Review of You Only Live Twice (2007) by Wesley D — 30 Mar 2013

You Only Live Twice" would be Sean Connery's last time playing as James Bond and is a great faux finale for Connery. (He would reprise the role again in 1971's "Diamonds are Forever".) The film opens with a United States spacecraft getting abducted by another one and the next scene cuts to Bond getting assassinated but then turns out to be a ruse because Bond was a marked man after foiling SPECTRE's plans three times in the past. Bond is sent into Japan to investigate the missing spacecraft.

"You Only Live Twice" improves on "Thunderball" in many ways. First the story and script is much more tighter and the directing is much more solid and focused by newcomer Lewis Gilbert who would later direct 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me". The idea to take the story to Japan gives it not only the exotic but culturally diverse feel. One interesting bit of movie info is that Roald Dahl creator of the novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" wrote the screenplay for this movie. Although one stupid part of the story involves disguising Bond as a Japanese man.

Everyone does great with their roles: Sean Connery is good as always. The Bond girls are beautiful and exquisite. And the best performance goes to Donald Pleasence who plays as Blofeld in Blofeld's first screen appearance and boy is it sinister and memorable.

"You Only Live Twice" improves on "Thunderball" but isn't without its flaws. But manages to be a great not so finale for Sean Connery as James Bond.