Rating: 
Summary: JAMES BONDs Dichotomy of Styles East meets West
Review: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE contained elements of espionage, action, thrills, adventure and science fiction. Looking back it somehow worked loosely when put together yet till this day I can not determine what the cohesive element was. Looking at it closely the film is a real dichotomy of styles. The first hour is excellently filmed and works very well. We get to see James Bond the spy, working with recognition codes, breaking into safes, going under cover and the like. There is an excellently choreographed fight scene between Bond and a sumo wrestler. This is also the first time he developed a good working relationship with a fellow intelligence head, Tiger Tanaka, similar to that of Kerim Bey in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. We also see that "M" has absolute confidence in his man. "This is the big one," he tells Bond knowing that 007 is the only one capable of pulling off this assignment. There is also quite a bit of very witty dialog in the first hour of this film. In the first hour the pace is deliberate, but never boring or unentertaining. It ends with Bond flying "Little Nellie," delivered by "Q," into an aerial dogfight with four helicopters. As it moves into the second hour more of the science fiction and fantasy elements start to take center stage. The film starts to look untidy and meanders along till it gets to the excellently filmed battle between Tanaka's ninjas and Blofeld's private army in his Volcano lair. It's not a bad Bond film, but it should have been a lot better. I think the culprit was the editing. Russian and American manned space capsules were being snatched out of orbit by an "intruder missile." Bond had to find the location and the identity of those responsible before World War III breaks out. The filmmakers decided not to surprise us at the end of the film, but instead show us, not Bond, that this "intruder missile" is in fact owned by SPECTRE and is being launched from Blofeld's Volcano lair in Japan. That comes a little past the hour mark. That being the case there was a good opportunity to develop suspense, as Bond has to locate the launch site. When Bond finally does find the volcano he has very little reaction to his discovery. He in fact seems to have come prepared with suction cup kneepads, which he uses to climb upside down and into the volcano. Tanaka shows up with his men, the battle ensues and Bond saves the day. It just could have been done much better considering how well the first half of the film was handled. The massive sets designed by Ken Adam were highly innovative and stylized and are probably the best of the entire series. M's office aboard the submarine, M-1, was also pretty innovative incorporating furniture and decorations from his office from the Ministry of Defense back in London. John Barry wrote a brilliant score. His music for the "Capsule in Space" was eerily ominous. He also incorporated sections of the "James Bond Theme" very effectively subsequent to Henderson's death and the fight in Osato's office. Barry's "Mountains and Sunset" went beautifully with Freddie Young's Cinematography. This and his score for ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE were the last to contain his best action pieces for the series. These were little snippets here and there written to give the action a little more punch. I thought Sean Connery gave some his best performances as James Bond in this film. Bond's scene with Henderson was very good. His repartee with Moneypenney was one of his best. Sean Connery did return as James Bond in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER but one era had already ended with ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and a new one would begin with his return. This DVD is the best print available to date. It is a vast improvement over the letterbox print on Laser Disc. The extras are always welcome but the primary focus for me is always the print of the film. I can't complain.
Rating: 
Summary: Mindless Entertainment
Review: I am a big fan of the James Bond series, and have seen the movies enough to memorize most of the lines. This one is one of the weaker ones, with a silly plot, stereotypical portrayal of the Japenese culture, and almost comical special effects. However, when ever I want to kick back, put my brain into neutral and enjoy myself, this is the movie I get out first!
Rating:
Summary: Not the Best Bond, but close
Review: You Only Live Twice gets a Bad Rap. It came right after the best Bond Movies of the series (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Thunderball and Goldfinger), and while it doesn't match the first three named for style, I think its comparable in quality to Goldfinger, arguably one of the more popular in the series. So buy this dvd, be impressed by Little Nellie, and watch a feel good, kill the badguy Bond Movie
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Summary: One of the best Bond films
Review: Connery's Bond is the best and this film has a quality to it that puts it up there with Goldfinger, Thunderball and From Russia With Love.
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Summary: Bond through Hell to become a new man
Review: The Bond movies made a fatal flaw in two BIG ways. One was not putting the film version of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE after ON HER MAJESTIES SECRET SERVICE, and two was throwing away the superior novel's story. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE is probably one of Ian Flemings best and his last fully completed novel. The novel opens with M talking to a doctor about Bond's well being, Bond, after suffering a tradgedy in his life in the previous book, (OHMSS) has his life coming apart. He has botched two assignments, drinking more and losing countless amounts of money at the casinos. M is tempted to fire Bond but the doctor laments that Bond be given an "impossible assignment" one that will wake Bond out of his depression and turn his life around. M calls Bond in and tells him that Bond is going to Japan for his impossible mission; to secure the rights to the "Magic 44" a special coding system of sharing secrets with the USA and Japan. To do this he must make negotiations with Tiger Tanaka, a Japanese official. Bond arrives in Japan and meets Tiger, and the negotiations are going well. Tiger will agree on one condition and he needs Bond's help. Tiger needs Bond to commit an assassinaiton on a man named Dr. Shatterhand. Shatterhand has recently arrived in Japan, took an older castle and turned it into a large "garden of death" full of countless poisonous plants and animals. Shatterhand is under protection by the botanical institute, even though countless Japanesse citizens use his garden to commit suicide (an honorable practice in Japan). Tiger however wants him dead, and Bond even more once he discovers what more is at stake, and who lives in the castle. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE is a great read and out of all of the other Bond books, this one is without a doubt the most forboding and dark. Bonds trek into Shatterhand's castle is almost like going through Hell as Bond is surrounded by horrors and danger and inside he will confront a man of true evil, whereas earliar chapters are much lighter and more fun. The book even has some fun observaitons made by Bond and Tiger on the views of East and West civilizations. If there is any problem with the book it is that there is almost no physical action in the book until the last chapter or two ,but the rest of the book is atmospheric and rich with Ian Fleming's touch for details, and the ending has to be read to be believed, you don't see it coming at all. A very good book in short. A Bond fan must read it.
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Summary: Bond's second life
Review: Starting with Thunderball, the bond novels move out of the comic book style and into a mature level where the characters are more rounded out, the plots more complex and interesting, a greater pacing for putting the reader in a state of suspence, and a greater ability to create atomosphere. Of the three, On Her Majesties...is the most succesful on all of these elements but this novel is the best in creating the detached and disoriented world Bond is experiencing. This is the most atmospherical of all the Bond novels. In the first half of the novel Bond finds himself dropped into and totally immersed in an unfamiliar culture [he has never been east of Hong Kong] and suddenly becoming an Englishman who is living and acting like a Japanese. This is his first hint of his "next life" in this novel. You should remember that this is the "It is better to travel hopefully..." part. It isn't till the end of this part that he finds his real destination. In the second part of the novel, "..than to arrive" he finally makes it to Shatterhand Castle where a twisted and surrealistic world is described with such detail of a Heironymous Boch painting that you can actually feel the overall fog of alienation and lostness mixed with passionate anger and disgust within Bond. You feel that Bond can never go back to being his old self, he is moving further and further away from all that is familiar and comfortable. By the end he is a completely different person who doesn't really know who he once was. Though this is the last Fleming Bond novel, the final page opens up speculation for a further adventure, but not one that you may expect... "You only live twice, Once when you are born, And once when you look death in the face."
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Summary: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE THE 5TH BOND MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: TH FIFTH BOND MOVIE AND ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING ONES IN THE SERIES. SEAN CONNERY THRILLS THE AUDIENCE WITH HIS 5TH BOND MOVIE. THE EVIL SPECTRE ORGANIZATION HEADED BY ERNST STAVRO BLOFELD IS HIJACKING AMERICAN AND RUSSIAN ROCKETSHIPS AND ARE TRYING TO CREATE WORLD WAR III!!!!!!! ONLY BOND CAN STOP THEM. SEAN CONNERY AGAIN PLAYS THE SECRET AGENT WHO GOES TO JAPAN TO INVESTIGATE AND GETS HELP FROM THE JAPANESE SECRET SERVICE TO FIND OUT WHO IS BEHIND IT. BOND TRACES THE TURMOIL TO A JAPANESE TYCOON NAMED MR. OSATO WHO WORKS FOR SPECTRE. LATER ON HE MUST BECOME A JAPANESE WORKER AND MARRY A JAPANESE AGENT NAMED KISSY SUZUKI ( NOT NAMED IN MOVIE ). HIS EXPLOITS TAKE HIM TO THE VOLCANO HIDEOUT OF BLOFELD AND HE STAGES AN ALL OUT BATTLE TO STOP HIM. ALONG WITH THE INCREDIBLE ACTION SEQUENCES AND THE GADGETS INCLUDING AN ACTUAL MINI HELICOPTER NAMED LITTLE NELLY, THIS MOVIE IS A FAR OUT THRILLER!!! THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THE PLOT IS UNREALISTIC AND BLOFELD DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A REAL PERSON. ALL IN ALL THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE THAT EVERYONE CAN ENJOY.
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Summary: Theres something about this 007 film...
Review: Just saw "You Only Live Twice" recently on DVD. The beginning of the movie is difficult to follow and requires the viewer to pay full attention otherwise the whole rest of the movie will become a blur. Besides that, the film really doesnt flow well at all and the voice overs in some scenes are HORRIBLE! As far as connery goes, he isnt all that bad and I think its probably his 3rd best film (5th best film in the series). Alot of the reviewers of this film just look at all the "facts", but you have to realize, this is an OLD film and special effects were terrible at the time! I judge films by what my overall impression is after I watch them. Personally, I liked this movie and might even consider buying the DVD. This movie is a hit or miss, so you have to pay full attention to all the scenes.
Rating: 
Summary: One Of Connery's Weakest Outings As James Bond
Review: I first saw "You Only Live Twice" on ABC Network-television in 1985. Sadly, this movie rivals "Diamonds Are Forever" as the worst Sean Connery-James Bond movie. James Bond(Sean Connery) finally meets Ernst Stavro Blofeld(Donald Pleasence), who is now attempting to start World War III by hijacking American and Soviet satellites. "You Only Live Twice" rivals "Diamonds Are Forever" as the worst Sean Connery-James Bond movie. Although not characterized by the same poor humor that helped to mar "DAF," "YOLT" is somewhat bland and uninteresting. "YOLT" is not so much terrible as it is just not very good. Sean Connery and Donald Pleasence are the saving graces of this movie. Although "YOLT" may be a poor film, an inferior Sean Connery-James Bond movie is still superior to an inferior Roger Moore-James Bond movie. Sean Connery can save the worst Bond picture. No one can match his portrayal of this character. Of the four actors to play a visible Blofeld(Donald Pleasence, Telly Savalas, Charles Gray, Max Von Sydow), Pleasence is the most effective. As an actor, Pleasence never found the major success that seemed to rightfully belong to him. He never quite achieved the stardom of Peter Lorre, who played very similar characters. One of cinema's more underrated bad guys, Pleasence adds an appropriately skincrawling and neurotic touch to the Blofeld character. "YOLT" is for fans of Sean Connery and Donald Pleasence and also those who feel that they need to see every James Bond picture.
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Summary: Continuing the Legacy
Review: You Only Live Twice, unlike earlier bond films in many ways, is still as exciting and suspenseful as the predescesors. The only difference is that this bond film contains more special effects and scenery. For example, this movie boasts the marvels of Q Branch such as Little Nellie, the gyrocopter. Also, Blofeld's secret base was amazing.(it roughly cost 1 million to make, equal to the budget of Dr. NO). This film has been considered one of the weaker bond films, but all the bond films can't be exactly alike. You only live twice delivers new blood, scenery, women (Helga Brandt was beautiful) and lays the path for future Q branch marvels. Overall, this different Bond film captured my attention and enjoyment.
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