31 replies to this topic

[JimmyBond]

Ok, I know the humor at times is extremely juvenile, and the film almost loses all semblance of reality once Bond gets to the space station. On the other hand, MR also has some of the best action sequences of the series, or at least some of my favorite, and a Bond who is all class and Moore is definately having a ball playing in this film.

Theres other elements in this film that I feel people often overlook, the score is one of Barry's best, and the title song sung by Shirley Bassey is clearly worthy of standing aside such classics as Goldfinger and Thunderball. In a day and age where people are bitching about all the CGI in Bond films (something I dont entirely agree with, but thats niether here nor there) we have a great eye popping stunt to open the film. Bond's freefall has always been one of my favorite teaser sequences, and I do not feel Jaws ruins it, but thats just me.

That brings up another point, Jaws, many people feel he's a joke in this film, and while he is played for laughs, its ok, cause it works for me. As does his one line, it just seems so appropriate for the sequence, again, this is just my opinion though.

One more thing before I end this, People complain a lot of how Bond has turned into a Rambo-Clone, what with all the shooting he's done in the recent Bond films, but not in this one. Bond only fires a gun once, and its not even his PPK. Apparently Bond's too classy to use a gun

Come on people, I dont want to be the only Moonraker fan here, which is easily my second favorite Moore film (behind AVTAK).

[Loomis]

Originally posted by JimmyBond

I dont want to be the only Moonraker fan here

Oh, I know you're not. Right, zencat?

I also like MOONRAKER. It's not nearly as bad as it's usually made out to be, in fact it's rather good. The pre-credits freefall is stunning, Moore is charismatic, Michael Lonsdale gives an amusing performance as Drax, and both the title song and score are great. Visually the film more than delivers the goods, with beautiful locations, Ken Adam's always-superb production design, and Jean Tournier's excellent cinematography. There's a real globetrotting feel to it (as well as, pardon the pun, the obvious spacetrotting one), with Venice, Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon seeming absolutely perfect ports of call for 007. I rate it higher than FOR YOUR EYES ONLY and OCTOPUSSY, as well as a few other Bond flicks, including DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH.

I like the fact that the Bond series contains a film as "light" as MOONRAKER and a a film as "dark" as LICENCE TO KILL (although it's rarely mentioned that there's plenty of Fleming-style sadism in MOONRAKER - the awful fate of Corinne Dufour, for instance). Those two films would make an interesting double bill, representing the two "extremes" of the cinematic Bond. Certainly, MOONRAKER pushes the Bond-as-superhero idea just about as far as it will go, making DIE ANOTHER DAY look like THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS.

Interesting that Raymond Benson seems to detest MOONRAKER, given his slating of it in his "Bedside Companion". Well, I'm not sure why that's interesting, but to me it is, for some reason.

[DLibrasnow]

The first two-thirds of "Moonraker" are excellent. When Bond is strapped in and helpless in the centrifuge you really feel the tension and the stress.
Where the movie loses focus is with the arrival of Jaws. I thought having him turn good ruined a perfectly good character, and it was an even greater sin to have him talk!

[JimmyBond]

We'll just have to agree to disagree on Jaws then. I even thought it was interesting the way they gave him a love interest.

[kevrichardson]

The pre-title sequence in Moonraker is great ! Remember it came after the pre-title from The Spy . So EON had to top that ! Still Moonraker has the best Barry score of Moore's Bonds .

[zencat]

Moonraker is THE most underrated Bond film of all time! It's very high on my list of favs.

[Double-Oh-Zero]

I'm a MR fan as well. It was one of the first ones I saw, and it sort of established in my mind the over-the-top elements of a Bond film. The locations are superb, the stunts are awesome (the pretitle sequence is one of the best IMO) and Drax is probably the most mysterious and wicked villains of the Moore films, and series, for that matter. I would have preferred Jaws to just stay in the pretitles sequence (and maybe reappear at the end for a huge fight), he isn't really too much of an annoyance in the film.

[DLibrasnow]

Originally posted by Double-Oh-Zero
I'm a MR fan as well. It was one of the first ones I saw, and it sort of established in my mind the over-the-top elements of a Bond film.

Moonraker was the first James Bond movie that I saw in the movie theater. I was about seven years old and loved all the OTT elements. Two years later when FYEO came out I was a little disappointed that the OTT elements were missing. Over time however FYEO has steadily rose up my list of favorites and MR has gradually fallen down.

[Turn]

For a long time, MR was the film to slag. After it came out, everybody seemed to scream for a return to the "serious" Bond film and MR seemed like a relic after FYEO came out.

As Loomis said, Benson and other Bond writers of the time, John Brosnan, author of James Bond in the Cinema, and Steven Rubin, author of the James Bond Films and James Bond Encyclopedia, both dismissed it. Brosnan called it "the most expensive slapstick since It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Mad World.

[4 Ur Eyez Only]

I think it is one of the only 007 films that can stand on its own.. I think that is what they were going for..

the budget was just everywhere!.. just a huge movie! They usually have maybe 3 amazing sets on a 007 film.. this one had a TON of sets!! even hallways were pretty amazing

I think this film has a worldwide appeal...:cool:

[BONDFINESSE 007]

its one of many thats in my constant play rotation, i really like this film a lot

[Kingdom Come]

It is the best photographed of the series and has the best locations.
A real feast for the eyes. Christopher Wood's script leaned much more in the direction of fantasy than before. Thats where Bond should be - who wants to see Bond as a real man?

[David Somerset]

Even after multi viewings, I still laugh out loud when Jaws pulls the boat steering wheel off and then proceeds over the waterfall.

[DLibrasnow]

[quote]Originally posted by Turn

As Loomis said, Benson and other Bond writers of the time, John Brosnan, author of James Bond in the Cinema, and Steven Rubin, author of the James Bond Films and James Bond Encyclopedia, both dismissed it. Brosnan called it "the most expensive slapstick since It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Mad World.

[Loomis]

Originally posted by Turn

Benson and other Bond writers of the time, John Brosnan, author of James Bond in the Cinema, and Steven Rubin, author of the James Bond Films and James Bond Encyclopedia, both dismissed it.  

I don't like it when writers paint too black a picture of series entries in Bond books. I'm not saying that they should keep their criticisms to themselves - far from it, but "historians" shouldn't push their personal tastes too much, and, besides, negative writeups tend to be more "permanent" in books than in magazines or newspapers. It's how indoctrinated opinions get passed down, for instance to children who receive those books as birthday presents. I was on the point of buying "The Essential Bond" by Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall the other day, but decided to pass when I noticed it slated one of my favourites, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, and did so with the same old lazy, thirdhand criticisms.

[ChandlerBing]

Moonraker was literally hijacked somewhere in between Christopher Wood's original screenplay and the thing that ended up on the screen. Having now read the novelization written by Wood himself, most of the idiotic humor is nowhere to be found. The script that Wood wrote was very fantasy-oriented, of course, but still had its roots in Fleming. As some of the other people involved on the film will tell you, the script was being rewritten as it went along, unfortunately, which is never a good sign.

[Bryce (003)]

Moonraker works!

One of my top five Bond's.

[4 Ur Eyez Only]

top 5 bonds.. ?? or top 5 roger bonds???

I personally put Moonraker in my top 5.. well #5 of Roger's 007 Films.

whats your top 5 Bond films.. where do you put it in that 5???

Interesting:cool:

[DLibrasnow]

Originally posted by ChandlerBing
As some of the other people involved on the film will tell you, the script was being rewritten as it went along, unfortunately, which is never a good sign.

Yeah the last third of MR blows the big one!

[Bryce (003)]

Originally posted by 4 Ur Eyez Only
what's your top 5 Bond films.. where do you put it in that 5???

Interesting:cool:

Fair enough....

This goes OT, but...

For my own reasons...

Bryce's top 5 Bond films.

- FRWL
- TSWLM
- OHMSS
- MR
- GE

LTK and YOLT are close though.

Moonraker is classic big 70's Bond. Locales, Pre-credits, Girls, Sets, Barry's score, Gadgets (Yes, the "Bondola" was a bit much, but only the hovercraft), Outer Space but done with shuttles - Remember: '79 was supposed to be the first Shuttle flight.

My only REAL problem is not once does Roger draw his PPK.

Other than that, THIS Bond delivers.

[JimmyBond]

Originally posted by Bryce (003)




My only REAL problem is not once does Roger draw his PPK.

Really? That was always one of the reasons I liked this movie. The fact that Bond didnt rely on firearms to save the day, but his wits. In fact, in space Bond doesnt even pick up a laser gun.

[DLibrasnow]

Originally posted by JimmyBond


Really? That was always one of the reasons I liked this movie. The fact that Bond didnt rely on firearms to save the day, but his wits. In fact, in space Bond doesnt even pick up a laser gun.

I will agree with you on this point Jimmy.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

is moonraker the only film bond does not draw out his ppk?

[zencat]

Originally posted by BONDFINESSE 007
is moonraker the only film bond does not draw out his ppk?

Yes, it is. Moonraker is the only film in which Bond never handles a handgun whatsoever. It's a great triva question.

[Turn]

If I'm not mistaken, he doesn't use the Walther in DAF, although I think he does draw it in the suite where he meets Tiffany and when he takes it off in Blofeld's bathroom. The only thing he fires is the piton gun into the Blofeld double's skull, and a fire extinguisher at Franks.

[Turn]

Originally posted by DLibrasnow


John Brosnan was a columnist and reviewer for "Starburst" magazine in the early 1980s and I remember him writing about being invited to a James Bond convention (in Germany I think).
The fellow honorees included Peter Hunt (who told Brosnan he owned a copy of Brosnans "James Bond in the Cinema") and Christopher Wood (among others). Brosnan recounts that he was nervous upon meeting Wood because he was a very tall man (and Brosnan had been unkind to Wood in his discussion of MR), but was subsequently relieved to find out that Wood had never read "James Bond in the Cinema".

I loved Starburst Magazine from that era. There wasn't a magazine that came close to their coverage of sci-fi, fantasy and action films back then. I acquired several with Bond articles from a comic convention last year and still have a few I'd like.

Anybody know whatever became of John Brosnan? He was pretty harsh in his books, but he was the only guy at the time who ever got a book published about the Bond films.

[zencat]

Originally posted by Turn
If I'm not mistaken, he doesn't use the Walther in DAF, although I think he does draw it in the suite where he meets Tiffany and when he takes it off in Blofeld's bathroom.

Right, he doesn't use it in DAF, but he does draw it in this scene. So he does handle a handgun in DAF.

[JimmyBond]

I wouldnt mind them doing that in a Brosnan film. Never have him draw, or use a gun. Would make for some interesting actoin sequences, sigh, probably never happen though.

[Turn]

So does Bond using a Walther in the series count as a merchandising tie-in?

[JimmyBond]

Originally posted by Turn
So does Bond using a Walther in the series count as a merchandising tie-in?

I don't think so, since Bond used a Walther in the books, it was just seen as part of the character. Walther having a deal with EON was just a side effect of that.