in this movie that seems confused between wanting to be a more serious James Bond picture and a more jokey seventies entry. What could (and should) have been a great tale of Bond avenging the murder of his wife with 007 tracking Blofeld around the world is instead turned into a wacked out amusement park ride. Flat setpieces (only the elevator fight with Franks gives any real excitement), loosely drawn characters, a ho-hum plot and the worst Felix Leiter of the series mean that this 1971 film fails on so many levels to serve as a swan song for Connery (no wonder he returned 12 years later for the far superior Never Say Never Again).
This movie really is going nowhere fast. Little do we care if 007 carries out his assignment or if the world survives the machinations of Blofeld. With Bond being chased by a couple of gay assassins and Blofeld prancing around dressed as an old lady the camp element becomes so pervasive that one almost expects Charles Gray to jump on a desk and start singing that number from `The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'
One of the major failings of this movie is Connery himself - he looks simply terrible (and in fact appeared much healthier and effective in Never Say Never Again). He also seems universally bored with the proceedings (as he probably was) and his monotone delivery of several lines produces not awe at his acting ability but yawns at just how uninteresting and boring the story is.
Overall a flat entry that does nothing for the audience. The climax aboard the oil rig must surely rank as one of the worst and least exciting of the series (and this from someone who loves the fight in the monastery in For Your Eyes Only). My least favorite Connery 007 movie.
Whereas this film disappoints the DVD does not. We have a nice making of documentary, some interesting anecdotes in the non-scene specific commentary and a great documentary that traces the life of legendary 007 producer Cubby Broccoli.
Rating:
Summary: the best ending in film history?
Review: this is the best bond film, without question.
check out crispin glover's dad, and his awesome balding bearded (homosexual?) parnter... the weirdest/coolest serial killer duo ever concieved.
and yeah, the ending is AMAZING.
cumgasm.
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