On her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

It's said that you should never start a lecture by making excuses as it shines a spotlight to your shortcomings, and perhaps even unnecessarily. So having the first non-Connery Bond look straight into the camera and say "This never happened to the other fellow" is perhaps not a stroke of genius. Other than that the intro is decent, showing off some good bare-knuckled fighting from Lazenby. This is the first (and still only) flick not to have the film's song after the intro. Barry is utterly at his best here, so it's fine.

Diana Rigg was the first established actor to play a Bond-girl as the producers felt they needed to balance out the inexperienced Lazenby. And it fits perfectly as Lazenby can't pull off Connery's raw sexuality, hence it fits him better with a cold, arrogant woman he has to chase for most of the film. Rigg has the upper hand most of the time, despite Bond bailing her out regularly. Lazenby is a bit on the stiff side (his alter ego Edmund Hillary works well in that respect), so false courtesy and genuine patience is a most fitting way for him to get his best chemistry. Though Connery is missed at times, it seems harsh not to give his replacement more than one attempt. Lazenby is nowhere near as macho and naturally threatening as Connery, playing it more with mirth and cool. Closer to to what Roger Moore would provide later.

The script is in part a love-story as Teresa doesn't need the exciting, flamboyant Bond. She needs the calmly dominant and stoic Bond and as he wears her down, she finds the anchor in her life she's been seeking. Surely not written that way by the misogynistic Fleming. For further evidence, witness the early montage with love-soaked lyrics from Armstrong and the foolish grins on the lovers. She does disappear for the better part of an hour, though, disturbing the flow.

So the plot is fittingly ridiculous, the action is very good (bobsleigh anyone?) and there are some cool set-ups (though one stolen from "The Ipcress Files". The cutting is a bit jagged and frantic at times, but that was common in the day. Worse is the editing. Apart from the ending, it has a lighter tone in both humour and flirtations.

OHMSS is the only Bond-film to end on a sad note, making it the perfect entrance for Satchmo's brilliant ballad. An end to remember, with a shattered Bond in disbelief.

At 142 minutes, it was by a distance the longest Bond-film, and the pace suffers a bit as a consequence. It doesn't help it that the action is a bit unevenly distributed. Still, it's a different instalment in the franchise and an underrated one at that.

7/10

Best car used: 1968 Aston Martin DBS (The Mercury Cougar is a thing of beauty, though)
Most memorable drink served: Dom Perignon '57 and a dry Martini, shaken not stirred
Henchmen: Irma Bunt. Short, ugly women are never good for Bond. Not really a problem for Bond until the final scene.
Villain: Telly Savalas as Blofeld. Seems much more pompous than Pleasance, and much, much less threatening.
Best one-liner: "Just a slight stiffness coming on"
Song: "We have all the time in the world" by Louis Armstrong. A dwelling, sad ballad. Fantastic.
Bond-Girl: Diana Rigg. The first to really have her own character. And she does make a meal of it. Wonderfully playful, fragile and headstrong.

You only Live Twice (1967)

So finally they managed to use 2 years to make the next one. Perhaps Barry's best theme introduces the plot to space. One of the finest openings, as it is slow, methodical and filled with extreme tension as a result. Actually, Bond doesn't appear before in the third scene, as some old politicians needs to give the viewer an insight as to what is at stake. Expertedly done by director Lewis Gilbert.

As it is set in Japan, and that was very exotic at the time, we are of course treated to all the stereotypes. Sumo-wrestling, kimonos, bamboo, paper walls, sake, some very original methods of assassination, and ninjas of course.

Charles Gray is a very good contact point (pun intended) actually good enough to be recalled as Blofeld in "Diamonds are forever", and Donald Pleasence an excellent villain, even helping develop the legendary scar. His voice is slow and deliberate. The only way to measure his emotions is by how he's stroking his cat. Fantastic. And therefore a bit of a treat when we get to see his face right towards the end after only having heard his voice and seen his hand (and cat) so far in both he film and the franchise.

Tanba has fine chemistry with Connery, which is necessary as Wakabayashi is a bit demure for Bond and makes you miss Blackman. Though at least she is very direct as to making her relationship with Bond a physical one at an early stage, and saves his life twice. Llewellyn is in no form for Bonds childishness here, and that leaves the banter unused. But as he brings Little Nellie, we forgive him. Maxwell's flirt with Bond is pitch perfect this time around, and she even has him on defence for a split second.

They seemed to have spent a bit more time writing dialogue this time, and there is plenty of light-hearted puns and some cute misses at the English language from our Japanese friends (She is very sexyful). The scene with Tanaka and Bond as he is presented with potential wives is without a word and yet hilarious. The plot is also on the plus-side, as it is highly politically relevant and in that respect quite believable.

So the tension is good, the banter varying, the action much improved in 2 years, and the henchmen are useless. And there's nothing wrong with an epic ending with a 100 ninjas attacking a volcano base. No, no.

7/10

Best car used: Toyota 2000GT (though Bond never drives any car himself in this flick)
Most memorable drink served: Dry Martini, stirred not shaken. Bond lies well. Also Dom Perignon 59
Henchmen: Helga Brandt. Sexy, but not really menacing. Osato. A businessman. No threat other than to send swarms of thugs.
Villain: Ernest Stavro Blofeld. And Pleasence set a bar later actors would struggle to follow up.
Best one-liner: "Just a drop in the ocean"
Song: You only live Twice. Nancy Sinatra. A beautiful theme, but lacks the sass and virility from former instalments, partly because there is no big brass-section and her voice lacks the sheer power of her predecessors.
Bond-girl: Akiko Wakabayashi. Not particularly good as she lacks a bit of the "bad girl" and sheer power by presence the best have.

Thunderball (1965)

Bond whispering at a funeral... How unlike him and mundane. But wait! The man wasn't dead and a big fight ensues! And off by jet-pack it is, straight to the beloved Aston Martin (and a beautiful woman of course). All in a few minutes Much, much better. Generally, there is a lot of assassinations and attempted such the first 30 minutes.

Director Terence Young takes a bit of effort trying to let us get to know SPECTRE, and succeeds in showing them as an extremely callous organization, highly structured with much loyalty demanded, and absolutely no slip-ups tolerated. Under penalty of death. The problem with it is that Largo seems a bit weak compared to the actions of the not-seen Blofeld. He does feed failures to sharks though, and that is a most wanted trait in a villain. Particularly when he would much rather use them to give Bond a chance to escape instead of just shooting him. 

Bernard Lee gets a bit more meat on the bone as M, with high-ranking politicians involved, showing a fierce loyalty towards Bond, when he's not there. Connery seems a bit bored this time around, and particularly his flirting is off. He even has to blackmail himself to the first round. His interaction with Adolfo Celi as Largo in a card-game (thankfully no more golf) is impeccable, though. 

Somehow the special effects seem poorer than previous instalments, and particularly the action-scenes seem to have been done at 1.25 of regular speed, making them seem a bit silly. Thunderball does well on mystique, tension and the spy-like sneaking about though. And Barry has a magnificent score to help along. Pay particular attention to the build-up to Volpe's death. Masterful suspense. 

The real treat of this instalment however, is the underwater scenes. Whether the huge underwater battle (epic for its time) or just Bond and girls swimming with turtles, they are astonishing.

So it doesn't have the same charm as the two that preceded it, but it's still a solid piece of work

7/10

Best car used: Aston Martin DB5

Most memorable drink served: Dom Perignon 55.

Henchmen: Fiona Volpe, a beautiful but somewhat easy to forget character that dies rather early. 

Villain: SPECTRE number 2, Maximilian Largo

Best one-liner. "I think he got the point"

Song: Tom Jones. The big voice from Wales with a big brass section to dramatic effect. One of the best. 

Bond-girl: Claudine Auger as Domino. Seems a bit of a continuation of Tilly Masterson from "Goldfinger". Not particularly memorable

Goldfinger (1964)

Bond in scuba-gear emerging from the water, killing a guard, climbing a castle wall and planting a massive amount of explosives, before stripping straight to a tuxedo and entering a party. Was there ever a more fitting start to a Bond-flick. Naturally, there is time for a girl and a brawl before the vignette.

One of the first actions of Bond is to piss off Goldfinger (who was the first to have a golden gun) in a most petty and unnecessary way. Though this time it comes at a cost as it directly leads to the infamous death of Jill Masterson.

Connery is his usual flamboyantly deadly self, and most flirtatious, first with Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny in a very entertaining scene. The gem of his chemistry is the stable-scene with Honor Blackman though. Fröbe is an absolute treat with Blackman the resourceful, but persuadable damsel we've come to enjoy. The idea of a functioning mute with a deadly accurate hat is amazing and Sakata does it marvellously (and has great expressions and an even better death).

This flick also is the first to show off the Q-branch apart from just Q himself. As Q gives Bond a lot more information than he wants, Bond brings out the petulant child in his character, starting the banter that would carry on for decades.

Instead of a decent game of gambling, Bond and Goldfinger have a game of golf. As usual the villain will cheat and Bond will outsmart them. Despite Goldfingers pants, this game of golf is actually quite worthy of your time. He does get back at him with the legendary: "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die" though. Not to mention setting the perfect example for an unnecessarily elaborate death to be escaped.

The plot is of course nonsensical (though Fröbe and Connery really sells it in a delightful scene), even for a Bond-film, but it all makes sense nonetheless, to the extent it has to. Director Hamilton finds a wonderful pace, with just the right blend of action, plot and tension. The car chases are immense, the gadgets inventive and effective, and it has a great villain, henchman and love interest with a fantastic score to boot. And there are still some moments of good old cleverness and detective-work, as all spy-movies should have. After "FRWL" and this, it would take 50 years before they managed to make something as good as this for Bond.

9/10

Best car used: Aston Martin DB5. There never was a better Bond-vehicle
Most memorable drink served: Dom Perignon 53, but also his signature Dry Martini. (Mis)treated to a Mint Julep.
Henchmen: Harold Sakata as Oddjob is one of the finest and most beloved henchmen with his deadly bowler.
Villain: Gert Fröbe as Auric Goldfinger. Dubbed but still one of the more memorable.
Best one-liner: "Shocking. Positively shocking"
Song: Shirley Bassey. "Goldfinger". There was hardly a better match than Bassey and Barry. And this is their best collaboration. Perhaps the best of the entire series.
Bond-girl: Honor Blackman is a straight 10. Sexy, deadly and seductive like none other.