I read Stuart Galbraith IV's DVD review of Moonraker at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=36915 and...


Alright, I'm going to say it... I like this movie. A lot. Perhaps a lot of my affection stems from the fact that it was the first 007 film I saw in the theater. Perhaps its because I was 13 years old and still riding the waves of Star Wars exhilaration that were flowing as strong as ever at the time. I was blown away by this film when I walked out of the theater on opening day in 1979. More than just a two-hour diversion for me, it was an experience. An event.

Even now, nearly 30(!) years later, I find the film to still be endlessly entertaining and endearing. That's not to say it's flawless; I can't really argue with any of Stuart Galbraith's points. As a matter of fact, his review was kinder than I had expected and I am glad he gave the release a final evaulation of "Highly recommended".

I do disagree on one point, however: Roger Moore still looked believably dashing and heroic in this 007 adventure. [Granted, I cannot comment on the Blu-Ray version specifically]. It was his next film, though, For Your Eyes Only released in 1981 in which (for me, anyway) he appeared to have aged about 15 years since Moonraker and no longer looked believable in the role of an active field agent.

Moonraker has some of the wittiest dialog of the series. A few examples off the top of my head:

Holly Goodhead: "Come now, Mr. Bond. An 80-year old can take 3 G's."
Bond: "That's the trouble with 80 year olds; they're never around when you need one."

Bond: "Can you think of a reason we shouldn't have a drink afterwards?"
Holly Goodhead: "Not immediately. But I'm sure I shall."

Drax: "You missed, Mr. Bond."
Bond: "Did I?"

I like Stuart's hypothesis that perhaps they were shooting for an Avengers-like dynamic between Bond & Goodhead, even if Lois Chiles was unable to pull it off successfully. At any rate, the film has more memorable dialog than most of the other 007 films combined.

I disagree about the product placements, as well. They are certainly there, but they have never distracted nor bothered me more than in any other 007 film. How many closeups of Bond's cell phone (with brand name prominent!) have been shoved in our faces during the Daniel Craig era so far?

Jaws was really the lone element of the film that could have/should have been executed differently. I agree with Stuart that he was effectively menacing during the parade sequence. And sadly at no other time. The decision to have him draw laughs, I'm guessing, was director Lewis Gilbert's. Too bad, because a consistently menacing Jaws would have elevated this 007 adventure to the very top, rivaling Goldfinger. IMO.

Still, despite its flaws, the film succeeds in one of the most important aspects for me: being FUN. I can't help buy smile whenever I pop this one in the dvd player. It continues to ENTERTAIN me, no matter how many times I have seen it. Sadly, not all the Bond films have succeeded in this aspect (License to Kill, among a few others, comes to mind). But Moonraker is polished entertainment at its best, for me.

For some reason, I'm not surprised at all by that confession.

I'm envious that you got to see it in the theater! I desperately wanted to see this on the big screen but my mother (a single parent) had no interest and I never did get to go.

I've always kind of enjoyed this one, too (even though I understand Stuart's reservations). I know people don't seem to care too much for Chiles, but I liked her here. That icy quality and throaty voice was an intriguing combination (at least Bond seemed like he had to work a little bit to get her into bed). I had no idea James Mason turned down Drax, but how great would it have been to see Mason's withering, supercilious sarcasm on display as a Bond villain (and doubly cool to see one of Fleming's original choices as Bond, turn up as a villain).

And this is one Bond that really needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Its whole purpose was to overwhelm with the budget, and it looked amazing on a proper-sized screen (I was lucky enough to see one of the 70mm blow-ups on a D-150 screen, and even the film's stupid moments -- and there were a few, as Stuart rightfully pointed out -- were dwarfed by the presentation).

I'll admit it, I like this one, too. Yes, the plot is wholly at the service of the set pieces, but the grand scale of it is certainly impressive. As the others have said, all of Stuart's complaints apply (although I agree with the OP that Moore was still able to pull off Bond, just barely, in this entry), but that doesn't stop the movie from being a whole heap of silly fun. It's certainly better than the three Moore films that follow it.

I pretty much agree with all of moonraker's comments. Moonraker was about the 2nd Bond movie I saw in the theater so it has a special place in my memories. There are lots of good things in the movie - like just about all the movies in the series you can find things to nitpick with it. But it does entertain, which is what it is supposed to do. You'll love the Blu-ray when you get a chance to see it moonraker, it's excellent.

Add me to the Moonraker appreciation list. I've been a James Bond fan for over 30 years and have owned all the movies on just about every format imaginable. They all have their strong and weak points and Moonraker is no different. While it goes over the top at some points and some scenes could have been trimmed down a bit, it is a very entertaining movie and in many way the last great Bond spectacles as none of the subsequent films in the series really approached its breadth and scope. I recently bought the BluRay and it looks beautiful on my rig. Derek's Meddings space scenes in particular hold up well since he filmed many of the shots in the camera rather than relying on post-processing optical techniques like other films.

Yep, I agree with everyone else. Objectively, it's not one of the "best" Bonds when it comes to serious filmmaking, but it's certainly one heck of a very fun, entertaining Bond outing. This one has grown on me quite a bit since picking up the DVD last year.