--- title: "You Only Live Twice: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/you-only-live-twice/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/you-only-live-twice" critics_score: 56 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # You Only Live Twice (1967): what the critics said Critics' score 56 from 11 reviews: 4 positive, 3 mixed, 4 negative. ## Radio Times — Andrew Collins Rating 5/5. One of the best Sean Connery Bond films, with a great villain in Donald Pleasence's Blofeld; director Lewis Gilbert keeps the pace up and the script is suitably arch, though production designer Ken Adam's secret volcanic base is the real triumph. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-nkogdr/you-only-live-twice/) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2006. The critic hails the film as the pinnacle of the Bond series for its flamboyance and scope. They single out Roald Dahl's script and Ken Adam's volcano lair for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/live-twice-review/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 June 1967. The review calls it a bag of good Bond fun mixing science-fiction with the series' bright bravado, despite Connery seeming slightly bored and minimal sex. Lovely Japanese scenery and supporting players add to the entertainment value. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/14/archives/screen-sayonara-007connery-is-at-it-again-as-whatshisname.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1967. The review notes Connery plays 007 with his usual finesse in this expensive production. Supporting players like Akiko Wakabayashi and Tetsuro Tamba register well, with Donald Pleasence suitably menacing as the heavy. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1966/film/reviews/you-only-live-twice-1200421183/) ## Film Comment — Mark Harris Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2017. The critic views the film as a product of franchise pressures rather than a classic, noting its low box office and the series' shift toward spectacle amid competition from parodies. He singles out Ken Adam's production design, the Blofeld reveal, and the Nancy Sinatra title song for praise while criticizing cultural insensitivity. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/cinema-67-revisited-live-twice-casino-royale/) ## Time Out — NF Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2012. Agent 007 travels to Japan to thwart Blofeld's scheme involving hijacked space capsules; Roald Dahl's implausible script is padded with exotic locations, stunts and trickery. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/you-only-live-twice) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 1967. The critic finds the film top-heavy with gadgets but weak on plotting, failing to recapture the magic of earlier Bond entries like Goldfinger. Connery labors to maintain the illusion amid over-the-top hardware and underdeveloped characters. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/you-only-live-twice-1967) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 1967. The critic finds the film no better or worse than its Bond predecessors but less enjoyable overall, as the formula has grown mechanical with a predictably indestructible hero and no compensating individuality or elegance in direction. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/features/ultimatefilm/chart/details.php?ranking=90) ## The New Yorker — Penelope Gilliatt Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 1967. The review observes that the cheery self-parody of earlier films has coarsened, with the sense of play lost amid gadgets and violence. Bond appears inert and deflated, more a vehicle for production ideas than a compelling character. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1967/06/24/nether-villainy) ## Den of Geek — Max Williams Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 12 June 2019. The critic calls it the first epic Bond film with memorable set pieces and the iconic volcano lair but finds the writing lazy, characters two-dimensional, and Connery disengaged. He singles out the pre-credits 'death' sequence and Little Nellie for praise while criticizing the Bond girls and Blofeld's limited role. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/you-only-live-twice-the-first-epic-james-bond-movie/) ## Film Stories — Mark Harrison Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 12 May 2022. The critic sees the film as both the most iconic and risible of Connery’s Bond outings, a weak ending to the original golden age marked by missteps and gimmicks that undermine it. He singles out its self-undermining parody elements and excessive travelogue style for complaint while noting its original box-office success. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/you-only-live-twice-and-the-rise-of-the-james-bond-parody/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/you-only-live-twice.md