12 Things You Learn Rewatching You Only Live Twice

5. The Gyrocopter Battle Is Still Impressive

While a good deal of the action in the film is totally forgettable, the mid-film gyrocopter sequence deserves to be singled out for how impressive it still looks.

As Bond scouts the volcano lair, he's met in mid-air by a fleet of assailants in helicopters, and though there's some mild compositing used for cockpit shots and gunfire, the bulk of the sequence was actually achieved practically.

The expansive flying shots are epic, and the fact that the scene involves numerous aircraft flying extremely close to one another is really quite ambitious for a 50-year-old movie. Sadly, this did result in cameraman John Jordan's foot being cut by a rotor blade and subsequently amputated.

Thanks to pin-sharp editing and fantastically vertiginous cinematography, the scene has some real weight to it, and it's still a total blast to watch today.