You Only Live Twice (1967) – Review

2 Stars

The fifth film in the James Bond series, finds 007 in Japan battling the SPECTRE Organization. This rather dull entry is most notoriously know for the first onscreen appearance of arch nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Late screen veteran Donald Pleasence, is excellent as the mad mastermind behind a scheme to steal space-crafts from the East and west; in the hopes of instigating a nuclear war between the two superpowers.

The screenplay wrote by famed author Ronald Dahl is sub-par compared to other installments in the series, at one point Bond becomes Japanese and transforms himself into a Ninja within two days training time. Even the locations, title song and ‘Bond’ girls are unimpressive in this outing, the saving grace is Sean Connery’s sardonic performance as her majesty’s best spy and John Barry’s OSCAR worthy score. An inauspicious debut for director Lewis Gilbert.

Director: Lewis Gilbert
Stars: Sean Connery, Donald Pleasence