In You Only Live Twice the evil organization SPECTRE threatens the world’s safety again as they seize American and Russian space rockets in order to incite war between the two countries. In the process, SPECTRE’s leadership is finally given a face and a name, paying off to a build up several films in the making. It’s Bond’s job to take SPECTRE down and stop a war, all the while immersing himself in Japanese culture.
Unlike Thunderball, You Only Live Twice’s plot moves at a good pace, though it does slowdown a bit around the halfway point as Bond trains to go undercover for the final phase of his mission. Interestingly, this is also the first film to deviate totally from the source material; though the novel is set in Japan, the rest of the film’s story is entirely a new creation. This also marks the point in the franchise where the plots get more outlandish. SPECTRE’s main tool in this film is a spacecraft that can swallow other spacecraft in order to capture them (yes, you read that right). The realism Bond exuded in the previous films is mostly gone here, though it is still an entertaining plot.
This film is also notable for two reasons: the introduction of Ernst Stavro Blofeld and Sean Connery’s brief hiatus after this film. In the case of Blofeld, actor Donald Pleasence was cast as the mysterious villain, or rather he was recast after the production had cast Jan Werich in the role, but didn’t find him menacing enough to play Blofeld. Pleasence gives a good performance as Blofeld, giving a cold demeanor to the villain’s lines and presence, but he misses the mark in a few instances. Due to Pleasance’s high voice in the role, he doesn’t sound quite as menacing in some scenes, such as when he screams “Kill Bond! Now!” or “Goodbye Mr. Bond!” Blofeld’s voice in From Russia with Love and Thunderball was very intimidating, but a lot of that intimidation factor is gone due to part of Pleasence’s performance and the fact there was now a face to the role. That said, Pleasence does give a memorable performance for Blodfeld’s introduction (conversely, You Only Live Twice was the final novel Blodfeld appeared in as opposed to the first).
At this point in time Connery wanted to move onto other projects after having filmed five Bond films back-to-back and feared he would be typecast. This was, for a while at least, his last Bond film. He gives a decent ‘final’ performance, but not as good or memorable as his previous films. Connery’s Bond comes off rather impersonal in this film; there’s not much development for his character and he seems unattached to the people around him. Perhaps it was because he was tired of the role and eager to move on, but Connery’s charm doesn’t quite come through all the way. While the supporting cast is good, they are mostly forgettable. The only one to stand out among them is Tetsurbo Tanba as the Japanese spy Tiger Tanaka, but even he’s not wholly memorable.
You Only Live Twice does have some noteworthy action pieces, chief among them Bond’s helicopter battle in Q’s ‘Little Nellie’. Though it obviously looks dated now, it took a long time for the filmmakers to complete and it is fun to see how much damage that tiny helicopter can deal out. Another action scene that stands out is the assault on Blofeld’s volcanic lair, itself an impressive piece of set design and one of the best sets in whole franchise. Equally as stunning is the ninja training ground, a beautiful looking piece of scenery. The film does utilize all its advantages while filming in Japan, showing off many of the country’s gorgeous locations.
You Only Live Twice marked a turning point in the 007 franchise as Blofeld was finally introduced, the plots got more outlandish and viewers began getting used to the idea of a rotation with Bond’s actors. It’s still an enjoyable film filled with great action and an involving plot, but suffers a bit from the lack of characterization with Bond and his allies. Considering this was considered to be Connery’s last Bond film, they could have done a bit more with his character, but they at least paid it off by having Connery come face-to-face with Blofeld after SPECTRE’s build-up.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Ricky Church
Originally published October 6, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
