It takes a long, long time to build up any momentum, but once it gets rolling George Lanzeby’s sole outing as 007 is a pretty decent entry in the James Bond franchise. The return of arch-villain Blofeld (this time embodied by Telly Savalas) is a nice touch, although his germ warfare-via-hypnosis of beautiful women plan is absolutely preposterous, especially since the rest of the film is so consciously down to earth. The ski chase scenes on the slopes of the Swiss Alps have a definite charge, and the Austalian-born and then-completely-unknown Lazenby makes for a decent, if not particularly memorable James Bond—a bit of Sean Connery by way of Cary Grant with Timothy Dalton’s chin thrown in for good measure. The film is definitely too long, but the ending is a genuine shocker, the kind of finale no filmmaker would have dared try, especially in a popular franchise, except in the late 1960s. (DVD)