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Sean Connery, Tetsurô Tanba, and Akiko Wakabayashi in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967)

How Many Lives Does Connery Have As Bond?

MOVIE REVIEW
You Only Live Twice

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Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Year Released: 1967
Runtime: 1h 57m
Director(s): Lewis Gilbert
Writer(s): Harold Jack Bloom (additional story material by,) Roald Dahl (screenplay by,) Ian Fleming (novel)
Cast: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Tetsurô Tanba, Teru Shimada, Karin Dor
Karin Dor, Donald Pleasence, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Charles Gray
Where To Watch: Available to stream on most major streaming platforms


RAVING REVIEW: Another mediocre entry into the Bond franchise; I have to wonder how many more films there would’ve been had Connery not decided to retire. In no way is this meant to slander his time as Bond, but it felt like the writing was on the wall, so to speak.


Written by Roald Dahl, yes, that one (JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, MATILDA, THE WITCHES, FANTASTIC MR. FOX, THE BFG, etc.) I couldn’t help sharing; I thought that was an interesting little tidbit the world needed to know if anyone didn’t.

By this point, Bond was the version of the character we would get for some time, the wrinkles had been ironed out, and although the film has dated itself painfully at times, it was still enjoyable. Sometimes I’m shocked that the things that made it into these films even made it during the period they did (then I look at SOME of the people alive during that time frame and don’t question it any longer.)

If my previous statement upset or offended you, that probably says more about you than you realize. Bond is a character that has evolved constantly, from actor to actor, even within the same window of one actor's portrayal. That’s what has made him timeless, he’s not a character locked into a specific timeframe. I find it amusing that so many are up in arms about the potential changes to a new Bond after Daniel Craig stepped away from the role. Whether it’s the melanin level in their skin, or anything else, it’ll be interesting to see what adventure is next.

Speaking of what’s next, I already watched ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (and whoa… talk about a significant change!)

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Chris Jones
Entertainment Editor

Chris Jones is the Mail Entertainment Editor covering Movies and Television topics. He is from Washington, Illinois, and is the owner, writer, and editor of Overly Honest Reviews.