recommended

Let's be realistic.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Bond (Lazenby) goes after Blofeld (again), foils his evil plot for world domination and in the process falls in love with Tracy (Rigg).This is one of my favourite Bond films certainly, possibly my favourite Bond film. Opinion is divided over the merits of Lazenby but I think he makes a good fist of it. Too bad he couldn't stand the limelight; he arguably went through the full gamut of emotions concerning 'being Bond' in one film that other actors (like Connery and Moore went through in several films.The film isn't overly reliant on daft gadgets and the action sequences are -although not perfect- quite believable on first viewing and well-paced.Telly Savalas makes a pretty good bad guy, but his accent is at odds with other Blofeld representations. Savalas actually had fairly generous ear lobes; his 'surgically removed ear lobes' are almost certainly just folded back. I don't think Savalas is shown in close rear view unless wearing a hat, else this would be obvious.One thing that is pretty obvious if you have ever been to the alps is that they are not arranged so that you can leg it on skis from a chalet near a road one minute and be descending a short while later from the top of a mountain at high altitude. Nor is it likely that a few seconds after leaving a place like Piz Gloria, a.k.a. the Schilthorn (on foot) you will find yourself at the top of a bobsleigh run. But such are the liberties taken when making a film of this sort.Whilst it is possible to go through the film in slow motion with a fine-toothed comb and find various dubbing and continuity errors, it stands up very well when you just watch it in the way intended. The editing is on the whole very well done and generates a fine sense of pace which is appropriate for each scene.The ending....ah... I won't spoil it but there isn't another Bond film like it.I give it 9/10.

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is an odd "Bond" movie to assess, namely because it's the first film without Sean Connery, but also because some other actors were replaced, including Telly Savalas supplanting Donald Pleasance as Blofeld, while other key roles (Q, M, Moneypenny) remained the same. This quasi-reinvention warrants a level of comparison to the previous five "Bond" films, but can also be assessed as its own "one- off" edition.Australian George Lazenby is a handsome, charismatic charmer, and it's clear to see why he won Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman's admiration and reportedly a 7-film deal. If he would've gotten a chance to grow into James Bond, he would have earned a lot more fans and would not generally have been ranked as the least of the six Bonds. He's a definitely a younger, pluckier interpretation of the character as opposed to Connery's mature, gentlemanly wiles. Still, he's easy to root for — the "Bond" films are a formula and he fits nicely into his end of the equation.What's nice about "OHMSS" is how it dials back from the silliness and larger-than-life nature of "You Only Live Twice," which is probably the result of it being a direct interpretation of an Ian Fleming novel. The bulk of the action stays at Blofeld's Switzerland hideaway, where Bond is getting close to his foe to find out the truth behind his "allergy research, so there's more isolation that world-traipsing, while the ski chases give the movie that big "Bond" energy without resulting to spaceships and nuclear war. The stakes are Bond's survival — and his love for Tracy (Diana Rigg).Seeing Bond in love, even though his romance with Tracy bookends the film and there's a little sexual mischief in the middle, definitely adds a bit more depth to James and a lot more emotion to points of the film. "OHMSS" isn't dramatic or deeply touching, but there's a real human element we haven't necessarily seen at play and won't see at play much until the Daniel Craig era.At 142 minutes, "OHMSS" hold the title of the longest of all the early "Bond" entries, and it's 30 minutes too long to be sure. Parts of the film drag — the first act feels especially pointless — and most of the payoff comes in the final 45 minutes. Other than a few sneak attacks on Bond in his hotel room(s) there is not a lot of intermediary action to hold our attention. The entertainment is supposed to come from the suspense of Bond's deception while in Blofeld's clutches.Director Peter Hunt turned out to be a one-off as well and maybe that was for the best. His style calls a lot more attention to itself than Terence Young or Guy Hamilton's with a little more brute action and a tone of rapid-fire editing in the action sequences. It gets a bit dizzying and he turns to camera effects way more than was status quo for these films. So in some ways it's a more visceral, visually interesting take, and in some ways he oversteps. Regardless, he gets things going when they need to get going, keeping "OHMSS" from becoming a total slog. It's just a lot of peaks and valleys."On Her Majesty's Secret Service" has a lot of the elements you want in a "Bond" film, providing a safe playground for Lazenby to fill Bond's shoes. If the film doesn't end up as a one-off blip and the Lazenby Bond storyline is continued, the conversation around "OHMSS" changes. Instead, it's a solid if not overly long "Bond" entry of little consequence.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

Sean Connery retires from the 007 role and incomes Australian model- turned-actor George Lazenby to fill in his massive shoes. Does he succeed? OHMSS was the first in the franchise to attempt the depiction of a more-vulnerable James Bond and this movie also breaks one of the franchises biggest clichés at this point...James Bond gets married to the Bond girl! This movie has a lot of good things going for it. The cast is very well-rounded. Diana Rigg plays Tracy, daughter of a mobster and the woman that Bond falls in love with, and she is fantastic. Equally fantastic is Telly Savalas, who replaces Donald Plleasence as Bond's arch nemesis Blofeld. I think Savalas is my personal favorite actor to play Blofeld because he feels more like a person that can exist in real life. The ski-chase action set pieces are also a joy to watch and first-time director Peter R. Hunt does a pretty decent job, at times giving the proceedings a very 60's trippy vibe. Not only that, but John Barry offers some of his best music compositions for this entry. It's just a shame about Lazenby though. Lazenby's lack of acting experience really sticks out like a sore thumb and in a way, perfectly demonstrates the fact that playing 007 is not as easy of a feat as one might expect. Despite having a decent chemistry with Rigg, Lazenby's performance just left me cold due to his lack of one- screen presence and it doesn't help that most of his dialogue was awkwardly dubbed in post-production due to his heavy Australian accent. The only time Lazenby displays any sincere acting chops is in the film's heart-breaking ending. Despite Hunt showcasing decent prowess for a first-time director, his weakness lies in filming hand-to-hand fight sequences because the editing gets so choppy and the bizarre camera angles really brings unintentional comedy to some fights scenes. Also this movie was just way too long for me and could have used a better editor at the helm because I found myself bored a few too many times, especially during the drawn-out second act in which James Bond is undercover in Blofeld's lair. In the end, a part of me deeply admires how much this film attempted to shake things up with the franchise but in the end it's unique elements never end up combining into a satisfying whole.

After Sean Connery had enough of the Bond schedule and refused to return the hunt went out for a new James Bond and they settled on an Australian model (George Lazenby) with almost no acting experience and promoted long time Bond editor to his debut in the directors chair. Unlike the other bond films this one follows the book much closer, sometimes this is good and sometimes it is a detriment. The film starts with a pre-credit action scene that retains the hard edge of the previous Bond films and eventually reveals the face of the new Bond followed by a tongue in cheek line "this never happened to the other guy", as the girl (Diana Rigg) gets away. The film is immaculately shot with the collaboration of the director and cinematographer making perhaps the best looking Bond film yet but the first half of the film is quite slow and lacks adventure. Even so it attempts to show Bond in a slightly different light with more emotional depth and a seriousness not seen before which would be great if half way through the tone changes to almost a parody of Austin Powers proportions with Bond in the mountains surrounded by a bevy of babes. The third act of the film is the best portion with a better balance of a serious but more emotional Bond combined with great action set pieces all shot beautifully.As for Lazenby, he did the best he could but he is not a good actor.. passable at best but his shortcomings were all too apparent in the emotional climax of the film. He also had a hard time hiding his Australian accent which really did not suit the character. Telly Savlaas (Kojak) plays Blofeld in this film and is so different from any incarnation before that despite him putting in a good performance it doesn't really work in terms of the series. I think it would have been better to just have him as a different villain altogether in this patchy over-long Bond 'adventure'. This film was oft considered the red headed stepchild of the franchise and was not replayed on television over the years in the way the other Bond films were. In more recent years it has been re-evaluated by some, I fear possibly out of the very fact that it had become a more obscure Bond film. While there is plenty to admire here, the parts that do not work are so glaringly bad that it undoes a lot of the great work done on the film.