You Only Live Twice - You only have to watch the second half

Despite enjoying Connery's Bond, I hated the previous outing (Thunderball). Therefore, I'm severely glad they upped their game with `You Only Live Twice.' However, in my opinion, it does take its time getting to the good bits. The first half feels like Bond wandering round Japan, stumbling into one hostile situation after the next.

Luckily, once he figures a few things out (roughly around the halfway mark) the film not only picks up, but continues to set the template for many of the Bond movies to come.

For a start... we have the return of SPECTRE, who are up to their old tricks again and trying to start a new world war between America and the USSR. Not only that, but without this film, you would never really get as many Bond spoofs (Austin Powers, I'm looking at you). It's here that we catch our first glimpse of (Donald Plesence's) Blofeld - a baddie creepy enough to be imitated numerous times, but never outdone. Also, we have the first supervillain's `lair.' Since You Only Live Twice, it seems that every baddie who's hell-bent on world domination has his own hollowed-out volcano, but you saw it here first.

The action is non stop in the second half, but, because it's so original, it won't get boring (anyone who's seen Transformers 2 will know that constant action doesn't equal a good film). Plus we see Bond helped out by a small army of (disposable) goodies (a situation repeated in Roger Moore's Bond era).

If it wasn't for the first half being a little slow, I'd say that You Only Live Twice is up there with the best of Connery's era. It doesn't quite top Goldfinger in my opinion, but it's definitely worth watching if you like your Bond, or just want something to cheer to on a Saturday afternoon.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that