You Only Live Twice (1967)

You Only Live Twice Movie Review

You Only Live Twice is a 1967 spy film and a fourth entry in the Bond series starring Sean Connery and directed by Lewis Gilbert. It is a solid, but flawed entry in the franchise.

Amidst the Cold War, Bond goes to Japan to find out why American and Soviet spacecraft mysteriously disappeared in orbit. The plot is a typical Bond tale and although interesting at times, it is mostly boring and forgettable. It starts off well and it has its moments, but the ending is silly and some parts are ridiculous.

Yes, it is once again a ridiculous and overly silly film. The sequence in which Aki is poisoned and killed for instance is just so ridiculous and impossible to happen in real life that I rolled my eyes with disbelief. And many scenes are like that. But at least there weren’t as many gadgets this time around which was a pleasant surprise.

Bond is quite good here, not as good as in some of the previous installments, but still fine. Aki is also an okay character, but a somewhat forgettable one. The revelation of Blofeld was interesting and nicely done and the rest of the characters are not as memorable.

The acting is quite good. Sean Connery is good when his signature humor is concerned, but is weak at other parts where he tends to overact. Akiko Wakabayashi did a fine job and the rest are not worth mentioning.

The humor is the best reason to see this movie. It is really funny from time to time with Bond in particular being very humorous. I like the humor from these early Bond flicks and it is thankfully present here as well and it made the movie much better.

The locations are also really good. Unlike ‘Thunderball‘ which was uninspired, You Only Live Twice has a bigger use of locations and interesting places which is why it is better than that entry, but is nonetheless weaker than the previous flicks. But Japan is great to look at and I liked the incorporation of their culture and the different places from the city to the volcanoes.

It is well directed and acted, but awfully paced. It isn’t overlong, but is extended in some parts and rushed in others. It is also a forgettable movie overall which is its biggest problem. It is never particularly involving and it is at times even dull. The photography is great and the humor is really good, but the rest of the aspects are lacking making it a very flawed entry in the franchise. And I hate how unrealistic it is and too goofy.

You Only Live Twice is really forgettable, awfully paced, at times boring and never involving and it is just so unrealistic and at times even ridiculous. The humor is really good with some quite funny lines and the locations are excellent and beautiful to look at, but the rest of the movie is flat and forgettable and never particularly interesting to watch.

My Rating – 3.5

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Interior & Exterior Stills from You Only Live Twice

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