MASTER PLAN: foment World War III between the U.S. and Soviet Union by stealing some orbiting space capsules. Bond almost gets into outer space in this one, literally a step away (he'd finally make it in the much later "Moonraker"). And that's where the teaser begins, a reflection of the anxious space race between the super powers during the sixties. This film also reflected how 'hot' the Cold War was at this time, when seemingly the slightest provocation could cause a devastating escalation - precisely what SPECTRE, notably Blofeld, wants. We thought SPECTRE played its ultimate hand in the previous "Thunderball." Here, instead of just stealing nuclear warheads, the sinister organization gobbles up entire space ships, a blatant attempt to establish itself as a new super power - a 3rd one - following up on the hints in the previous Bonders. Expectedly, there are fantastic special FX for the time to convey all this ambitious power playing. This marked a shift to all-out science fiction, although traces of traditional espionage remain. The teaser is actually divided into two parts, with the 2nd half devoted to another 'false death' for Bond (see From Russia With Love's teaser). Nancy Sinatra sings over the credits and at the end, a more languorous and lyrical effort than the bombastic tempos in previous films.
Bond spends his mission in Japan in this one, since this is where it appears the criminal space craft originates from. In a slight deviation of protocol, M and Moneypenny have also set up quarters in this area, in a least likely spot. Many of the early scenes convey this sleight of hand, where nothing is as it appears to be, but then the plot starts to meander a bit. Despite some fine action bits, notably against a burly Japanese thug and a unique long shot of Bond's rooftop struggle, the middle act comes across as almost a travelogue of the Orient's better scenery. It's nice to look at, yes, perhaps the most exotic of the Bonders, but on the slow side, a conceit which would plague many of the future Bonders. Q shows up with his contribution, a miniature helicopter, which almost seems like an advertisement for the company who made this weird prop, though there is an impressive aerial battle against some standard helicopters when Bond attempts some scouting. Similar to the use of sharks in the previous film, this has a pond of piranha, always a guaranteed crowd pleaser, accentuating the outrageous aspects of Bond villains. To the film's credit, several fine Japanese actors were cast, including a couple of Bond girls (another film company might have cast white actors in all the main roles, despite the Japanese setting). I especially liked the poignant oriental-flavored musical score during Bond's wedding, though this entire subplot makes little sense. There's even a tragic tone to one of the character arcs, though Bond accepts this like a good soldier, a sign of Connery's less energetic approach by this time.
The casting of uber-villain Blofeld, however, was not very inspired. The actor Pleasence is always excellent and actually lends himself very well to eccentric villainy, but it didn't quite work here. After sensing the power emanating from this mysterious figure with the reverberating voice in "From Russia With Love" and "Thunderball," one can't help but be unimpressed by Pleasence's limited stature, both physically and vocally. He actually reminded me of a stunted version of another comic book villain, Baron Strucker, introduced a couple of years earlier in the 'Sgt.Fury' Marvel Comics. The fact he shows up so late, a la Dr. No style, was probably just as well. His bodyguard, the brute henchman, doesn't speak and functions merely as a tall combatant for the now standard mano-a-mano with Bond towards the end (tho their walking towards each other was a stylistic triumph). Connery himself appeared noticeably older than in the previous Bonders; though still physically fit, you sense he was past his prime - not desk-bound just yet, but slowing up, and his lack of jovial sarcasm during Q's lecture denoted a little too much seasoning by this point. This does have a spectacular finish, with literally a hundred attacking ninjas on the greatest Bond set so far, underneath a fake lake in a volcano. Bond would return, but Connery would not, in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Bond:8 Villain:7 Femme Fatales:7 Henchmen:5 Fights:8 Stunts/Chases:8 Gadgets:8 Auto:6 Locations:9 Pace:7 overall:7
Bond spends his mission in Japan in this one, since this is where it appears the criminal space craft originates from. In a slight deviation of protocol, M and Moneypenny have also set up quarters in this area, in a least likely spot. Many of the early scenes convey this sleight of hand, where nothing is as it appears to be, but then the plot starts to meander a bit. Despite some fine action bits, notably against a burly Japanese thug and a unique long shot of Bond's rooftop struggle, the middle act comes across as almost a travelogue of the Orient's better scenery. It's nice to look at, yes, perhaps the most exotic of the Bonders, but on the slow side, a conceit which would plague many of the future Bonders. Q shows up with his contribution, a miniature helicopter, which almost seems like an advertisement for the company who made this weird prop, though there is an impressive aerial battle against some standard helicopters when Bond attempts some scouting. Similar to the use of sharks in the previous film, this has a pond of piranha, always a guaranteed crowd pleaser, accentuating the outrageous aspects of Bond villains. To the film's credit, several fine Japanese actors were cast, including a couple of Bond girls (another film company might have cast white actors in all the main roles, despite the Japanese setting). I especially liked the poignant oriental-flavored musical score during Bond's wedding, though this entire subplot makes little sense. There's even a tragic tone to one of the character arcs, though Bond accepts this like a good soldier, a sign of Connery's less energetic approach by this time.
The casting of uber-villain Blofeld, however, was not very inspired. The actor Pleasence is always excellent and actually lends himself very well to eccentric villainy, but it didn't quite work here. After sensing the power emanating from this mysterious figure with the reverberating voice in "From Russia With Love" and "Thunderball," one can't help but be unimpressed by Pleasence's limited stature, both physically and vocally. He actually reminded me of a stunted version of another comic book villain, Baron Strucker, introduced a couple of years earlier in the 'Sgt.Fury' Marvel Comics. The fact he shows up so late, a la Dr. No style, was probably just as well. His bodyguard, the brute henchman, doesn't speak and functions merely as a tall combatant for the now standard mano-a-mano with Bond towards the end (tho their walking towards each other was a stylistic triumph). Connery himself appeared noticeably older than in the previous Bonders; though still physically fit, you sense he was past his prime - not desk-bound just yet, but slowing up, and his lack of jovial sarcasm during Q's lecture denoted a little too much seasoning by this point. This does have a spectacular finish, with literally a hundred attacking ninjas on the greatest Bond set so far, underneath a fake lake in a volcano. Bond would return, but Connery would not, in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Bond:8 Villain:7 Femme Fatales:7 Henchmen:5 Fights:8 Stunts/Chases:8 Gadgets:8 Auto:6 Locations:9 Pace:7 overall:7