Review by zillionairepoet

South62, I agree -- the Bond movies are supposed to be fun; at the same time they are supposed to be have at their core somewhere in the neighborhood of reality. This makes them more fun, to have Bond in some danger -- being in a tight situation with a mixture of tenseness and suavity. Connery pulled this off great; Bond is really sort of nuts, but a lovable one. Sort of a guy who escaped from the looney bin, but having fun acting out his fantasies. But the Bonds don't work when they are TOO over the top, like Moonraker's Jaws, who bites cables.

YOLT, for example, has a fine fight atop Osato's office. Splendid stuff : exotic decor, fighting a deadly fighter for keeps. This is one of the best fights of the series. I feel that Bruce Lee must have watched this, and said "That's the way a movie fight should be." Too have blood and guts spilling out ruins it, and I don't wanna see that in Casino Royale (another topic, but I just may boycott it because they made Bond an army guy, and have him play poker,etcetcetc.).

I never considered YOLT in your terms, and now I can. I enjoyed it before, because it is so much fun, with wonderful scenery, funny lines, and cornier dubbing "Nmm mmmh mmmh, you move very well for a dead man, Mr.Bond..." "Why .... I ... love you ..." And the music! The very tops! Captures the Bond world perfectly; the myth of Japan was made for Bond. And Barry is the perfect composer for both Bond and Japan with Bond. Too bad Brosnan wasn't able to do one. Maybe he can play a Bond-character in Japan, now that he isn't under contract. Cool thought.

And the girls! Kissy is one of the most appealing heroines; the shot of the wedding and the Music --- classic -- as her face comes up. And also the shot with the ama girls running in the sunrise .... and Bond and Kissy hiking up past the waterfall with The Music. "Think you can make it?" "Of course, it's business!" (doubly funny, with a paunchy civil servant asking a hard as nails ama girl!) I've spent much time in Asia, and can tell you that when I have adventures there, it's just like YOLT, and the Music is not far from my silly brain. Example, the hydrofoil from Hong Kong to Macau -- pure Bond, looks like an airliner inside with beautiful cabin attendants. And the flight there --- all of the flight girls were pretty to beautiful. Bond heaven! Without YOLT, life would not be as much fun. Once, we had a massage in China, (legitimate, btw) and very funny ... something Bond and Dikko would have done. The girls were practicing "I love you" in English, while twisting us into pretzels, while we were laughing. Very Bonded!