Review of You Only Live Twice (1967) by Justin B — 16 Nov 2016
Perhaps this is the weakest of the Sean Connery Bond movies, but it is still tons of fun and there are plenty of redeeming qualities here. Savor the style of the movie, because after that the series loses its iconic Mid-Century sheik.
It gets off to a strong start and takes us to Japan. The Japanese setting is exotic and makes for escapist fun, but it also comes with a few dated karate movie clichés that do not fit. The worst part of the movie is a time-consuming and poorly substantiated plot tangent in which James Bond must become a ninja.
Why does James have to have fake a marriage to a Japanese woman? Why must he become a Ninja in order to get military backup? Some of the middle parts make no sense at all. Thankfully, it recovers and finishes strong with a climactic battle inside a wonderfully staged volcano lair.
The main villain played by Donald Pleasance and his foxy henchwoman Karin Dor are both excellent. It lacks focus and if you can look beyond the ninjas and the martial arts then this is still a great time.
This review of You Only Live Twice (1967) was written by Justin B on 16 November 2016.
You Only Live Twice has generally received positive reviews.
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