Released (US): June 13, 1967
Genre: Action/Adventure
Length: 117 Min.
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Writer: Roald Dahl
Major Cast Members:
Sean Connery – James Bond
Akiko Wakabayashi – Aki
Tetsuro Tamba – Tiger Tanaka
Donald Pleasance – Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Mie Hama – Kissy Suzuki
Awards:
Golden Screen Award (Germany)
Budget: $9,500,000
Box Office: $111,600,000
Plot Overview: In an effort to cause World War III, SPECTRE returns yet again with their most daring plot yet. Several US and Russian space crafts disappear, and the two countries almost go to war. James Bond tracks the suspicious activity to an island near Japan. Bond and his allies must now infiltrate the island and stop SPECTRE before they cause a nuclear war.
Did you know?: Unlike most Bond movies, You Only Live Twice has very little in common with Ian Flemming’s version in the novel. Other than several of the Japanese characters, the two stories are radically different.
Review: Thus far in my viewing of the Bond films I have greatly enjoyed the first four (for the most part). Because of this, I was greatly looking forward to the fifth installment of the series, You Only Live Twice. Unfortunately, I came out of this viewing experience somewhat let down. It is still a decent flick, but it does not live up to its predecessors, particularly Goldfinger and Thunderball.
Let us first get the obligatory statement out of the way: Connery was great. It seems almost unnecessary to say this in every review. That just comes to show us just how good Connery really is. Other Bond’s don’t have the same charisma that Connery does. What is nice is that Connery brings a human side to the character. There are times where you can tell that he is sweating. Not terrified, mind you, but nervous. This is great because the viewer doesn’t feel alienated from the main character, something that is important.
That is what the movie has in common with the others. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the film doesn’t.
–SPOILERS–
Most people realize that these Bond films are out there in the sense that the likelihood of the plot line actually materializing in real life is slim to none. However, the plot for this movie (which differs greatly from the novel by Ian Flemming) is just a little too ridiculous. The fact that SPECTRE goes out to space, captures American and Russian spacecrafts and then brings them back to Earth and into a volcano is just unbelievable. In the other Bond films, there is at least a sense of this could potentially happen given the correct circumstances, but not this one.
–END SPOILERS–
Another problem was that the movie seemed a bit choppy. There were times when scenes would switch over and it would seem almost random and uncoordinated. It didn’t flow incredibly well, something that the previous Bond movies seemed to do a much better job of.
Another complaint is that the score was very unmemorable. This is actually an issue with most of the Bond films up until now, and the reason I forget to write about them is because they are so bland. Up until now, the movie itself was able to compensate for that, but not this time.
While still worth a view (mostly because of Connery), You Only Live Twice is, without a doubt, the most dissapointing of the early Bond movies.
Final Grade: C+
Other Reviews:
DVDTown: “This is the one that some connoisseurs consider a high point in the series and others think is a miss. I favor the latter view.”
Reel Views: “Unfortunately, this is also among the weakest of the early Bond films, although Connery is in peak form.”
Filmcritic.com: “Tons of fun, really, and Donald Pleasence as Blofeld is inimitable.”
Movie Vault: “There is little substance beyond the action sequences.”
EFilm Critic: “It’s got some of the best action sequences, the best Bond in his last great outing and the best villain.”
TVGuide: “Limited by a Bond formula that demanded, among other things, that 007 be involved with at least three women, screenwriter Roald Dahl produced a contrived scenario that prevents You Only Live Twice from ever really taking off.”
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