Released (US): June 29, 1979
Genre: Action/Adventure
Length: 126 Min.
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Writer: Christopher Wood
Major Cast Members:
Roger Moore – James Bond
Lois Chiles – Dr. Holly Goodhead
Michael Lonsdale – Hugo Drax
Richard Kiel – Jaws
Bernard Lee – M
Awards:
Golden Screen Award (Germany)
Budget: $34,000,000
Box Office: $210,300,000
Plot Overview:For the first time ever, James Bond goes into space. After a man named Hugo Drax hijacks a spaceship, 007 is sent to investigate. Bond eventually uncovers a plot to commit global genocide and to breed a new super race of humans. The center of operation is a space station, and that is where Bond must go to stop the evil plot.
Did you know?:Moonraker was Bernard Lee’s (M) final Bond film. The actor died during the pre-production of the following film For Your Eyes Only.
Review:After a surprisingly good performance in The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore, and the Bond series, tumbled back down in a surprisingly poor production of the eleventh Bond film, Moonraker. There was potential, with Bond making his first venture into space, but it was never fulfilled. Moonraker certainly does not rank among the better Bond films.
Roger Moore was, again, solid in his fourth Bond film, but that’s all, solid. He didn’t improve on his last outing as 007, and he is still not approaching the Sean Connery level. Even though he is better than his first two attempts as the British spy, the viewer cannot look at Moore as Bond and not smirk a little. Moore is simply to light and humorous to be James Bond. The hardcutting tough guy attitude prevalent in all of Connery’s films are missing, therefor diluting the moments that are supposed to be witty and humorous.
The rest of the cast was a slight step down from The Spy Who Loved Me as well. Lois Chiles (Dr. Holly Goodhead) isn’t a great Bond Girl. Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) is a decent villain, but he doesn’t seem to have a personality. He is like a stiff, expressionless man with evil intentions. It is difficult to recall any moments where Drax let out an evil laugh, tempted Bond, or showed any significant variation from his standard blank, cold demeanor. Jaws (Richard Kiel) returned which is nice.
As far as the plot goes, Moonraker left something to be desired. There weren’t many moments of truly exciting action or suspense, which caused the movie to drag a bit. Like some past editions of the Bond franchise, there was an unbelievable (in the classic sense of the term) fight towards the end, where astronauts from both sides got into a laser fight outside of a space station that couldn’t be picked up on radar. It was too out there, even for a Bond film.
Another issue has to do with character development. Towards the end of the film, Bond is able to convince Jaws that Hugo Drax will eventually turn on him and kill him, thereby causing Jaws to immediately switch sides and fight with Bond. It almost seems like the two, in a matter of moments, have gone from hated enemies to great friends fighting alongside one another. First off, if the writers were going to do this, they should have spread the change out over time. There is no way the total ideology Jaws would have changed so quickly. Bond had, after all, tried to kill him many times. Secondly, it is almost disappointing when this happens. An epic battle between the two would have been much better. Bond and Jaws suddenly becoming friends is almost anticlimactic and does nothing for the movie.
As a whole, Moonraker was a disappointment. The potential was there, but it wasn’t fulfilled at all. Moonraker could have built on the better than expected The Spy Who Loved Me, but it didn’t, and the Bond series fell flat on its face.
Final Grade: C
Other Reviews:
DVDTown: “…one of the best of Moore’s Bond flicks, complemented by its exotic locales and outer-space motif.”
Reel Views: “As Roger Moore’s fourth Bond outing, and the eleventh film in the series, Moonraker is a satisfying followup to The Spy Who Loved Me.”
DVD Verdict: “Though not one of the best Bond films, Moonraker remains pleasing movie fare…”
Filmcritic.com: “Most rational observers agree that Moonraker is without a doubt the most absurd James Bond movie — definitely of the Roger Moore era and possibly of all time. And it’s exactly that ridiculousness that makes it so enjoyable.”
EFilm Critic: “Too cartoonish for it’s own good, the best you can say about is that it’s never boring. It is however frequently smug, silly and stupid.”
TVGuide: “…007 is less satisfying floating around in space than when his feet are more or less firmly planted on the ground.”
Watch (allow time to buffer):
