You Only Live Twice

 

Unless you are a cat

5th movie and we start in space as the Americans shuttle is taken by some unknown rocket. The Americans is blaming the Soviets, but the British intelligence is one step a head and says it's some unknown force that have been spotted in Japanese sea and they sent their best man to investigate, which is 007 that spends time in Hong Kong with some beautiful lady and instantly gets killed. Credits and Bonds funeral, but instead his wrapping that is dropped in the ocean is picked up by a British sub and he gets his assignment. A quick tour of Japanese cultural events like Sumo wrestling and he meets up with his contact that gets killed and leads to this industrial giant. Getting some hidden dossier he gets out and meets up with the Japanese secret service and they begin investigating the company. Meanwhile The Soviets sends up their own rocket and that one is also taken.

Turns out its SPECTRA that tries to instigate a war between USA and Soviet (assumed to be payed by the Chinese) from a volcano lair on an island. The company leads Bond to the island and as the Japanese special commando infiltrates the island as fishermen and workers Bond it able to enter the lair. As he rescues the astronaut and cosmonauts he meets Blofeld face to face, and he is played by Donald Pleasence. Perfect casting. You got the President from Escape from New York, Dr Loomis from Halloween and the wine specialist from that Columbo episode. Ends with ninjas attacking the volcano base and blowing it all up. 

Stakes are high with the space race setting once again and the brink of the 3rd world war looming. Obsessed with Japanese culture as a kid the ninja battle was amazing, rocket bullets, cigarette rockets, sword fighters in gun fights. Little Nelly fighting off 4 helicopters. Don't like the title song though, kinda slow. I had a hard time watching the beginning as a kid. The desperation of the astronauts in the beginning really made me uncomfortable. I gotta say this is the first time I feel that the movie doesn't get better than the last one. Mind you it's not bad, but maybe it was a good call for Connery to skip the next movie. Also just a translated title. Roald Dahl, the children's book writer behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, wrote the script so that was an interesting tidbit.