Review of You Only Live Twice (1967) by Krystian L — 19 Jul 2017

The first Bond from director Lewis Gilbert - who would return for The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker - is similarly over-the-top, but Connery gounds it a bit. It is still quite silly, though, and at times a bit culturally insensitive to modern eyes.

The movie also loses points with me (an Australian) by casting an English actor (future terrible Blofeld Charles Gray) as the only Aussie character to appear in a Fleming novel (based on a real Aussie dude).

Boo! Akiko Wakabayashi is good as Aki - better than Mie Hama as Kissy. I don't like Donald Pleasence, so I cannot condone his Blofeld, despite many considering it the best (give me Telly any day).

Little Nellie is good fun, but surely all those guns and things would weigh her down... Oh, right - this is the one with the hollwed-out volcano lair, so logic isn't paramount. The theme song is OK, and John Barry's score is tops, as always.

Not terrible, but probably Connery's weakest entry - until Diamonds Are Forever, that is.