You Only Live Twice

One thing that's immediately clear as I've been watching the Connery Bond films is that they continually get more and more preposterous. 

Dr. No maybe starts off more so this way than From Russia with Love, but from Goldfinger (still, my favorite thus far), to Thunderball I've noticed more silliness and zaniness. You Only Live Twice doubles down on this in a lot of ways, and while the other films seem subtly referenced, it feels like this is the Bond on which Austin Powers so gleefully roasted (hilariously) many years ago. 

It's the "last" film from Connery so I was eager to see what kind of resolution, if any, there was for the character. Interestingly, it mentions that Bond will be back in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but makes no mention of the change in lead character. 

Either way, You Only Live Twice kept me delightfully entertained, both in execution of the spy story itself but also in the surprises of "What the f**k?" it throws at you periodically. 

After the surprisingly dull and overlong Thunderball, I found the change of locale, pace, and villain to be welcomed. It's amazing how, even at only 10-20 minutes shorter that You Only Live Twice feels considerably tighter and faster, but part of that is also because its better edited and stitched together with scene transitions and logically flowing from one moment to the next. The plot is basic and easy to follow: the US and Russia are ready to fire missiles at each other because they believe the other is responsible for downing their astronaut-manned spacecrafts. Truthfully, there's a mysterious third party involved and Bond must race to solve the mystery before a cataclysmic war breaks out. Simple enough, right? Certainly not original and at this point I feel like Connery's films retread quite often, but I found it had more to do than Thunderball. It also finally doubles down on SPECTRE, introducing us to a menacing Blofeld and his secret base. In that regard, it does somewhat feel like a season finale or sorts. 

"So...uh...you're supposed to be Japanese?"
"And you're supposed to be evil with that cat?"

During this adventure, we also get awesome side characters. Aki, Tiger Tanaka, and Kissy Suzuki (who apparently has a "face like a pig") are welcome additions and add a sense of comradery + friendship to the Bond universe that I think perhaps this film does better than any of the previous ones. Tiger Tanaka alone would probably be getting his own spinoff in 2020. And, with those names, you likely notice they're Japanese - which is the biggest shift in locales for a Bond film outside of Goldfinger. To be fair, it all still ends with Bond and a girl on a raft in the ocean - which is exhaustingly boring at this point - but in general this has much different environments for a majority of the film. But it's also where the absurdity kicks into high gear. 

Give Little Nellie a spinoff!

You Only Live Twice definitely feels like a product of the late 60s with: a secret volcano base with an overly futuristic wardrobe and transportation system, ninjas(!) and ninja spies(!), "Little Nellie", and - dear sweet Jesus - is that Bond being made Japanese? That latter one is so preposterous that I struggle to find how it made it in the film unless they were intentionally seeking humor because Connery doesn't look remotely Japanese because all they did was give him bushy eyebrows (didn't know that was a stereotype) and combed his hair downward. Connery is also a behemoth so he's the tallest Japanese man ever and it was continually a point of me rolling my eyes in semi-enjoyment and disbelief. Despite that, You Only Live Twice makes the best use of this craziness with ninjas being equally goofy but awesome in the final, large-scale battle. And the mini-helicopter, Little Nellie? It results in one of Connery's Top 3 action sequences thus far.

Color me surprised that a Bond film of which I'd really not known much beforehand turned out to be one of my favorites of the Connery era. I'm surprised at how far ahead Goldfinger remains - honestly a lot of that is testament to how well made it is - but You Only Live Twice, while the silliest of the bunch by a considerable margin, is also one of the most unique, memorable, and action-packed. 

On to the confusing Lazenby/Connery/Moore split era! 

CONS

• Overly zany at times to the point where you wonder if it's mocking itself. Bond going Japanese is both weird and laughably ineffective
• Treads some familiar ground that makes some of the Connery films blend together (i.e. why does it always end with him in a raft with a woman beside some tropical destination?)
• Oooof. I'm glad green screen has come a long way
• I feel like the iconic original score takes a back seat this go around

PROS

• The entire production continues to feel confident. Connery in particular knows what value he brings to the franchise and this is probably one of my favorite entries of his because it's more spy work and less creepy [read: borderline forceful] womanizer
• Simple plot coupled with logical progression and solid editing. The movie feels like it breezes by
• Some of the most impressive action sequences of the series thus far. More importantly, some new techniques to filming the action that serve it really well
• Blofeld is an imposing villain, built up throughout
• Fun side characters that feel more like Bond's friends rather than disposable characters
• It just gets silly, but that's part of the charm and uniqueness this entry provides
• The setting change to Japan is welcomed

Retro Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10