You Only Live Twice (James Bond) [Blu-ray] |  | Actor: Sean Connery
Studio: Fox/MGM
Category: DVD
This item is no longer available
Rating:  239 reviews
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
ASIN: B001AQMBQE
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Amazon.com
The film boasts the best of the Bond title songs (this one sung on a dreamy track by Nancy Sinatra), but the movie itself is one of the weaker ones of the Sean Connery phase of the 007 franchise. The story concerns an effort by the evil organization SPECTRE to start a world war, but the not-so-super villain behind the plot is the awfully civilized Donald Pleasence. The thin script is by Roald Dahl (shouldn't we have expected a better Bond nemesis from the creator of mad genius Willy Wonka?), and direction is by British veteran Lewis Gilbert (Alfie). But the movie can't hold a candle to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, or Goldfinger. --Tom Keogh
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 239
 You Only Watch Twice January 31, 2010
Christopher W. J. Goldby (Melbourne, Australia)
James Bond 5 arrives a year later than it's predecessors, and from then on Bond films would start coming out every two years. By 1967 Bondmania had peaked and Sean Connery had run out of steam in the part. Though even a more lacklustre performance in this entry is still a standout. It's a Bond film that gets lost amongst others, not a classic but not as bad as some later entries. Lewis Gilbert slips into the director's chair and whisks us off to Japan for all the main action. It's the first time near the whole story was confined to one location and the first time the screenplay bears little resemblance to the original Fleming novel, adapted by author Roald Dahl.
Megalomaniacal organization Spectre are this time trying their best to get world powers Russia and the States to have a nuclear war by stealing their each countries orbiting space shuttles with their own "big momma" space capsule and ensuring it looks like the opposing countries are doing it to each other. The opening pre-credits mini adventure is slow paced for once and ends abruptly with Bond's supposed execution. Connery decided to quit the role while filming, probably a wise move but imagine what he could have done in On Her Majesties Secret Service, which was originally the producers first choice to make until locations proved unavailable and You Only Live twice was pushed forward instead.
The formula is starting to look tired and more gadget laden down to his latest gyro copter "little Nellie' which sees gadget man Q dragged out into the field again. Bond's faked death allows him to go undercover and get ever closer to the bad guys, tracking them down to Tokyo via his contacts that include the striking Aki, played by Akiko Wakabayashi, Tetsuro Tampa as "Tiger" Tanaka - the head of the Japanese secret service and Mie Hama as Kissy Suzuki who while good, sort of rather pointlessly replaces the more interesting character of Aki for the last half hour of the story. They all carry out a rather convoluted and accidental investigation to expose the Spectre agents in a Japanese corporation and track them to the main Spectre lair for the inevitable meeting and showdown with the big Spectre boss Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Played with convincing malevolence, baldness and a massive facial scar by Donald Pleasance. He's the best version of Blofeld and the blueprint for Dr. Evil thirty years later. Pity his other henchmen and women are so colorless in this story.
The film has a great set up and action pieces in the early half but seems to wander a bit until we get the great scenes of Bond finally meeting Blofeld in his extinct volcano headquarters. It just takes a while to reach them and then the confrontations too short! Some other bits verge on the ridiculous, like the totally unconvincing Japanese fisherman disguise the secret service give Connery making him blend in with the locals less well than an elephant at a lizards only Cabaret Club. The action set pieces take on an epic scale under Lewis' direction setting a new standard for Bond films, especially the final battle in Spectre's HQ between Spectre forces and a ninja army. The Ken Adam designed sets are equally epic in scale. Still the feel of Japan is captured nicely throughout the picture and Nancy Sinatra provides a memorable voice to the John Barry Lyrics of the title song.
The restoration picture quality on the disc make the setting look far more distinctive and it was great to hear all the extra noise in the crowd and battle scenes thanks to the 5.1 Surround. The extras have been bulked from the original release, on top of the brilliant `making of" documentary we also get a Whickers World segment promoting the film around the time of release, Ken Adams location scouting footage showing a far more relaxed Connery having some fun and a well done special called `Welcome to Japan Mr. Bond' Where Moneypenny and Q present some clips of previous films in specially shot scenes. The film series had now headed firmly into spy fantasy becoming bigger and more outlandish to be seen amongst the many movie and T.V imitators. Connery's regular reign as the titular spy had come to an end, not soon enough for him but who could replace him?
 Brand New with a Slim Casing January 30, 2010
Kenneth P. Balbuena (Annandale, VA)
The product description said like new, but it was completely new, which makes me happy. The DVD did come in a slim case, which means you can't put the booklet inside the case, but that's not a big problem. I only need two more Bond movies to complete the collection :-)
Well Writte and Exciting January 28, 2010
Zohar Laor (NJ USA)
This review is about the novel, not the movie.
"You Only Live Twice" is the concluding novel of the "Blofeld Trilogy" ("Thunderball", "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" with "The Spy Who Loved Me" in the middle but not part of the trilogy).
The story finds James Bond in a sad place after the murder of his wife and a fading career. M, head of MI6, wants to dismiss Bond but changes his mind, gives him a new number ("7777") and assigns him the difficult mission of convincing Japan's secret service to provide information about the Soviet Union.
The head of Japan's secret service, Tiger Tanaka, asks Bond to kill a doctor who provides people the ability to commit suicide (even if they change their mind later). Bond discovers that his enemy, Blofeld, is also involved but keeps the knowledge for himself while training with a Japanese movie star on trying to live and think as a Japanese.
The plot continues with much of the Fleming gusto, fine writing and twists we don't get at the movie theater.
The novel is a bit moody and dark, yet well written, exciting and well researched. The narrative is very engrossing and the characters are well built. However, I would NOT recommend it as your first Fleming novel.
You Only Live Twice, James Bond December 29, 2009
Ed Heatherington
This is a hard to find DVD as a single movie. I could only find it at Amazon. It may exist somewhere else but Amazon made it easy.
Once Lived, Twice Shy -- Excellent Connery Classic December 28, 2009
Scotman (St. Louis, MO)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sean Connery's You Only Live Twice, the first Ian Fleming adaptation that really used just the title and not much more -- completely different from the novel.
Basically, space capsules from the USA and USSR are being snatched by an evil guy played by Donald Pleasance (see the Austin Powers parody on this guy, Dr. Evil) as he pets his pet Persian and plots the demise of the USA and USSR. His clients want them to destroy each other then pick up the pieces.
But they did not have a plan for Bond. James Bond.
Bond goes through Asian women (which actresses, several look like Caucasian women with eye make-up), baby helicopters, Moneypenny's flirting and even fakes his own death.
Despite the Bond girls, the artful music, and the shooting and chase scenes (with helicopters no less), a bit above average Bond flick, but no means as well made as Dr. No or Goldfinger..
Recommended for a rental.
Other Bond Flicks:
James Bond Ultimate Collector's Set
James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 3 (GoldenEye / Live and Let Die / For Your Eyes Only / From Russia With Love / On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 239
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