Diamonds Are Forever

A girls best friend

7th movie, Connery is back and the Swedish localisation team named it Diamond Fever. Missed opportunity back in Goldfinger not to name it Gold Fever. Probably one of the old Bond-movies I watched the ending for the most since, as we had it on VHS, there was the animated movie Elfie of the Blue Sea afterwards that was a bit more interesting to watch. Begins with 007 looking for Blofeld to avenge Tracy and then finding Blofelds secret plastic surgeon clinic where he prepares to make clones of himself. Of course Bond puts a stop to that. And then we start the diamond smuggling plot. Most fun is that the one giving the assignment is the judge from The Persuaders with Roger Moore.

So yet another movie where the threat really isn't up to the standards of the earlier movies I would say. Would have been better if they focused on blood diamonds instead. And we are taken to Las Vegas for the most of the movies which is run by some Willard Whyte who no-one seen for 5 years. Turns out everything is run by Blofeld who has assembled diamonds to create a laser satellite and holding the world hostage as he uses it to blow up nuclear bases in USA, Soviet and China. Finally, a threat, but it's at the end of the movie. Before that you pretty much believes that its only shady smuggling activities behind the facade of this major company. At least the plot moves faster than the last movie and the death count is much higher. 

Although this is the first movie that I think looks ugly. Maybe because I don't like Las Vegas, but it's not enticing or exotic. And there's really no cool gadgets and the biggest action scene seems to be the car chase scene and it doesn't do it for me. At least OHMSS had interesting locals and some nifty gadgets. Best thing I read somewhere was the fan theory that every Bond was separate and that Connery-Bond retired in You Only Live Twice, Lazenby took over and due to the end of OHMSS disappeared, followed by Connery-Bond returning to avenge the other Bond, he is still the best after all. Doesn't explain all things Lazenby had from Connery's movies or the fact that he did another mission after the Blofeld pre-credit mission.