James Bond Marathon: You Only Live Twice

Roald Dahl did the screenplay for this? Well, that is a surprise. Anyway, I'm trying to keep my nitpicking to a minimum for the duration of this marathon. But this film is making that really difficult.

But before I get to that, let me give you a summary. NASA's latest space mission is disrupted when a mysterious craft steals the capsule and the crew. Naturally, the Americans decide to blame the Russians, but a British diplomat suggests a Japanese involvement. Cut to Bond 'on the job' in Hong Kong when he gets killed before  the opening credits. After a public funeral, it's revealed that he faked his death to give himself some elbow room to investigate. Arriving in Japan, Bond works with the head of the Japanese secret service Tiger Tanaka, and girl of the week Aki, suspecting the involvement of the billionaire industrialist Mr Osato. However, it soon  transpires that Osato is involved with SPECTRE, which Bond figures out almost immediately. But considering their usual run of dastardly plots, I wouldn't be surprised either. Most notably, they finally give SPECTRE's Number 1 a face and a name; the criminal mastermind Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Donald Pleasence.

One thing I will say is that Aki may have been one of the most active Bond girls so far, saving Bond's skin several times. I enjoy the Japanese setting very much, and although I have doubts about some the ways it perceives Japanese culture (particularly regarding women). Especially when they decide that Bond must become Japanese. Yes, that is as cringe-inducing as it sounds.

Set pieces include Tanaka dispatching a car of goons by picking it up with a helicopter and dropping it in  the sea, a brawl with stevedores, a dogfight which makes use of Little Nellie, and a battle in SPECTRE's volcano lair involving ninjas. Despite the goofiness, Little Nellie was a nifty little toy, an autogyro equipped with an impressive arsenal.

I think that there are some parts of this one that are incredibly goofy and ridiculous, but I also think that it's actually done pretty well. Roald Dahl has managed to make this film so ridiculous it's awesome.

That's all I really have to say about it.

We'll meet again, Mr Bond, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.