105 replies to this topic

[Tarl_Cabot]

Agreed it's silly and OTT but unpretentious fun.I watch it because it's a film from my generation; it came out the year I started watching Bond and although it's not as good as Thunderball or other 60's era films I saw that yr in '79 I still enjoy it for the campy 70's cheese fest it is. It's not one of my faves but...

Great score/song.check

Menacing villian (s). Check

fun plot(if outragious).check

great locales.check

Roger Moore is still dashing and youthful.

It's low on my list(DAD is the worst for me) but I still have a fugitive affection for it.

[Mister Asterix]

[mra]I can

[Harmsway]

Why do I love MOONRAKER? Well let me tell you!

MOONRAKER is one of those films in the EON Bond canon that stands for pure extravagant and huge entertainment. This Bond film is massively epic, and that can't be denied. MOONRAKER is cinemtatic Bond as far as the cinematic Bond can be pushed - all the ridiculous elements are everwhere. And you know what? I love it.

The pre-title sequence is wonderful. It's a great piece of entertainment, and really quite thrilling. The title song is wonderfully soothing, with beautiful accompanying images by Maurice Binder (this is truly Binder's last decent moment with Main Titles... it's all downhill from here).

MOONRAKER is great moment after great moment. Bond meeting Hugo Drax at the chateau is a wonderful sweeping moment, hardly ridiculous, and absolutely classy. From there, we get the terrific centrifuge sequence - one of the most gripping moments in the series, and accompanied by some terrific acting on Moore's part.

And who doesn't like the "You missed." "Did I?" scene? That's hilarious and fun. The following death of Corrine is shockingly brutal, and a nice touch of darkness for a lighter Bond film.

The film goes to Venice after that, and Venice is a superb location. We get a fun little gondola chase (okay, it turning into a hovercraft is a bit much, but it's still fun), as well as a fantastic fight in the glass factory that ranks as one of the series' better encounters. Even the reveal of the gas and its capabilities is handled very well, and overall the pacing and flow of MOONRAKER is really consistent.

True, by the time the film Brazil, it starts to lose a bit of its edge. Jaws starts to take prominence, and with that comes a lot of goofiness. But that's one small element in the film. In Brazil we still get a great travelogue feel and some fun sequences.

Hugo's base in Brazil is one of the great sets in the Bond series. 100% Ken Adam. We get a wonderful bevy of beauties (hearkening a bit back towards OHMSS), as well as some more great lines by Hugo Drax. The escape from the shuttle exhaust (perhaps the only moment from Fleming's book that shows up in some form in the film) is wonderfully done.

Sure, by the time the movie reaches outer space, it goes ballistically ridiculous. This part hasn't aged well either - the special effects look fairly awful. But there's still such a sense of glee about it that it's hard to really hate it, and all you can do is really sit back and have a little fun laughing along with it. It's not like it's honestly taking itself seriously!

Overall, MOONRAKER is one of the more colorful and entertaining entries in the Bond canon. I consider it superior to its predecessor, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, and better than its successors (aside from TLD perhaps...). It's definitely a high point in the series for me and IMO deserves more respect than it gets.

[Loomis]

[quote name='Mister Asterix' date='17 November 2005 - 17:33'][mra]I can

[Scorpion]

In my opinion Moonraker is the worst bond movie...

In your "I FEEL LIKE I DON'T BELONG" thread you state you have not seen all the movies.

Can you enlighten us with respect to your proclaimation in this thread?

What is the basis of your opinion if you havent seen them all?

[Mister Asterix]

[quote name='Loomis' date='17 November 2005 - 12:37'][quote name='Mister Asterix' date='17 November 2005 - 17:33'][mra]I can

[Tarl_Cabot]

[quote name='Mister Asterix' date='17 November 2005 - 11:33'][mra]I can

[YOLT]

Its better than TSWLM.

[Loomis]

[quote name='Mister Asterix' date='17 November 2005 - 19:37'][quote name='Loomis' date='17 November 2005 - 12:37'][quote name='Mister Asterix' date='17 November 2005 - 17:33'][mra]I can

[Stephen Spotswood]

I can't stand "Moonraker." It was the absolute nadir of the Bond series. It had the return of one of the worst characters ever in Richard Kiel's Jaws. The plot seemed like they were jealous of "Star Wars." Moore and Brosnan both had potential as Bond, but their chances were spoiled by producers who wanted bigger and bigger effects, and the character taking more and more of a back seat. Bond was the first great action-adventure figure and led the pack, with Moore and Brosnan it just followed the pack.

Edited by Stephen Spotswood, 17 November 2005 - 08:11 PM.

[trumanlodge89]

i dislike moonraker. (i believe ive used hate in the past, see my review.) i still watch it every now and then, but never when its on tv. its pretty poor, but its still bond. i dont even consider it a guilty pleasure, like i do AVTAK and MWGG. its a rehash of SWLM, and could almost be considered a remake. almost all the elements are cut from the same formula, making it rahter redundent. not only that, but the space effects are incredibly confusing, not to mention the major continuity issues in this film. (the henchmen suddenly change gender when the fight breaks out aborad the space station.)


i feel it drags as well, but it does make for a great evening of "mystery science theatre 3000" style commentary from me and my friends.

and to be honest, i watch licence to kill, which i consider my favorite, almost as infrequently as moonraker. two reasons: ive watched it so often i can quote it verbatium, and because i dont want to become sick of it. i bust out my moonraker VHS every now and then for the opposite reasons, i feel like i should give it another chance, and thre are parts the i enjoy. (not unlike DAD.)

[Scorpion]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I did and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was an epic adventure and stands as one of the most violent entries in the series.

The critics likely have only watched a handful of Bonds, and probably only one or two upon release. Case in point: the chap who started this tread.

[Qwerty]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I would have loved to.

[Streetworker]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I did and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was an epic adventure and stands as one of the most violent entries in the series.

The critics likely have only watched a handful of Bonds, and probably only one or two upon release. Case in point: the chap who started this tread.

I saw it at the cinema; mind you, I saw YOLT on its initial theatrical release (I was 5). My memories of Moonraker are that I found it disappointing after TSWLM (which blew me away in the cinema), but that it was still one hell of a ride.

[Mister Asterix]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I did and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was an epic adventure and stands as one of the most violent entries in the series.

The critics likely have only watched a handful of Bonds, and probably only one or two upon release. Case in point: the chap who started this tread.

I did. (I stayed seated for the film.) I loved it on the first viewing. My love died down as the film and I aged, but has been resurrected on recent viewings. I for one love the Space Marines.

[Blue07]

Moonraker is a joy. It's one of the overblown OTT Bond's that so many complain about as if every Bond film has to be gritty, dark and brooding. Much as with AVTAK I think some sort of quality control myth has sprung up around these two films as if they are disposable because they aren't FRWL and don't star Connery. Purists...Bond snobs.

Well the whole thing is subjective and that's important for a franchise that's lasted this long. I find so much to enjoy in every one of the Bond films and for so many different reasons. I think the fact that Bond can in one film be OTT showboating and the next grounded and gritty is part of the franchises longevity. If every film trod the same path the franchise wouldn't have gone on so long. Moonraker along with TSWLM are the two grand Moore Bond's and are both very important Bond films. Sure Moonraker is cheesy OTT nonsense but it's FUN!

And for whoever earlier said that it had a weak villian well what the hell were you watching mate? Lonsdale as Drax is truely superb and one of the best villians ever. Utterly terrifying. A great character and brilliant actor.

There just isn't enough meglomaniacs trying to destroy the world any more is there? Cucumber sandwich?

Edited by Lappaman, 17 November 2005 - 10:06 PM.

[Bon-san]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I saw it thrice that glorious summer. And loved it each time. Big, rollicking "only-Roger-could-get-away-with-this-" entertainment. Beautiful locales, too.

I did go through my "it sucks" phase, mostly, I think as a result of reading Benson's thrashing of it in his Companion.

I've since come full circle. It's grand. Over the top, but magnificently so.

[Napoleon Solo]

In my opinion Moonraker is the worst bond movie. Some people like it though. Why?

The positives of Moonraker:

-- Ken Adam's sets.

-- John Barry's music

-- Pre-titles sequence

Now there's a lot I don't like, but the film, in my opinion, has some pluses. Your mileage may vary.

[Napoleon Solo]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I saw it thrice that glorious summer. And loved it each time. Big, rollicking "only-Roger-could-get-away-with-this-" entertainment. Beautiful locales, too.

I did go through my "it sucks" phase, mostly, I think as a result of reading Benson's thrashing of it in his Companion.

I've since come full circle. It's grand. Over the top, but magnificently so.

I saw it that summer. Five times, I think.

[triviachamp]

Could someone explain to me how a plane flying from the US to the UK would be flying over the Yukon?

Is it "Charr" or "Chang"?

I didn't like having Jaws return, especially as a good guy. Seems like a sellout to kiddies.

I always found Lonsdale to be a non-entity. He has some great lines and a nefarious plot but he is just....there. Same with Chiles. A bit too mechanical

The plotline seems too mechanically put together. "Let's rehash The Spy Who Loved Me/ You Only Live Twice and ripoff Star Wars!"

The double taking pigeon and the scene with the Q-Gondola (can you say "deus ex machina"?) going through St. Mark's is dreadful.

Bond knowing everything about rare orchids. Ugh

Drax's men sure captured Bond and Holly rather quickly after the cable car scene!

Having Bond's dart watch disappear and then reappear when he needs it is a real deus ex machina as well.

The movie has been accused of stealing from Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die. Anyone seen this?

The movie seems to have been made to outpardody all of the Bond parodies. But the second Austin Power's movie did outspoof Moonraker. So it failed there!

Edited by triviachamp, 18 November 2005 - 12:54 AM.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I did and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was an epic adventure and stands as one of the most violent entries in the series.

I did. It was the first Bond film I ever saw in the movie theater after having seen LALD, DAF, YOLT and FRWL on TV. It was incredible to see this lavish epic combination of James Bond and Star Wars SFX and made for an absolutely terrific viewing experience for all boys at the time. Even though I learned later that it(as all 1970s Bond films) bore very little resemblance to the original Ian Fleming source novel, I'm still fond of it. Definitely one of the most underrated Bond films and a joy to watch. I know some may consider it a heresy, but I actually think it improves upon TSWLM in some ways.

[killkenny kid]

[quote name='Scorpion' date='17 November 2005 - 15:51']
Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I did, and for many years I wasn't a fan of Moonraker. But, with the help of some here at CBN. I enjoy the movie now, I see it for want it is. Fun.

[Qwerty]

Is it "Charr" or "Chang"?

Chang.

[Turn]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I did and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was an epic adventure and stands as one of the most violent entries in the series.

Moonraker is the film that turned me from a casual fan into a lifelong Bond fan.

I had always liked Bond films, but wasn't overwhelmed with them. I'd watch them whenever they were on TV and usually went to see each new one as they came out, but by the time I was 12, I discovered sports and other things and even went as far as skipping one or two ABC showings earlier that year.

Then I saw Moonraker in the cinema that summer and its combination of stunts, special effects and the usual Bond magic hooked me and it would build my fascination with Bond I carry today. Moonraker isn't my favorite Bond, but I will always have a soft spot for it.

[triviachamp]

Is it "Charr" or "Chang"?

Chang.

Then how come no one pronounces it that way then?

[Qwerty]

I'd say they do, but the 'g' seems silent when Drax says the name.

[DLibrasnow]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I did. It was my first movie theater Bond movie.

[Lazenby880]

I read that one of the reasons Darksideoftheschwartz dislikes Moonraker as it ignores pretty much everything in Ian Fleming's novel. Such a complaint is understandable. But surely, if one is consistent, one would have to pretty much loathe the entire series if that is the problem. None of the films were filmed as faithful Fleming adaptations; although some were made more faitful to the 'source material' (such as Peter Hunt and On Her Majesty's Secret Service). Best to think of the literary and cinematic series as two entirely seperate entities (although I would love to see a series of period faithful adaptations - perhaps made for television - too).

Moonraker is one of my favourite Bond novels. And even though the motion picture does bare almost no resemblence to Fleming's great book (bar characters called 'James Bond' and 'Hugo Drax') that does not really bother me. Granted, I used to think of it as a lightweight piece of cheese. However, I have come to view it as a thoroughly enjoyable unpretentious two hours of pure escapism. Is it deep? No. Is it thoughtful? No. But is it fun? Very much so.

I might far prefer From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty's Secret Service or Thunderball. But for entirely different reasons I enjoy Moonraker too.

Edited by Lazenby880, 18 November 2005 - 11:28 AM.

[Mister Asterix]

Could someone explain to me how a plane flying from the US to the UK would be flying over the Yukon? 

[mra]They are called

[rnblover1971]

Who in this thread actually saw Moonraker during its theatrical release?

I did. It was my first movie theater Bond movie.

Scorpion,

Moonraker was my first Bond movie that I ever saw in the theatre back in 1979. I totally remember it too: we were on a field trip for my class and were going to catch the Muppet Movie, but it was sold out, but Moonraker wasn't and, hence, a new Bond fan was born.

Since then, I would catch every Bond movie that ABC aired until the VHS arrived, and I would count the days until the next movie would come out.

Edited by rnblover1971, 18 November 2005 - 04:41 PM.