You Only Live Twice (1967)
76%RT Audience Score: 68%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
2 wins & 3 nominations total
With exotic locales, impressive special effects, and a worthy central villain, You Only Live Twice overcomes a messy and implausible story to deliver another memorable early Bond flick
You Only Live Twice is a Bond classic that’s both shaken and stirred. Sean Connery is back as 007, and he’s as suave as ever. Sure, the plot might be a bit implausible, and the special effects aren’t exactly cutting-edge, but who cares? This movie is all about the gadgets, the exotic locations, and the over-the-top action. It’s like a rollercoaster ride that you never want to end. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride. And remember, you only live twice, so you might as well have some fun!
Production Company(ies)
Road Movies Filmproduktion, Argos Films, Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Mount Shinmu-dake, Kirishima-Yaku National Park, Kagoshima, Japan
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1967
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:4-Track Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):English, Japanese, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 13, 1967 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2006
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Donald Pleasence, Tetsurô Tanba, Mie Hama, Karin Dor, directed by Lewis Gilbert, written by Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Harold Jack Bloom, produced by Albert R Broccoli, Harry Saltzman, action, Cold War, espionage, spy, James Bond, exotic locales, special effects, central villain, messy story, memorable, box office performance, budget, PG rating, reviewed by Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Nigel Floyd, Bosley Crowther, Roger Ebert, Ali Barclay, Matt Brunson, Sean Connery’s finesse, Roald Dahl’s implausible script, Japanese settings, gadgets, nuclear war, global conspiracy, British intelligence, American spacecrafts, Russian spacecrafts, Tiger Tanaka, Aki, Helga Brandt, Kissy, MPAA rating, United Artists, Mono, Scope (2.35:1), James Bond 007
Worldwide gross: $43,086,122
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $433,521,379
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 351
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 47,276,050
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $9,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $95,586,535
Production budget ranking: 433
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $51,473,349
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $286,461,495
ROI to date (est.): 195%
ROI ranking: 639
Akiko Wakabayashi – Aki
Donald Pleasence – Blofeld
Tetsurô Tanba – Tiger Tanaka
Mie Hama – Kissy
Karin Dor – Helga Brandt
Director – Lewis Gilbert
Producers – Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman
Writers – Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Harold Jack Bloom
Director(s)
Lewis Gilbert
Writer(s)
Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Harold Jack Bloom
Producer(s)
Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
2 wins & 3 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (14)
Sean Connery plays 007 with his usual finesse.
July 22, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Tired, poorly paced Bond from 1967, with Sean Connery displaying his discontent.
July 22, 2008
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Roald Dahl’s implausible script is padded out with the usual exotic locations, stunts, and trickery.
February 9, 2006
Nigel Floyd
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
This noisy and wildly violent picture… is evidently pegged to the notion that nothing succeeds like excess. And because it is shamelessly excessive, it is about a half-hour too long.
May 9, 2005
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
This one is top-heavy with gadgets but weak on plotting and getting everything to work at the same time.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
While Dahl clearly helped thrust Bond into a whole new world of villainy and technology, maybe his concepts were slightly ahead of themselves, or maybe he just tried too hard.
July 25, 2001 | Rating: 2/5
Ali Barclay
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
This one’s a lot of fun.
September 25, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
The special effects aren’t as visually pleasing as one might hope for, with many of the stunts clearly designed to be performed by actors in front of greenscreens.
August 27, 2020 | Rating: 4/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
While far from perfect, the film stands as a series crowning achievement of spectacle, soaring Bond to literal new heights and proving that sometimes bigger is better.
August 11, 2020
Jake Tropila
Film Inquiry
I’m going to be honest – You Only Live Twice doesn’t have the best story…but in saying that, I still love this film immensely.
July 16, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Kelechi Ehenulo
Confessions From A Geek Mind
The gadgets are demure, house broken, the Japanese settings are restful, the plot, such as it is, is taken seriously.
February 6, 2020
Wilfrid Sheed
Esquire Magazine
The outlandish elements that were soon to become tired in the Bond series are actually quite novel and imaginative here.
October 31, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro…
Plot
During the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union lose one spacecraft each after they are both seemingly swallowed whole by a second unidentified spacecraft. The two superpowers are quick to blame one another for the disappearances, causing tensions to skyrocket. The United Kingdom has an alternate theory regarding the disappearances however, a theory involving Japan, and sends their number one spy, James Bond, to investigate there. With the help of the Japanese Secret Service, he uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have ever imagined.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film in the Fresh Kernels database.
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