You Only Live Twice (Special Edition)

You Only Live Twice (Special Edition)

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DVD Reviews of You Only Live Twice (Special Edition)

DVD Review: Bond Heads East For "You Only Live Twice"
Summary: 4 Stars

The story opens with a US spacecraft in earth orbit when suddenly it is captured by a second spacecraft of unknown origins. This being the height of the Cold War, the American government assumes that Russia is at fault, which Russian officials deny. If anything happens to the next spacecraft, it will mean nuclear war. However, the British are certain that Russia is not at fault and that in fact the rocket that capture the US spacecraft has landed near Japan. The British will send their best agent to discover the true agents of this provocation, the only problem is that agent, James Bond, has just been killed by hitmen in Hong Kong...

The production pulls out all the stops in this Bond adventure. Nearly all of "You Only Live Twice" is set in 1960's Japan and in fact the setting is actually considered a character in the plot with its blend of ancient and modern cultures. The cast is also a blend of European and Japanese actors. Tetsuro Tamba was an inspired choice for the role of JSS Head Tiger Tanaka and Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hama were excellent as the Bond girls in this outing. Karin Dor was good as the female villian Helga Brandt but Donald Pleasance and Teru Shimada were slightly disappointing in their roles of Blofeld and the Japanese industrialist Osato. Of course the regular cast of characters M, Q, and Miss Moneypenny (played by Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, and Lois Maxwell) put in their usual fine performances. In addition to the generally fine cast, the film also boast one of the largest and at that time one of the most expensive sets in film history.

"Your Only Live Twice" seems to have all the right ingredients: James Bond on a mission of a lifetime, set in an exotic land, with an excellent title sequence and a beautiful title song, several great car and air chases, great fights, the largest and perhaps best firefights ever in the Bond series. Yet, during its initial release in 1967, "You Only Live Twice" seem to have disappointed critics despite box office receipts that nearly matched that of "Thunderball". Many critics felt that Sean Connery was tired of the role and it showed on film. In later years, once moviegoers had seen some substandard Bond films, the opinion about "You Only Live Twice" had improved greatly.

This reviewer believes that "You Only Live Twice" is an excellent Bond movie but it is not as good as the previous three outings (From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball". The main problem is the concept of using the setting of Japan as a character in the story. Although the scenes that acquaint viewers with Japan and its culture are very good, they unfortunately tend to slow the story down at times. In addition, Pleasence's Blofeld is not the same character we would expect from earlier Bond stories and it is a shame that of Blofeld's henchman Hans and the beautiful Helga Brandt did not have bigger roles in the script. Today's audiences may find the outer space special effects very primitive. But, all in all, it is still an enjoyable movie to watch.

The MGM Special Edition DVD contains an excellent widescreen print of the film and lots of extra features. The two documentaries, one on the making of the film and the other about the Bond film titles which spotlights Maurice Binder are interesting to watch and very informative. If you have only seen this film on TV, it is highly recommended that you see the widescreen version, preferably with this DVD on a large screen TV. Once you do, you will never want to see it any other way again.

Although "You Only With Twice" was not Sean Connery's best effort as James Bond, it is still a very good one and one you should not miss.