Fresh and Exciting

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Typical but effective Bond adventure, this time set in Japan to distinguish it from all the others. The movie benefits from the bizarre imagination of Roald Dahl (!) who was commissioned to write the script and who injects some of his own wit, style, and an ounce of darkness into the story. Otherwise, it's business as usual, with a fun helicopter battle, some tense outer-space action (spoilt by some very cheesy model effects - the special effects in the Bond series don't seem to have progressed at all since DR. NO, except by becoming a little tighter) and a good finale, in which Bond infiltrates the enemy base (inside a volcano) and comes face-to-face with his arch enemy Blofeld for the first time.At this point the series was less occupied with screen realism than with out-and-out in-your-face bravado and scenes bordering on the incredible - take that whole "volcano base" thing. Other highlights include Bond narrowly escaping from a plane taking a dive and the elaborate ploy at the beginning of the film to convince the world of his death. Would he really go to all that trouble? This is a fast-paced movie with lots of action and near-death scrapes for Bond - love that scene where he is nearly killed by a hidden assassin pouring poison down a thread to his mouth.Sean Connery returns as Bond and is looking a little older this time - although nowhere near as aged as he appeared in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and then NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. The Japanese supporting cast is very good, especially the two love interests and Tetsuro Tamba as the secret agent "Tiger" Tanaka. Donald Pleasence appears briefly but memorably as the hideously scarred Blofeld, a role which was to be played by lots of people over the years. Series regulars Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, and Desmond Llewellyn also put in welcome appearances, along with Charles Gray as an ally. Gray returned as Blofeld in the next Connery Bond! Euro-starlet Karin Dor turns up briefly as a femme fatale. THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU fans may note cast members Tsai Chin and Burt Kwouk as minor villains - I guess they had the advantage of being in Britain when this film was made and so were cast easily.Strangely enough my favourite scene in this movie is one of the least spectacular - namely, the dockyard scene where Connery and his girlfriend are stalked by a gang of thugs. There's a fantastic aerial shot of the bad guys closing in on Connery which I really liked, and the choreography is really good here. The one-liners are cheesier than ever, and among the many (unintentionally) funny scenes is one where Connery has to go "Japanese" in order to disguise his true identity - a less Japanese-looking person I can't imagine! In all, good clean fun and a solid addition to the series, unique in setting if nothing else.

The Fifth James Bond Film was a Sharp Decline from the Previous Entries in the Series. The Cringe Factor Invades on a Regular Basis. The Cultural Phenomenon that is James Bond had Peaked and the International Super-Spy Disappointed True Bond Fans with this Barely Mediocre Movie.It's No Wonder Why Sean Connery Bailed after being Involved in this Bloated Mess. To be Fair, there are a Few Scenes Worthy of Ian Fleming's Fictional Icon. A Few Jokes that Work, out of Many that do not, and the Japanese Panoramic Travelog Type Scenes are Beautiful but this is the most Artificial Looking of the First Five. The Sci-Fi is more than Intrusive with a LOL Huge Spaceship Devouring Smaller Spaceships like so many Fish in the Sea. The "Little Nellie" Scene is so Contrived as to have Bond Click Off the Weapons with just the Perfect amount of Enemy Helicopters and is about as Suspenseful and Exciting as a Cooking Recipe.Overcooked with Bond "Becoming Japanese" (is there a Pop Song waiting to happen), the Ninja School, and a Bikini Clad "Bond Girl" Climbing the side of a Volcano, not Once but Twice.The Sets are Elaborate and Impressive, especially the Hidden Spectre Operation and Donald Pleasance is Menacing Enough as Blofeld, but the Film had Lost its Way even before the Ridiculous Ending Shootout.Probably not the Worst James Bond Movie, but it is so Disappointing Considering what had come before, that it must take Full Responsibility for being Clueless and Blinded by the Success of the Series.Thinking that "Anything Goes", and "Bigger is Better", James Bond became just another Product to be Exploited with Little Regard for the Integrity of the Character or the Fans for that Matter, that made James Bond a Four Time Champion of the World.

Directed by Lewis Gilbert, produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli and with a screenplay by Roald Dahl, this is the fifth 007 franchise film, who reached, after "Thunderball", a huge peak of popularity. As in previous films, this movie adapts the characters created by Ian Fleming to an issue or problem of the current time, in this case the space conquest, held by US and Soviet Union, and the danger of Cold War, skillfully exploited in the film.In this film, the English agent is in charge of investigating the disappearance of an American spacecraft, apparently abducted by another vessel that re-entered the Earth's atmosphere over the Sea of ​​Japan. In the country of the rising sun, it will collaborate with local intelligence to investigate a chemical industry, concluding that is linked to SPECTRE, an association that he already knows very well. However, disappears another spacecraft, this time belonging to the Soviets, which increases the tension between the two countries. In order to investigate under-covered, Bond will need to take on a second life and identity, infiltrating among the people to discover the enemy base and fulfill his mission.The film has the usual Bond recipe: exotic locations, beautiful women, lots of action and strange and expensive machines. One of the most famous is Little Nelly, a small collapsible helicopter, armed with several gadget's whose Bond uses against his enemies. One of the most popular and iconic scenes is the apparent death and maritime funeral of Bond, an act of MI6 to give more freedom of action to their agent, whose body is quickly rescued by a submarine. Other notable scene are the abduction of each space vessel (US and Russia), swallowed by the larger SPECTRE's ship. In this film, for the first time, we see the face behind this powerful criminal organization: Ernest Stavro Blofeld, with his famous white cat. This film is also the first where James Bond gets married, although the marriage was part of his disguise. The agent, one of the most famous womanizer's in cinema, will only marry again (this time for real) in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".This film has inherited from the previous its central cast, who plays not only Bond but the characters M, Q, and Monneypenny. To the actors who embodied these characters will join Akiko Wakabayashi (in the role of Bond-girl Aki) and Mie Hama (in the role of another bond-girl, Kissy, with which Bond marries); Donald Pleasence incarnated Blofeld, the villain and Tetsuro Tamba played the chief of the Japanese espionage, Tanaka.

This film, in my opinion, is a big improvement over the decent but hugely disappointing "Thunderball." Known to be the film that "Austin Powers" has parodied the most, this film is quite a thrill ride.The production sets were magnificent. The scenery in Japan and Spectre's volcano lair were absolutely breathtaking. Director Lewis Gilbert really has a thing for epic set designs. John Barry's music score is some of the best he has ever done and just really adds to the whole thing.Another stand-out is that Bond finally comes face to face with Blofeld, who is played in a chilling performance by Donald Pleasence. In my mind, he is easily the best Blofeld. Sean Connery is great as usual, although it really does show that he was getting tired of the role at this point.The action scenes were nothing short of spectacular, with the best being the Little Nellie chase scene and the climax in the Spectre lair. Add to that an atmospheric, romantic theme song by Nancy Sinatra and you have a fun movie all around.The only thing that drags it down is the 30 minutes spent on making Bond Japanese; it felt quite perfunctory. Also, the Bond girls were a tad on the weak side.Other than that, I can't complain. This is a fun, exciting, and explosively entertaining adventure that remains one of my personal favorite James Bond films.RATING: A-