A real disaster of a flick that clearly reflects the uncertainty and disarray surrounding the franchise in the early ‘70s. With George Lazenby out of the picture and a small cavalcade of fill-ins dropping off for one reason or another, Eon pressed the panic button and brought Sean Connery out of mothballs for a swan song. It's a mistake from the very start. Not only does Connery look unreasonably old for the part, he badly overplays his confidence and worldliness, often coming off as desperate and smarmy.

The screen is crowded with gaudy sideshow characters, including a trashy, ditsy leading lady and two villainous hitmen who seem far more concerned with excessively elaborate setups than actually doing away with anybody. Even longtime nemesis Blofeld, who may have been the sole beacon of excellence in the equally-forgettable You Only Live Twice, is ruined by an awful recasting, horrendous new personality quirks and a master plan that makes no sense whatsoever. But that's par for the course, really, as the plot at large is peppered with so many dumb jokes and absurd asides that just keeping up with this swerving, goofball storyline is a challenge worthy of MI-6.

There's a good car chase midway through the second act (which loses some steam thanks to a similar pursuit, just a few minutes earlier, involving a freaking moon rover) and a few of the gags are so mind-blowingly stupid that I couldn't help but laugh. Otherwise, this is a completely insignificant chapter in the character's long, speckled history. Unless you're a dedicated completist, keep your distance.