71 replies to this topic

[YOLT]

At least when you think how YOLT is bashed it is doing good in the pool against one of the "favourites" of the fans.

[Qwerty]

You Only Live Twice sometimes seems like one Bond film that is always in the middle IMO. Don't see it called the best or worst too often.

[YOLT]

You Only Live Twice sometimes seems like one Bond film that is always in the middle IMO. Don't see it called the best or worst too often.

DAF and YOLT are generally called weakest of Connerys. The first one deserves it

[Qwerty]

You Only Live Twice sometimes seems like one Bond film that is always in the middle IMO. Don't see it called the best or worst too often.

DAF and YOLT are generally called weakest of Connerys. The first one deserves it

I'm basically agreed here, although I do enjoy both.

[Harmsway]

"You Only Live Twice" is the most underrated Bond film of all time, and IMO, one of the most Fleming-esque in its tone. That movie reallys just FEELS like Bond and has some of the downright coolest things ever in a Bond flick:

-Sean Connery (sure he's not as good as he was in the other films, but he's still better than anyone else!)
-John Barry's score, one of his very, very best (this and OHMSS fight for the title)
-The spectacular cinematography
-The travelogue feel
-The volcano lair (honestly, has a villain EVER had a cooler base?)
-James Bond dying in the pre-title sequence (come on - that's a cool and original idea for a PTS)
-The fight with the sumo wrestler (one of the best in the series!)
-Little Nellie
-The death of Aki (wonderfully Flemingesque)
-Ninjas!!!
-Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Pleasance delivers his dialogue with a flourish that makes him one of the greats)
-The most epic final battle in any Bond movie

TSWLM, on the other hand, just isn't as cool. It really loses steam as soon as we get to the tanker, and that's ususally when I stop caring. The inspired bits are all in Egypt - everything else isn't that great. It's certainly an excellent Bond film, just not as inspired as YOLT is.

[Jamie007]

Its a little hard to watch YOLT without thinking of Austin Powers these days. This was the Bond movie that was most spoofed by Austin Powers - the volcano lair, Dr Evil being based on Donald Pleasance's Blofeld, the Sumo's, the overall look of the sets etc. Austin Powers has ruined it a little for me I must say.

[Harmsway]

Its a little hard to watch YOLT without thinking of Austin Powers these days. This was the Bond movie that was most spoofed by Austin Powers - the volcano lair, Dr Evil being based on Donald Pleasance's Blofeld, the Sumo's, the overall look of the sets etc. Austin Powers has ruined it a little for me I must say.

That's a shame that you would let some second-rate spoof ruin your enjoyment of YOLT. YOLT is a great Bond ride - and that's why Austin Powers picks up on it. Austin Powers is in reality paying homage to it, not making fun of it.

[Qwerty]

Harmsway sums up my thoughts on that as well. I've always looked at it as Aston Powers after You Only Live Twice (which naturally it is, but it doesn't let Austin Powers 'ruin' the film for me or anything of that like.)

It definitely takes alot of the elements, but there's nothing like the original in You Only Live Twice.

[DaveBond21]

I voted for TSWLM.

It's in my top 5 Bond movies, whereas YOLT is somewhere in the middle to bottom.

[sharpshooter]

Voted for You Only Live Twice. I agree with the points Harmsway made four years ago.

[Cruiserweight]

TSWLM

[ChristopherZ22]

I chose You Only Live Twice. Both films suffer from stiff acting, but I am growing increasingly bored with The Spy Who Loved Me every time I watch it. I find it slow most of the time; the only three scenes I enjoy are the ski chase, Bond and Jaws fighting in the train, and the Lotus chase. The only other good things I can say about Spy is the theme song by Carly Simon (Nobody Does It Better), and Stromberg's Atlantis hideout which is cool.

You Only Live Twice uses Japan beautifully, and I like its visual style. The Spy Who Loved Me never made very good use of its locations and cinematography.

Donald Pleasence is my least favorite Blofeld, but he is more fun and interesting than Stromberg. I realize that the idea of Stromberg is supposed to be a joke; an old and lethargic man who can't move very well is trying to do something so ambitious as destroying the world and creating a new one under the sea. The viewer is supposed to laugh. However, he isn't very interesting and is kind of dull.

No matter how bored Connery is on screen, he still possesses a certain magic that Roger Moore could never capture.

Furthermore, You Only Live Twice doesn't have any plot holes. The Spy Who Loved Me never makes it clear who will live in Stromberg's underwater city. Are we supposed to believe that he wants to create a new world under the sea and destroy mankind so that nobody will bother him? Recall that Stromberg is a recluse. Does he just want to protect his right to be a hermit? If so, at least Drax in Moonraker had a better reason for wanting to destroy mankind.

[Double-Oh Agent]

The Spy Who Loved Me

It has a few more iconic images, a better story, better stunts, and is more fun. Roger Moore also is enjoying himself a lot more in this one, certainly more so than Sean Connery seemed to in his, which translates onto the screen. In short, The Spy Who Loved Me is an all-time great Bond film. You Only Live Twice, though good, is not.

[Col. Sun]

I love both films. YOLT is truly spectacular - and although Connery is more laid back and less dangerous thanin his previous 4 films, he's still very cool as Bond. But the plot is pretty crazy - there are so many plot holes.

TSWLM is equally spectacular. The plot is also pretty nuts but it does hang together better than YOLT in the end.

It's a close shave, but TSWLM wins out in the end. It's Moore's best. YOLT is not Connery's best - but it was the first fantasy Bond film and set the template for Spy and Moonraker - which are basic re-workings of the same story, just dressed up differently.

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

I too love them both. They're both great in their own way, but I'd say The Spy Who Loved Me just has the edge.

[The Ghost Who Walks]

The Spy Who Loved Me has a leading man on top form, clearly having the time of his live. It's also an amazingly entertaining movie with the coolest henchman in Bond history, spectacular set pieces and stunningly beautiful filming.

You Only Live Twice has a leading man clearly bored out of his skull, a dull, dull story, stale action scenes and, yes, stunningly beautiful filming.

Winner: Spy. YOLT is my least favourite of the series. Only seen it twice (I believe), whereas I've seen Spy roughly a million times.

Edited by The Ghost Who Walks, 19 November 2009 - 12:08 PM.

[Dalton_Craig]

I don't really like either of them. You Only Live Twice I particularly don't like, as it completly jettisons one of Fleming's best novels in favour of a cringe-inducing plot. The result of which is a movie that is, from the dialogue to the pacing to the performance of the lead actor, boring.

At least The Spy Who Loved Me had the excuse of the original story being barred by Fleming from ever being adapted into a film. If YOLT had not have happened, then perhaps I would be inclined to rate this movie more highly. Has its good points though. Bond's ingenuity in getting into the control room on the tanker, his killing of Stromberg, the tension as Bond and the submarine crew watch the screen displaying the path of the missiles, the eerie sequences at Giza and the Egyptian ruins are among some of the good bits. But that's about it...

[The Ghost Who Walks]

The result of which is a movie that is, from the dialogue to the pacing to the performance of the lead actor, boring.

Exactly. It's the only Bond movie that bores me (not counting the David Niven version of CR, which I never bothered to finish). Even DAD has a smashingly entertaining first hour. YOLT is a sleeping film in movie form.

[O.H.M.S.S.]

I always compare all three Lewis Gilbert movies, because they are very similar in plot and style.

Best Bond: TSWLM (Connery was bored in YOLT, Moore gave his best performance in TSWLM, great scenes with Anya, in the Mojabe Club and in the Sardinian hotel, etc.)
Best Bondgirls: TSWLM (Anya and Naomi win over the pretty mediocre Japanese girls, I liked the MR girls too)
Best Villain: MR (Lonsdale is the superior villain of the three, Jürgens was fine, not a fan of Pleasence's Blofeld)
Best Henchman: TSWLM (Jaws !!)
Best Allies: YOLT (Gray's Henderson is one of the best allies in the series)
Best Direction: tie
Best Music: YOLT (although this is a category where all three of the stands out)
Best Production design: tie (Ken Adam's sets are equally great in all three of them)
Best Cinematography: tie (can't chose between Young, Renoir and Tournier, three different cinematographers, all terrific)
Best Plot: TSWLM (MR was almost exactly the same, YOLT was fine, but lacked some character development)
Best Vehicles: TSWLM (of course the Lotus Esprit wins here)
Best Gadgets: MR (I like the cigarette case and the dart shooting thing (don't know what it's official name is))
Best Prologue: TSWLM (ski chase, Bond'77 and Union Jack)
Best Climax: YOLT (I like the volcano fight more then the Liparus or space station battles)
Best Title song: TSWLM (slight advantage for Simon, the other two are also very memorable)
Best Additonal songs: -
Best Title sequence: TSWLM (close call)
Best Chase sequence: TSWLM (Lotus on land and under water)
Best Hand-to-hand combat sequence: YOLT (in Osato's office fight after Henderson's death)
Best Dialogue: TSWLM (Anya and Bond dialogue stands out, good interplay between Moore and Lee & Moore and Llewelynn as well)
Best Gunbarrel: YOLT (although TSWLM and MR have nice gunbarrels, YOLT beats them with a great Barry tune and Connery's swagger)

Overall The Spy Who Loved Me is Lewis Gilbert's finest hour as Bond director, in my opinion.

Edited by O.H.M.S.S., 19 November 2009 - 04:19 PM.

[BoogieBond]

Notch me up for TSWLM. Although I like YOLT, Spy has a lot more things going for it IMO. YOLT has aged quite badly in some parts of the film. I know you have to take into account it was released in 1967 but still some of the sci-fi scenes look dated. TSWLM has better girls, better henchmen, more memorable scenes. I will concede its close call for set design, music, cinematography etc.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I voted for You Only Live Twice. I like both films but the 1967 film is the more underrated of the two. Also, it's the source material for The Spy Who Loved Me. Plus, it features John Barry's best score.

On youtube some time back there was a terrific video called The Spy Who Lived Twice where someone cleverly edited together very similar sequences from both films.

[plankattack]

Put me down for "Spy." YOLT does have a lot going for it - title song, score, the volcano set, the cinematography, but ultimately it's undone by a lead who looks like he'd rather be somewhere else, and pacing that is a real killer. Apparently (source - "The Bond Films") Gilbert submitted a cut that was two and three quarter hours! I can't imagine how that would have felt when the what does exist already includes a lot of padding (the wedding?!) and a travelogue feel taking centre-stage rather providing terrific background to story. In jettisoning Fleming, EON's strategy of building a film around a couple of set-pieces, held together by not too much of note is far too apparent, especially compared with the films that precede and follow it.

TSWLM (and I don't care what anyone says, it's a remake, and if that can't be admitted then it's reclassified as a "rip-off") hangs together much better - a basic narrative supplemented by some other plot elements that come together well. The production design is just as good, the set-pieces taughter, a title song that is very good as well as the best non-Barry score IMHO, and a lead who gives maybe his most self-assured performance.

Not to say that YOLT is bad - it's just that TSWLM is better. TSWLM is a YOLT who's been going to the gym for few weeks and has come out with less flab and an overall more chiselled and fitter look.

Edited by plankattack, 19 November 2009 - 05:04 PM.

[DR76]

I'm with TSWLM. Despite the villain's object to rule the world, I think it's a pretty damn good movie. It's Egypt and Sardina locations are just as fabulous as the Japan locations in YOLT. And the major battle inside Stromberg's tanker is just as good as the battle inside Blofeld's volcano. But where TSWLM rose above YOLT, were Bond's complicated relationship with Anya, the fact that the Egyptian sequence felt like a real spy thriller (a feeling I never got from YOLT), a better script, and Roger Moore's performance (which struck me as a lot better than Connery's performance in the 1967 film).

[Mr. Blofeld]

Why does nobody ever mention that YOLT is essentially a remake of Dr. No? I noticed it myself upon first watching the two!

I can picture a clear line of descent:

Dr. No
|
|
You Only Live Twice
|
|
Lorum ipsem ingalls-The Spy Who Loved Me ------- Moonraker
|
|
|
|
|
Tomorrow Never Dies

[Judo chop]

I think the challenge should be between YOLT and MR, since both represent their respective eras apex of "bigness", which is a more common (and relevant, IMO) measure for comparison than storyline.

But either way, it's no competition. YOLT gets knocked into oblivion like Rocko in his first fight with Clubber. YOLT has nothing going for it. It is the heaviest, most flat-lined Bond film of the bunch. Total drudgery. YOLT is as much fun as paying taxes. To a government other than your own. In the rain.

[elizabeth]

TSWLM, but not by much.

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

Spy, for doing in the 70's what GF did in the 60's.

[Mr_Wint]

In theory, YOLT should've been a terrific Bondfilm. It had Sean Connery, a great location and fantastic settings. But somehow it all feels so mechanical (especially after 40 minutes). There is no soul in that film.

TSWLM wins easily. I even prefer DAF over YOLT.

[Colossus]

Two outstanding Bond movies. But i'd go for YOLT.

[jrcjohnny99]

I'm a MASSIVE fan of Spy; it's one of my top 3 Bond movies, no question..
YOLT has a LOT going for it, most of which have been mentioned several times before...but what kills it for me is Connery's lack of interest; his Bon in YOLT is like a caricature of his earlier performances and it takes me out of the film way too many times; I beleive had YOLT been made in the same way, but 3 years earlier, it could easily be in my top 3...
Spy has the lot; and most importantly, Moore's best performance, and IMHO, one of the three best single Bond perfs along with Connery in FRWL and Craig in CR.

As someone else said, Spy is to the 70s what GF is to the 60s;