It's not that I don't enjoy reviewing movies, and I certainly haven't stopped enjoying them. It's more that I just haven't always got the time to give reviews to movies when so much else is going on. It's been since August since I reviewed a movie, and here I am, at the end of October, reviewing a movie I watched over a month ago. The significance of it is that it's a James Bond movie, which I am somewhat obligated to review. Seeing as it's such a huge series, it helps me to record my thoughts on each individual film so I don't forget what I thought of it later on. This is true for all movies, really, but after a while, the James Bond movies begin to blur together slightly.

Well, first off, I guess I should tackle that claim of On Her Majesty's Secret Service being the best Bond movie ever. That's what this one is famous for, after all (that and the ski chase scene.). To be honest, I see no validity in that claim at all unless you really value character development above all else. Because that's where the movie shines; both James Bond and his Bond girl, for the first time, genuinely tug our heartstrings in this movie. That's the only really outstanding thing about this movie, though, and it's the reason I'm giving it a Fresh rating.

I don't really believe that it's enough to make up for the messy plotline, though. I put a great deal of stock in character, but a decent plot is something I've come to expect from James Bond movies. So far, only Thunderball has really underwhelmed me as a James Bond feature, and even then I commend it for having a very sneaky and clever plot. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, though, made no real sense to me. It may have been that I was rather sleepy when I watched the movie, but it didn't make a lick of sense to me until I looked back on it in retrospect. And even then, there were all kinds of subplots that never really went anywhere (what on Earth was going on with that blonde guy who kept following Bond? He was focused on enough to catch my attention but not enough to warrant his existence). In the end, I just kept my mind on the relationship between Tracy and James.

Tracy made a great Bond girl because of her bullheadedness and...realism, to be honest. However enjoyable it was to watch the prior Bond girls, they all seemed like caricatures of women instead of real women (with the possible exception of Tania from From Russia With Love.). On Her Majesty's Secret Service was really good at capturing the intricacies of the human mind, and Tracy seemed a lot more like a real person than any of her predecessors. I wouldn't have held that against the film if it hadn't been so good at it, but it was a nice perk when I was expecting just another Bond girl.

George Lazenby takes the reins for a brief moment as James Bond, replacing the suave Sean Connery. Although he actually does a laudable job of emulating Connery, George Lazenby just lacks whatever it was that Sean Connery brought to the screen (maybe it was maturity. There are several shots that make Lazenby look weirdly like a schoolboy...). I've yet to see any later films in the series, so I guess I can't complain too loudly about Lazenby; I know a lot of people hated Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. But for now, when all I have to compare Lazenby to is Connery, I'd definitely take Connery. Though I did enjoy the slight fracture of the fourth wall at the beginning of the film ("This never happened to that other fellow"). Couldn't help but chuckle at that, however dumb it was.

Donald Pleasance also didn't return to reclaim his role from the last film, unfortunately. Even moreso than Sean Connery for Bond, I think Donald Pleasance was absolutely the best choice for Ernst Stavro Blofeld. There's nothing especially wrong with Pleasance's replacement, Telly Savalas, but it's the same concept as the whole Connery/Lazenby split. The latter fits their role fine, but there's just something about the former that suits the character perfectly. It's easier to pinpoint with Donald Pleasance; his famous detached stare gives Blofeld an air of menace that Savalas couldn't quite manage.

The introduction of marriage was a pleasantly surprising choice. The relationship between Tracy and Bond struck me as particularly strong throughout the movie, and I was rather glad it culminated in marriage. One thing I never exactly liked about the franchise was how each Bond girl was eliminated from the storyline after the movie she debuted in. It makes it difficult to care about them if they're just going to be gone in the next movie anyhow. Of course, Tracy doesn't exactly fare well in this movie, but we were at least given the illusion that she would become a major character due to her tenderhearted romance with Bond. Although the ending is quite tragic and I would rather Tracy had made it, I wouldn't change a thing about it (However, the inclusion of the Bond theme after the last scene was pretty bad idea. It didn't bother me as much as it seems to bother most people, but even I can admit it was out of place.).

I sort of feel like rewatching this movie completely alert, because I feel like I've missed out on something. I've yet to be sincerely let down by a James Bond movie; each and every one of them has been entertaining in one way or another. So why is On Her Majesty's Secret Service considered the magnum opus of the series by many? Even in my somnolence, I didn't much care for the elaborate plot structure. I've stayed awake through movies when I was tired before if I wanted to, and although I did for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, I felt like sleeping most of the way through. The romantic subplot was the best yet, no doubt about it, but nothing else about the movie really ingrained itself in my head, and no matter how good the characters in this movie were, I don't think anything over a 7 would be justified. A 7 is feasible, but I really just didn't enjoy this movie all that much. It was a mediocre movie with some impressive parts, and those parts are only just enough to get me to like it and not dislike it. It wasn't a trainwreck or anything, and I'd recommend it to other folks on the basis that they'd probably enjoy it more than I did, but I can't say I was impressed with what I have long been told is the best movie of the series.