You Only Live Twice

Rating:
Summary: You Only Live Twice
Review: You Only live Twice is a good OO7 film but is probably Connery's worst official James Bond film. It has several good things about it. The action is good, including a car chase, an aerial battle between helicopters, the explosive finale in Blofeld's lair inside a volcano, and a space capsule hijack. The Nancy Sinatra title song is up there with the best of them with and John Barry's score is good. The sets by Ken Adam are spectacular, especially the volcano crater, which cost a million dollars on its own. The gadgets are a put-together mini-helicopter called "Little Nellie" and a shooting cigarette. The acting is okay. Sean Connery gives his a suprisingly wooden performance as OO7 and is his worst performance of all his official OO7 films. Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hama are very good Bond girls yet instead of having Aki getting killed off they should have just kept her instead. Donald Pleasence is a very good actor and plays Blofeld well but he is all wrong for the part. He speaks in an odd voice and they really didn't have to mess up his face like that. He is my least favorite Blofeld, taking a back seat to Telly Savalas in OHMSS and Charles Gray in Diamonds, whom is my favorite. Pleasence is menacing, however. Karin Dor is okay as Helga Brandt but has the exact same part as Luciana Paluzzi and isn't as good. Ronald Rich is very good as Hans, Blofeld's bodyguard. The cinematography is stunning, the costumes are great, and Roald Dahl produces a good script. Overall, although You Only Live Twice may be Connery's weakest official film, (it is much better than Never Say Never Again) it is a very good OO7 film and is worth some watches.

Rating:
Summary: Connery as entertaining as ever!
Review: You Only Live Twice, film number 6 in the series and number 5 for Sean Connery, is unarguably one of the most exciting and entertaining Bond films. 007 travels to Japan to investigate the disappearence of U.S. and Russian space shuttles and in doing so comes face to face for the first time with one of the best Bond villains, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (played by Donald Pleasance). Blofeld has a "secret volcano lair" that he has been operating from to capture both space shuttles. Bond's job, of course, is to stop him. With the best aerial fight scene of any 007 flick, this movie packs a heck of a lot of action even if it does lack the deeper plots of Goldfinger and Thunderball.

YOLT was Connery's second to last official Bond film, he returned for Diamonds are Forever in 1971, and for a remake of Thunderball in 1983 for Never Say Never Again.

YOLT is the most mocked Bond movie in terms of Austin Powers, and by watching the viewer will discover many jokes from the original Austin Powers that he/she may not have discovered.

All in all, You Only Live Twice is an excellent movie that is often underrated for it's semi-weak plot. It includes great fights, an outstanding villain, and some great exotic locations. If you like Bond, you'll love this.

Rating:
Summary: I personally look forward to exterminating you, Mr. Bond!
Review: The 5th James Bond movie. Following the success of THUNDERBALL, an entirely new stringe of talent would be exploited for this film. Producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman hire novelist and writer of children stories Roald Dahl to adapt a screenplay. Under Lewis Gilbert's direction, blessed with beautiful and exotic Japanese locales, and countless visuals through Freddie Young's photography, this proved a truly dazzling entry in the series.

THE ASSIGNMENT: SPECTRE is up their nasty tricks again. An invader rocket intercepts an American space walk in midflight, literally swallowing up the spacecraft. The Americans suspect the Russians responsible in an attempt to take control of space and are prepared to retaliate. Thinking differently, the British rocket to have originated from the Sea of Japan, and are determined to keep peace between the opposing forces. The next US launch is drawing near, and 007 is sent to Tokyo to investigate. He arrives at Osato Chemical Engineering, a front for the astral kidnappers. Then a Soviet craft is captured in space, and the Americans still accuse the Russians. For the mission of peace all depends on 007, and little does he suspect the villain of the peace - Ernst Stavro Blofeld himself!

THE VILLAINS: Donald Pleasence as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Karin Dor as Helga Brandt, Teru Shimada as Mr. Osato, and Ronald Rich as bodyguard Hans.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! BUY IT!

Rating:
Summary: Still a Bond Worth Watching
Review: Despite the fact that so many people think "You Only Live Twice" is a weakly-plotted Bond film--it's actually one of the more heavily plotted, as the short list of story elements includes, whew, 007's faked death, spaceship hijackings, Ninja training, Bond's "conversion" to being a Japanese man and subsequent "marriage," and an all-out assault on a volcanic hideout--the film remains one of the most imaginative and breezy of the entire series. As is reasonably well known, Bond goes to Japan to discover who or what is behind spacerace hijinks that are pushing the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of war. He finally comes face-to-face with archnemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld (a disappointing Donald Pleasance, who looks but just doesn't quite sound or act the part), but not before sampling the "exotica" that is the Far East. Connery starts to show his age in this one, no longer the lean and mean figure that just two years before graced the screen in "Thunderball," but a paunchier fellow who nonetheless still looks good in a suit. The supporting cast of mostly Japanese actors is topnotch, despite being rather poorly dubbed--and the two female leads are just plain gorgeous--but it is the toys that start to outshine the human cast, predicting what would become the norm in the later Moore films (two of which, "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker," share both this films' basic story elements and director, Lewis Gilbert). Nonetheless, everything from Nancy Sinatra's lovely theme song to Maurice Binder's striking opening credits sequence to a stunning aerial shot of Bond squaring off against thugs on the deck of a ship to John Barry's pleasant score give this film a supercool 60s feel, making it one of the more consistently stylish, if not more serious, Bond films. Other bits to watch out for: an anonymous, sword-wielding Ninja who gets his moment of glory, a Toyota roadster that appears to be the inspiration for the Mazda Miata, the almost fairy-tale-like villain's lair, and, of course, the helicopter version of Bond's Aston Martin.

Rating:
Summary: First Bond film to dispose of Ian Fleming, but still good
Review: One of the best of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels was "You Only Live Twice," the story about James Bond avenging his wife's death at the hands of Ernst Stavro Blofeld. But producers Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli were put off by the books obsession with death (and the fact that the preceeding book, OHMSS, hadn't been made into a movie yet) and hired Roald Dahl to throw together a story about stolen spacecraft.

Although You Only Live Twice could have been a lot better on the silver screen, it is still an enjoyable film. Japan is a great setting for what was supposed to be Sean Connery's final Bond. The directing by Lewis Gilbert is superb. He puts an interesting twst on several scenes, including a frantic rooftop fight that is shot with a wide angle rather than a closeup.

The plot is fantastic and somewhat silly but it doesn't need to be realistic. This is a Bond movie, after all. The story gives Connery the opportunity to partake in several scenes that have become part of the Bond legend. The helicopter chase is exciting (and dangerous for the aerial cameraman, as I later learned), and the battle inside the impressive hollow mountain (as later spoofed by the Simpsons) is classic Bond action. Bond even tries to board SPECTRE's rocket, foreshadowing what would come in Moonraker.

My biggest complaint with this film is Blofeld himself. After concealing his face in the other Bond movies, his revealing is very anti-climactic. Donald Pleasance never lived up to the meanacing, mysterious Blofeld portrayed by Anthony Dawson in From Russia With Love and Thunderball. And, after seeing Mike Myers's hillarious Dr. Evil, you can never take him seriously.

You Only Live Twice is classic James Bond fun and excitement. It is also the inspiration for another great movie franchise, Austin Powers. If you like either series of movies, make sure to watch You Only Live Twice.

Rating:
Summary: beginning of the plastic 'franchise' and the end of connery
Review: this was the bond film in which it became soooo evident where the films were headed (into gadgets over plot, style over subtance, decortaive women and decorative locations) that connery understandably decided to take a hike.
sure, he was talked back into one more shot (the really awful diamonds are forever) but really thunderball was the last bond with an enthusiastic performance connery (and thunderball lacked the tightness of the first three).
the bond films ceased to be small gritty edgy thrillers and instead became a merchandising haven.
only briefly did this film series try to get back to its original inception (the two with dalton). it has been forgotten that living daylights did very well, but the new producers panicked after license to kill's weak box office (the summer of batman) and predcitably went straight back to the easy.
but, in the long run, they may have killed the future of the franchise by their unwillingness to shake the formula.

Rating:
Summary: Big Bond production with weak script
Review: Other than the title and Japanese locale, Roald Dahl's screenplay for "You Only Live Twice" completely disregards the novel, surprising since it was Ian Fleming's second to last effort and a best-seller only two years before. Everything about the film is big, from the huge set constructed for the volcano that is the setting for a memorable climax, to the plot which finds James Bond in Japan where SPECTRE is slyly attempting to incite the major world powers to declare war on each other by kidnapping their spacecraft.

The film, directed by Lewis Gilbert of "Alfie" fame, is a delight to the eyes and ears, with Ken Adam's sets among the most amazing yet constructed, and John Barry's haunting score, topped by Nancy Sinatra's rendition of the bittersweet title song, tied with his work for "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" as the best of the series.

Unfortunately, the celebrated Dahl lets us down with a script lacking the imagination to which we have become accustomed. 007 relies on pure luck one time too many when finding himself in a bind, and the most publicized aspect of the film, the first appearance of arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld, is anti-climactic thanks to the miscasting of Donald Pleasance (a last minute substitute for an ailing actor).

But "You Only Live Twice" is still fun. Sean Connery, in what was supposed to be his last go-round as Bond, still looks engaged by the character, and since this film entered release only two months after the disastrous "Casino Royale," the black sheep Bond film made from the one title not owned by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman's EON productions, in which everyone but Connery played 007, that was enough to make "You Only Live Twice" the second biggest hit of 1967 (trailing "The Dirty Dozen" by a half million or so).

Rating:
Summary: A Spectacular Bond, But ....
Review: You Only Live Twice has many things going for it: Two good heroines, played by Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hama who are not only good looking (Hama, especially, looks great in a bikini), but can take care of themselves as well; a great title song and score by John Barry; tremendous stunt and action sequences (the helicopter dumping of the SPECTRE car into Tokyo Bay, the fight at the Kobe docks, the Little Nellie battle with the SPECTRE helicopters, the battle in the volcano, etc.); and, especially a great visual look courtesy of Ken Adam's spectacular sets (the volcano/rocket silo set alone should have earned Adam the Oscar for set design) and Freddie Young's cinematography.

There are, however, major problems with the film. Donald Pleasance as Blofeld and Tetsuro Tamba as Tiger Tanaka are woefully miscast in their roles. Blofeld in the books is a large man with silver hair and a magnetic presence. By contrast, Pleasance's Blofeld seems more like a petulant child who can't get his way (when he instructs one of his underlings to "Kill Bond ... NOW!!", he sounds like a spoiled brat who wants his mother to buy him the latest toy at FAO Schwartz). Similarly, Tiger Tanaka, in the book You Only Live Twice, is a huge man the size of a sumo wrestler with a gregarious personality. Tamba, in contrast, looks like a bank clerk.

The screenplay by Roald Dahl is, at best, Bond Screenwriting 101 material. Dahl's dialogue makes cardboard cutouts of the characters and is completely overwhelmed by the spectacular stunt and set pieces. Unlike Richard Maibaum, Dahl is completely unable to flesh out the characters and make them seem real to the audience. He even gets the Bond martini wrong when he has Dikko Henderson (Charles Gray) state that it is "stirred ... not shaken."

In my opinion, however, the biggest weakness of You Only Live Twice is ... Sean Connery. I know that most Bond fans will consider this blasphemy, but this is not only Connery's weakest performance as Bond, it's his weakest performance in ANY film. Connery was originally signed to do a Bond film every year from 1962 to 1967. However, Connery became so disenchanted with both the time it took to film the movies and the direction of the series, Broccoli and Saltzman released him from his contract after Thunderball and signed him to a one picture deal, hoping that would convince him to stay on as James Bond after You Only Live Twice. Connery, however, was so disenchanted over being typecast as James Bond that he sleepwalked through the filming of You Only Live Twice. In the film, he is overweight, slow-moving, disinterested, uncharismatic and basically looks like an actor fulfilling the last picture of a contract. Connery's charm and appeal, for the only time in his career, are completely absent. During the Little Nellie fight with the SPECTRE helicopters, for example, he looks like he's about to fall asleep. Compare Connery's performance in YOLT with those in the other Bond films, The Man Who Would Be King, Robin and Marian, The Untouchables and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and it's easy to see that his heart wasn't into it and that he was sick of the role. Luckily for Bond fans, his performance in Diamonds Are Forever and Never Say Never Again were up to the usual Connery standard. However, Connery's performance in You Only Live Twice, plus the film's other weaknesses, relegate the film to the second tier of Bond films.

Rating:
Summary: th rot sets in
Review: the true beginning of what bond has become; a two demensional popcorn cartoon fluf franchise.

Rating:
Summary: Still a Bond Worth Watching
Review: Despite the fact that so many people think "You Only Live Twice" is a weakly-plotted Bond film--it's actually one of the more heavily plotted, as the short list of story elements includes, whew, 007's faked death, spaceship hijackings, Ninja training, Bond's "conversion" to being a Japanese man and subsequent "marriage," and an all-out assault on a volcanic hideout--the film remains one of the most imaginative and breezy of the entire series. As is reasonably well known, Bond goes to Japan to discover who or what is behind spacerace hijinks that are pushing the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of war. He finally comes face-to-face with archnemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld (a disappointing Donald Pleasance, who looks but just doesn't quite sound or act the part), but not before sampling the "exotica" that is the Far East. Connery starts to show his age in this one, no longer the lean and mean figure that just two years before graced the screen in "Thunderball," but a paunchier fellow who nonetheless still looks good in a suit. The supporting cast of mostly Japanese actors is topnotch, despite being rather poorly dubbed--and the two female leads are just plain gorgeous--but it is the toys that start to outshine the human cast, predicting what would become the norm in the later Moore films (two of which, "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker," share both this films' basic story elements and director, Lewis Gilbert). Nonetheless, everything from Nancy Sinatra's lovely theme song to Maurice Binder's striking opening credits sequence to a stunning aerial shot of Bond squaring off against thugs on the deck of a ship to John Barry's pleasant score give this film a supercool 60s feel, making it one of the more consistently stylish, if not more serious, Bond films. Other bits to watch out for: an anonymous, sword-wielding Ninja who gets his moment of glory, a Toyota roadster that appears to be the inspiration for the Mazda Miata, the almost fairy-tale-like villain's lair, and, of course, the helicopter version of Bond's Aston Martin.