| You Only Live Twice (1967) | |
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Rating: 6.8/10 (117,010 votes) Director: Lewis Gilbert Writer: Harold Jack Bloom, Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming Stars: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama Runtime: 117 min Rated: PG Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller Released: 13 Jun 1967 |
| Plot: James Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States. | |
After the high points of the last two films, it was only a matter of time before the franchise would slip a tad in quality. Saying that, it is only a minor dip, and still manages to be one of the stronger entries in the series.
The film starts with a space mission being ambushed and the craft swallowed by an unknown vessel. Bond is the man following some leads in Hong Kong, but in the pre-credit sequence he is ambushed and shot. Declared dead, the title sequence starts…
Of course, he isn’t dead (and this isn’t the first, nor the last time this trick is pulled on audiences through the series), and his new found anonymity means he can start to track down those responsible for the disappearance of the spacecraft. Of course, it is SPECTRE, who are trying to provoke diplomatic tensions, in order to create war between the US and Russia, and elevate the Chinese to superpower status. Throw in elaborate volcano lair, pools of piranha fish for Number 1 to dispose of those who fail him, and Connery in bad oriental make-up, and you’d be forgiven for thinking you had accidentally put an Austin Powers film on instead. The level of joking has increased a bit more, but thankfully not at the expense of plot, with the elaborate ruse payed by SPECTRE being quite well laid out. In addition, it is this film which finally reveals the mysterious Number 1 as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, an iconic villain that was only used a couple of times, yet is the most revered of Bond villains.
Sadly, this is also the first film which truly shows its age. The outer space sequences are nice, but would not be out of place in an episode of Thunderbirds. The SPECTRE craft landing is ropey at best. Also, the already mentioned make-up to turn Connery into an oriental is laughable. Whereas minor failings in earlier films have not affected the end result too much, here they sadly do, and break the illusion somewhat.
Still, that’s not to undermine the strengths of this film, and its status in the series. It still ranks high, only it is the first film to show a sense of complacency in proceedings.
Extras this time include a fascinating look at the opening title sequences on the Bond films, once again narrated by Patrick Macnee. There are also documentaries from tv looking at the locations and making of the film, making this another essential disc for any fan to watch.
