While not the `perfect' James Bond film (that honor belongs without question to `Goldfinger'), `You Only Live Twice' is perhaps the most clever Bond film ever made. Crackling with razor-sharp dialogue, thrilling action, and some unpredictable twists, `You Only Live Twice' should be required viewing for the current producers of the Bond franchise it proves that it is possible to meet all the typical requirements of a 007 film and still be original. Only the abrupt, off-key ending of `You Only Live Twice' keeps the film from being an all-time classic . . . still, it's undeniably a great movie, and one of the best Bond films of all time.
The film is about how James Bond saves the world . . . oh, you knew that already? Fine. `You Only Live Twice' begins as an American spaceship is snatched out of outer space by a mysterious craft. The American government blames the Soviet Union for the disappearance. The Soviets, of course, deny their involvement. As the two nuclear superpowers begin an escalation towards nuclear war, the British Secret Service investigates the possibility that a third party may deliberately be trying to provoke a confrontation between the U.S. and the USSR, a third party located somewhere in Japan. The British Secret Service puts their best man on the mission Bond. James Bond (Sean Connery).
With apologies to the wonderful work that Pierce Brosnan has done in the most recent Bond films, Sean Connery IS James Bond. Period. No one else since Connery has mastered his air of cold, suave arrogance. `You Only Live Twice' is a perfect example of the way-cool attributes Connery brought to the Bond character. In `You Only Live Twice', Bond seems acutely aware of the fact that he is the best spy in the world, but he never brings attention to that fact he just assumes other people know it. Connery also plays Bond as a spy first and foremost, but he's also sure to make Bond a ladies' man and a man of culture. There's a neat little scene in the film where after fighting and vanquishing a villain's muscle-bound goon, Bond celebrates his small victory by helping himself to a drink from the villain's bar . . . and then promptly insults the villain's taste in vodka. The script also makes subtle mention of Bond's well-to-do upbringing and his education small things like this have been sorely missed in recent Bond films, and it'd be nice to see such moments resurface, if only in a small way. The bottom line is, Connery plays Bond in such a way that he manages to be ruthless, arrogant . . . and incredibly charming. It's difficult to pull such a combination off, but Connery does it so effortlessly, it's simply amazing.
The script for `You Only Live Twice' was written by Roald Dahl of `Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' fame, and he infuses the film with a wit that's rarely been seen since in a Bond movie. The dialogue between 007 and Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell) absolutely sizzles with tension and wicked sexual innuendo; the acid remarks by Q (Desmond Llewelyn) to Bond about his latest and greatest gadgets are at their all-time best; and the interplay between Bond and the various villains and femme fatales the evil Mr. Osato (Teru Shimada), the sexy and seductive Helga Brandt (Karin Dor), and especially SPECTRE leader Ernst Blofeld (Donald Pleasance) are all wonderful. (`Oh, the things I do for England,' Bond mutters under his breath as he seduces Helga Brandt.) The plot, for the most part is pretty good, too most of it actually makes sense, and it's infused with enough unexpected twists to keep things pretty lively through most of the film. The only weakness of the story, in fact, is its ending it's not bad, but it simply screeches unexpectedly to a grinding halt, as if either the producers suddenly ran out of money, or as if Mr. Dahl simply ran out of ideas and wanted to wrap things up fast. The ending isn't awful, but considering how sharp and energetic everything else had been in `You Only Live Twice' up to its grand climax, it's slightly disappointing.
The action sequences in `You Only Live Twice' are so-so they probably looked great when the film was first released, but they don't hold up well to the test of time. The car chases and fights all look painfully staged granted, they are staged, but most modern films manage to make the audience forget that little nugget of truth. For example, there's a scene where a helicopter drops a huge industrial sized-magnet onto a car, and lifts it high into the air. However, the film keeps cutting to a stock shot of Bond as this unfolds, so you never actually see the car get lifted one minute, it's rolling on the ground; the next minute, it's in the air (and nowhere near the road it was just lifted from). Nit-picking, to be sure, but it's a clumsy sort of camera cut you usually only see in direct-to-video releases today. If you take the action sequences for what they are the best late 1960s film-making had to offer they're fine, but they simply look mediocre at best decades later.
Finally, a side note to any fans of the `Austin Powers' series of films this is THE Bond film from which Mike Myers took most of his Bond influences. Dr. Evil's underground bases are scarily close to the underground SPECTRE base in `You Only Live Twice', and as for Dr. Evil . . . well, Dr. Evil is the Donald Pleasance version of Ernest Blofeld. Mike Myers manages to capture every single one of Pleasance's quirks as Dr. Evil, from the costume and the facial scar right on down to Pleasance's weird shuffling walk and the odd way he pronounces `magma'. Dr. Evil is literally Pleasance channeled through Mike Myers' body, pure and simple, which is absolutely hysterical to watch as well as a tad bit disturbing. Watch `You Only Live Twice', and then go watch the `Austin Powers' films . . . you'll definitely know what Mike Myers' favorite James Bond film must be.
`You Only Live Twice' comes very close to rivaling `Goldfinger' as the best 007 movie ever made. As it is, it's still one of the better Bond movies, it's possibly the most cleverly written Bond movie, and it's still extremely enjoyable. Grade: A-
The film is about how James Bond saves the world . . . oh, you knew that already? Fine. `You Only Live Twice' begins as an American spaceship is snatched out of outer space by a mysterious craft. The American government blames the Soviet Union for the disappearance. The Soviets, of course, deny their involvement. As the two nuclear superpowers begin an escalation towards nuclear war, the British Secret Service investigates the possibility that a third party may deliberately be trying to provoke a confrontation between the U.S. and the USSR, a third party located somewhere in Japan. The British Secret Service puts their best man on the mission Bond. James Bond (Sean Connery).
With apologies to the wonderful work that Pierce Brosnan has done in the most recent Bond films, Sean Connery IS James Bond. Period. No one else since Connery has mastered his air of cold, suave arrogance. `You Only Live Twice' is a perfect example of the way-cool attributes Connery brought to the Bond character. In `You Only Live Twice', Bond seems acutely aware of the fact that he is the best spy in the world, but he never brings attention to that fact he just assumes other people know it. Connery also plays Bond as a spy first and foremost, but he's also sure to make Bond a ladies' man and a man of culture. There's a neat little scene in the film where after fighting and vanquishing a villain's muscle-bound goon, Bond celebrates his small victory by helping himself to a drink from the villain's bar . . . and then promptly insults the villain's taste in vodka. The script also makes subtle mention of Bond's well-to-do upbringing and his education small things like this have been sorely missed in recent Bond films, and it'd be nice to see such moments resurface, if only in a small way. The bottom line is, Connery plays Bond in such a way that he manages to be ruthless, arrogant . . . and incredibly charming. It's difficult to pull such a combination off, but Connery does it so effortlessly, it's simply amazing.
The script for `You Only Live Twice' was written by Roald Dahl of `Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' fame, and he infuses the film with a wit that's rarely been seen since in a Bond movie. The dialogue between 007 and Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell) absolutely sizzles with tension and wicked sexual innuendo; the acid remarks by Q (Desmond Llewelyn) to Bond about his latest and greatest gadgets are at their all-time best; and the interplay between Bond and the various villains and femme fatales the evil Mr. Osato (Teru Shimada), the sexy and seductive Helga Brandt (Karin Dor), and especially SPECTRE leader Ernst Blofeld (Donald Pleasance) are all wonderful. (`Oh, the things I do for England,' Bond mutters under his breath as he seduces Helga Brandt.) The plot, for the most part is pretty good, too most of it actually makes sense, and it's infused with enough unexpected twists to keep things pretty lively through most of the film. The only weakness of the story, in fact, is its ending it's not bad, but it simply screeches unexpectedly to a grinding halt, as if either the producers suddenly ran out of money, or as if Mr. Dahl simply ran out of ideas and wanted to wrap things up fast. The ending isn't awful, but considering how sharp and energetic everything else had been in `You Only Live Twice' up to its grand climax, it's slightly disappointing.
The action sequences in `You Only Live Twice' are so-so they probably looked great when the film was first released, but they don't hold up well to the test of time. The car chases and fights all look painfully staged granted, they are staged, but most modern films manage to make the audience forget that little nugget of truth. For example, there's a scene where a helicopter drops a huge industrial sized-magnet onto a car, and lifts it high into the air. However, the film keeps cutting to a stock shot of Bond as this unfolds, so you never actually see the car get lifted one minute, it's rolling on the ground; the next minute, it's in the air (and nowhere near the road it was just lifted from). Nit-picking, to be sure, but it's a clumsy sort of camera cut you usually only see in direct-to-video releases today. If you take the action sequences for what they are the best late 1960s film-making had to offer they're fine, but they simply look mediocre at best decades later.
Finally, a side note to any fans of the `Austin Powers' series of films this is THE Bond film from which Mike Myers took most of his Bond influences. Dr. Evil's underground bases are scarily close to the underground SPECTRE base in `You Only Live Twice', and as for Dr. Evil . . . well, Dr. Evil is the Donald Pleasance version of Ernest Blofeld. Mike Myers manages to capture every single one of Pleasance's quirks as Dr. Evil, from the costume and the facial scar right on down to Pleasance's weird shuffling walk and the odd way he pronounces `magma'. Dr. Evil is literally Pleasance channeled through Mike Myers' body, pure and simple, which is absolutely hysterical to watch as well as a tad bit disturbing. Watch `You Only Live Twice', and then go watch the `Austin Powers' films . . . you'll definitely know what Mike Myers' favorite James Bond film must be.
`You Only Live Twice' comes very close to rivaling `Goldfinger' as the best 007 movie ever made. As it is, it's still one of the better Bond movies, it's possibly the most cleverly written Bond movie, and it's still extremely enjoyable. Grade: A-