Just FYI: the Bond films above are also available on Hulu.

Had a day off from work, so got a head start with On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I've always quite liked it, but it's better than I remember. If I could I'd go for an 8.5, but since there's no half scores I'm struggling, as I don't think it should be as low as an 8, but also shouldn't share billing with From Russia with Love... I will opt for an 8. Some notes:

- Lazenby obviously had big shoes to fill, but he did a fairly good job. Some of his lines sound a bit awkward, although I think he delivers the humourous well (they don't sound as on the nose as before). He doesn't have the superstar aura of Connery, but I think it works quite well in the context of the film, as it's a much more grounded affair than the past three. It also helps that his co stars are superb. He has a good rapport with the stunning Diana Rigg, and Telly Savalas is arguably the best villain of the series so far (he is the definitive Blofeld in my eyes). That said, there's far more emotional depth than the majority of Bond films, and I'm not sure Lazenby totally convinces me in this regard.

- The music... how have I never noticed how good it is? Fantastic score by John Barry.

- A lot of the fight scenes are really well done. Other than a few over exaggerated punches, Lazenby certainly looks the part in this regard.

- Christ, that henchman getting turned into mincemeat in that ski chase scene is absolutely brutal. The subsequent avalanche scene is wonderfully shot; it looks devastating.

This pretty much captures my thoughts as well.

Lazenby is no Connery, although his vulnerability in the role may have helped him in story that's far more emotional than usual.

The supporting case--especially Rigg--is excellent here. And this is probably the best musical score of the series.

Some small issues: the winking at the camera in the first act, with Lazenby breaking the fourth wall and then going through his trophies from earlier films. Also, some of the fight editing is really choppy, where a shot of a fist flying will cut to a body halfway across the room, with nothing in between. The ski/bobsled stuff is spectacular but the fist fights are a bit jumpy. Oh, and the huge plothole, where Blofeld doesn't recognize a man who in the previous movie destroyed his volcano lair. I get that the movies and books are going in a different order, but throw us a bone!

This gets an 8/10 from me. This is the second best Bond movie after From Russia With Love. I'm still kicking myself for always avoiding this one in my younger days.

“Welcome. Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond.”

You Only Live Twice is a hard film to pin down. On the one hand, it takes the Bond formula that has slowly been developing over the first batch of films and pushes it further and on the other it also seems to get high on its own supply and want to coast on the fumes of the good faith the series has developed thus far. It’s hard to weigh those iconic moments (the Little Nellie aerial battle and the volcano lair) and the deficiencies in the script and plot and the general blandness of what should be an epic story. It doesn’t help that Connery has lost that sparkle and clearly has one foot out the door and appears disinterested through a large part of the film.

There are still bright spots in this otherwise average film. The Japanese supporting cast is excellent. Tetsurō Tamba as Tiger Tanaka is a great addition. His and Bond’s relationship is friendly but he takes great pleasure in ribbing Bond for his mistakes. Contrast with M who can humble Bond with a scowl, Tanaka is barely suppressing a smile at Bond‘s uneasiness in the Japanese wedding. Additionally Akiko Wakabayashi as Aki is a great partner for Bond and sadly due to the needs to the script is replaced by Mie Hama as Kissy (who isn’t even named in the film!) and should have just been allowed to be the Bond girl for the film.

The rest of the cast is questionable at best. Helga Brandt is definitely the poor woman’s Fiona Volpe. The illogical decisions her character makes does not help her in the slightest. Hans is a forgettable henchman. And then there’s Blofeld. Sigh. Blofeld has been built up as this mysterious figure now for three films and the reveal is anti-climatic in the worst possible way. I’m a huge fan of Donald Pleasance but this was a miscast. Yes, the look is iconic but he doesn’t really present the lethal, ethereal threat that has hovered over this series so far. The curtain was pulled back and you see this humbug. Luckily that will change soon enough.

There are some bright spots. Ken Adam’s volcano lair is absolutely fantastic. Even today that establishing shot still impresses. If you were making a list of the people most responsible for Bond’s success, Ken Adam would be one of the names at the top. His sets always provide that grand scale that these films are known for. Additionally, the music score helps to underscore the exotic nature of the setting. Nancy Sinatra’s theme is not as brassy or showy as the previous two but it’s a haunting and lyrical theme that tends to get overlooked. And finally, Little Nellie was a superb find. The aerial combat was a different type of action sequence and scored along with the Bond theme played almost in its entirety cannot help but put a smile on your face.

I’ve gone back and forth on my score for this one. I don’t think it’s as low as a 5 but I also think a 6 is too high. The script from Roald Dahl needed a few more passes. Dahl admitted that the producers were adamant he follow the formula and he conceded to their demands not being the normal series writer. It shows. The film kind of jerks around from set piece to set piece without much connective tissue. This could have also been compounded by the fact that the story is almost entirely new and only a few elements from the novel are present, a first for the series. However the grand epic scale of the sets and set pieces and their influence on films going forward is hard to ignore. I’m going to be generous (as I have been for a lot of these early ones) and give this a 6. I can picture the films I would rank lower than this but maybe that will change and I may re-rate it later in the rewatch.

Current Rankings:
1) From Russia with Love
2) Goldfinger
3) Thunderball
4) Dr. No
5) You Only Live Twice

I just saw "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

This was an odd movie. I like the fact there are two clear plots going on at the same time, and they end up crossing over nicely and tragically at the end. Both plots are solid in their own right: Blofeld trying to make an infertility virus to blackmail the world seems like a plausible terrorist threat, though not without its common cartoony villany the series is known for. The second plot, Bond being contacted by a mafia boss to marry his daughter, and then actually falling in love is a sweet side of the character we don't see that often. The end is probably the most heartwrenching finale for a Bond movie I've seen, and Lazenby pulls it off perfectly. By the way, George Lazenby is good as 007, but everytime I saw him I got the feeling he was 007's successor, not 007 himself. He doesn't do a bad performance, it's just... maybe he looked too young to replace Sean Connery (I have no idea of their ages at the time, I'm just going for appearenaces), and with the initial wink to the audience about being a replacement, I expected them to actually add that into the story, but they just went along as if he had always been 007, which was weird. Though, to be fair, his portrayal of 007 is quite more vulnerable than Connery's, who was always portraying an almost invincible and suave hero. It helps him stand apart from Connery, and also adds a ton with his chemistry with Tracy (Diana Rigg's performance is great as a mafia princess with a death wish until she's saved by Bond). The character of Blofeld was great, though he's fallen somewhat from his puppeteer in the shadows role in the last movies. Still, the fact he goes to kill Bond in person and ends up killing Tracey makes the Bond vs Blofeld feud definitively personal. Trying to destroy the world multiple times is business, but now it is personal. The action scenes are a mixed bag. For one, some scenes are clearly sped up, with a lot of cuts trying to make the action more dynamic, but it just makes it sloppy. On the other hand, the second half of the movie, and in particular the fight scenes in the snow, are amazing, and surprisingly gory (that snowblower machine is the stuff of nightmares).

Overall, the movie kept improving as it went along, with probably the strongest ending a Bond movie had thus far. A solid 7/10, the first half dragged a bit, but the second half made it worth it.

And, by the way, they should have played the credits in silence. The Bond theme after what happened in the end kills the mood, what the fuck.

I watched Diamonds Are Forever last night. Substantial drop in quality from OHMSS. I'm rating it a 5/10.

From memory, I thought this was better than the reputation it seems to have, but this time round it felt like a bit of a chore. I didn't find it particularly engaging, the Bond girls are mostly useless and those scenes on the oil rig... awful. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but at times it felt like a parody. Charles Gray has a decent turn as Blofeld, obviously not up to Telly Savalas' standard, but good nonetheless (it does bother me that he was also that fella that got stabbed in You Only Live Twice though). I also enjoyed Jimmy Dean as William Whyte, as well as the Wint and Kidd duo. I gather the latter two aren't highly regarded as villains, but I've always liked the way they interact with one another. Connery is coasting through, although some of his lines still give me a laugh (eg "who is you floor?", "I'm afraid you caught me with more than my hands up").

I'm really looking forward to digging into the Moore era next.

Diamonds are Forever starts OK at first. It has a breezy, campy rhythm that makes it watchable, if not enjoyable. It tends to get worse as it goes though.

The locations--Vegas, Baja--are meek and borderline sleazy, there are too many side characters, the diamond heist plot spins its wheels forever (before the mystery villain is revealed), and Jill St. John's Tiffany Case feels underdeveloped. This is the first Bond movie where I consistently thought "what is the point?"

Now, some pros. The main theme, sung by Bassey is really good. Also, the movie actually has a few laugh-out-loud moments. Bond's perfect delivery of "small world" in response to a goon's dumb remark slays me. While some of the vehicle chases are tedious, I did enjoy the violent fist-fight in the elevator.

This is between a 4 and a 5. I will round down and go with 4.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is always the Bond film I’m most protective of. It was a favorite of mine growing up and I would get defensive when people would attack it, especially for superficial reasons. “Lazenby only did one” or “It’s long”, etc. Watching it again, it reminds me of how enjoyable it is especially coming after the lackluster You Only Live Twice. Lazenby clearly wasn’t an experienced actor, but there’s an authenticity to his performance and he handles the emotional material well. He also clearly is enjoying himself immensely especially in the action scenes where he had a habit of getting a little too intense with the stuntmen.

I go back and forth on how this film would have played with Connery still in the role. On the one hand, I tend to think it would indisputably be the best of the franchise given its storyline if it had the best Bond in the lead. However, Connery had clearly grown bored with the role in the last film so it’s hard to picture him back in top form here when in the next film he basically needed to be bribed to come back again. In any case, Lazenby acquits himself well aside from some slight mugging and the chemistry he shares with Diana Rigg is palpable.

Stealing yet another actress from The Avengers, after Honor Blackman in Goldfinger, Rigg is a treasure. From the opening where we see her walk almost zombie-like into the sea, we get to see her character come back to life through her relationship with Bond. Could it have been hokey to have Bond fall in love? Definitely. But the montage set to Louis Armstrong’s lovely “We Have All the Time in the World” sells the relationship. There was clearly an electricity between the two in the earlier scenes, however the montage helps denote the passage of time and you can see them falling for one another on the screen.

OHMSS was the longest film of the classic era but I always maintained it never felt it. On this rewatch I can admit that while it doesn’t drag, some of the bed-hopping at Piz Gloria does slow it down a bit and could easily be excised from the film. It also helps that the story is more grounded and personal for Bond as he’s on the hunt for Blofeld. There’s less gadgets and Bond is forced to survive on his wits. We also see him vulnerable as he is on the run from SPECTRE forces with no avenue of escape.

I want to give a special shout out to Gabriele Ferzetti as Draco, Bond’s father-in-law and partner in crime. Another strong ally in these early films, I always thought it would be interesting to have him come back and have a reckoning with Bond but alas, it was never to be. He shifts gears from organized crime head to loving father effortlessly and adds great charm to his scenes. Lois Maxwell is also on point as the mediating force between Bond and M’s egos and it’s nice to see both of them are aware of how important she is to their working relationship. And, of course, Savalas is my personal pick for best Blofeld. Here he’s a physical threat to 007 and after the heartbreaking finale, the object of Bond’s vengeance.

I’ve always pushed OHMSS as the best film of the franchise. I’ve been wavering back and forth on whether to keep it in that spot or yield to From Russia with Love. And while I came VERY close, I’m still going to keep it in the top spot with and rate it a 9. (I already conceded my top film in the Marvel Rewatch!) I was just so invested in the film even though I’ve seen it multiple times. While some of the physical action may be a bit spotty, the ski scenes, stock care race and helicopter assault (to the Bond theme!) are all top notch action sequences. But the real winning factor is the heart. That ending is so gut-wrenching and made all the more powerful because we too fall in love with Tracy. And yes, those end credits should have been silent.

Current Rankings:
1) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
2) From Russia with Love
3) Goldfinger
4) Thunderball
5) Dr. No
6) You Only Live Twice

One question: were the Bond movies made in chronological order? "Diamonds Are Forever" seems more a sequel to "You only live Twice" than to "On Her Majesty's Secret Services", and not just because of the change of actor. In DaF, Bond starts to hunt for Blofeld in Japan, where he ended in YoLT, he doesn't seem affected by the death of her wife, and Blofeld has no signs of the wounds he took in "OhMSS". Am I the only one bothered by this?

It bother me too, but it's just a side effect of the unfortunate reality that the film studio made the movies in a different order from the books.

As @Doc755 will point out, continuity was a minor concern in 60s and 70s filmmaking.