137 replies to this topic

[tdalton]

The pre-titles and everything taking place in Venice. Outside of that, not a whole lot.

[Mr. Arlington Beech]

I never had any trouble with MR- except for the double pigeons taking-. In fact, I think there's a similarity between the first minutes of this film with the clown's run and the beginning of some chapter from The Avengers (one of my favourites TV series).

[Righty007]

Moonraker is one of the best Bond films!

What a cute, misguided kid.

[sharpshooter]

Now that I look on all the Moore Bonds without a critical eye like I used to (always wanting Connery) I can appreciate them for what they are and it is a fun movie to watch.

Excellent.

Moonraker was one step too far removed from "reality". It does ask you to suspend your disbelief often. But that’s what it’s going for.

This film by design is not gritty realism, it’s escapist fantasy. If people want to criticize the lasers and such, go for it. Me? Not so much. I find it to be a pointless exercise that by and large misses the point.

[St. John Smythe]

I posted some of this in the DAD thread (which is my least fave Bond film of all time), but it was pretty applicable here as well, so I thought I'd include some of it. The following is what I posted on the DAD thread:

"Why do I accept and like Moonraker and not DAD? Perhaps it's because I first saw Moonraker as a child, and the aches and yearns of nostalgia age incredibly well. I've always thought Roger Moore had the unfortunate timing of being Bond during the 70s and 80s - kitschy time periods that haven't really held up well for the most part, and can come across as corny and campy and eye-rolling to today's audiences. But since I saw DAD as an adult, I was ready for an adult Bond film, and I don't think I got it."

There are many great things to love about Moonraker. I don't think the PTS is the "best" of all Moore's films (I'm ever so partial to TSWLM), but it's very good. I dig Shirley Bassey's performance of the theme song quite a bit (check out the funky disco version during the end credits!). The death of Corinne is one of the most emotionally dark and well-filmed deaths of the entire Bond oeuvre, filmed quite beautifully in fog and shadows. I find Lois Chiles to be an adequate Bond girl, and some of her one-liners actually make me laugh out loud. The fight scene in the glass factory/museum in Venice is classic and excellently edited. The Amazon water-chase is exciting. And the lighting effects in the scene where James enters the factory in Rio de Janeiro remind me quite a bit of the films of Dario Argento. Even the cable car fight is filled with tension.

That's not to say there aren't any flaws - small ones I can deal with, such as the hovercraft and that danged pigeon, or the Jaws-falls-in-love bits, or the Magnificent 7 theme song - all of these take me out of the Bond reality for a moment, but then I'm back in. Until about 2/3 or 3/4 into the movie (what, the last 30 or so minutes?). When the Moonraker 6 docks, then things get embarrassingly campy and ridiculous. But until then, I'm totally on board. Then again, this is the first Bond movie I can remember seeing, so I'm partial.

But I will say, of all the Bond films, the only two that I honestly view as "made-for-kids" are Moonraker and Die Another Day (although, DAD seems to be wanting so badly to be "adult."). Kids look at space-laser wars and invisible cars/surfing on huge ice waves and say, "Oh man, that's awesome!" Adults look at that and say, "Um, whaaaaaa? Lame."

Lastly, Moonraker has one of my all-time favorite Bond WTF lines, when Drax says this: "James Bond. You appear with a tedious inevitability of an unloved season." Yeah, I -- whaaaaa?! Who says that? Geez. And yeah, this is said after the Moonraker 6 docks.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I think YOLT was just as much of a grab for the kiddies as Moonraker was, if not more; for God's sake, they used a children's writer to write the script, for crying out loud!

[St. John Smythe]

Ha ha, that's true! I haven't seen YOLT in ages so I barely remember it (and sadly, I don't own it, and even more sadly, it's one of the three that the library doesn't carry. I'm sorry, but why would you just leave 3 random Bond pics out of the picture?! Stupid library.)

So, each Bond has a "kid's" movie, then? Except Lazenby, although there was that kid's choir with the song about "how Santa gets around" in the film . . . And Dalton's films weren't all that "kiddie." So, my theory is shot to hell. But we'll say there are at least 3 kiddie Bond films . . .

Also, whenever I see Dolly (Jaws' tiny love interest in Moonraker) now, all I see is Amy Poehler.

[Dan Gale]

In defence of MOONRAKER, up to the end of the Venice boat chase (where the film changes into silly gear), it's no less campy or silly than any of the four Bond films that came before it. And that's nearly an hour in. So without Jaws' flapping, it's a pretty decent first half. I think the stodginess of the production my stem from the director's familiarity with the formula (it was Gilbert's third Bond) and perhaps a different director, even with the same script, may have made something a little sharper. It certainly not as fast paced or out there as YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, which had a very 60's feel to it. Even SPY felt fresher than this. A few, possibly improvised, clunkIng one-liners aside ("Play it again, Sam"), nearly all the humour comes from the direction and editing rather than the script or performances (pigeon's double take, drunk tramps blow raspberries at floating coffins). So perhaps it's stale humour feel comes from the director doing one Bond too many.

By the way, does Bond say "Sam" or "San", (the Japanese for Mister) in response to Chang's demise? Toshiro Suga who played Chang is, I'm assuming by his name, Japanese.

The space material was well handled in my opinion but the humour had passed a limit by then. It is the closest to sleepwalking YOLT-style that Roger ever came to playing Bond and there aren't many opportunities for him to shine like the previous film. The scene with the sniper, however, inspite of being similar to the "Looks terribly difficult" scene in THUNDERBALL, is very slick and perfectly captures Moore's Bond for me. That scene alone would have sold the film to me as a trailer.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Maybe, but it sticks out of place; why doesn't he report it to his superiors? Never does...

[BoogieBond]

There are many great things to love about Moonraker. I don't think the PTS is the "best" of all Moore's films (I'm ever so partial to TSWLM), but it's very good. I dig Shirley Bassey's performance of the theme song quite a bit (check out the funky disco version during the end credits!). The death of Corinne is one of the most emotionally dark and well-filmed deaths of the entire Bond oeuvre, filmed quite beautifully in fog and shadows. I find Lois Chiles to be an adequate Bond girl, and some of her one-liners actually make me laugh out loud. The fight scene in the glass factory/museum in Venice is classic and excellently edited. The Amazon water-chase is exciting. And the lighting effects in the scene where James enters the factory in Rio de Janeiro remind me quite a bit of the films of Dario Argento. Even the cable car fight is filled with tension.

Yeah, you and me both St John . I think the good things in Moonraker are great, It has a great many scenes which are exciting and spectacular. It was the time when Bond's action sequences took your breath away in terms of scope, imagination and style(in contrast in your comparison film DAD, the action scenes for the most part send me to sleep with intercutting, MTV camera techniques etc). The docking on Moonraker 6 is where I tend to turn off as well.
You can't deny the fantasy element of the film, it is the apex of the fantasy campy Bond. That for me is why it is such an enjoyable watch, even as an adult. There are so many films that are as silly as Moonraker for me. And some of them are almost as entertaining as Moonraker to watch, I say "almost" though, and I wouldn't go banco on that.
Yeah, you mentioned the PTS, the Venice Glass fight, the Amazon Boat chase, the cable car fight, Rog's "Unless you're a pheasant" scene. May I add I don't mind the Bondola, Bond Saving Manuela, The fight with the snake(a bit plastic looking) in Ken Adam's beautiful set etc. Its all silly and good, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[The Shark]

- Barry's score (Flight into Space in particular)
- Corrine Dufour (One of the best secondary Bond girls)
- Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale once again hit the mark here with a chilling performance)
- A few good dramatic scenes (The centrifuge, Corrine put down, scientists being poisoned at Venice, nearly all scenes with Drax, Bond's fight with Chang, Opening hi-jacking)
- Pre-title skydive fight

Edited by The Shark, 14 December 2009 - 02:52 PM.

[BryanHerbert]

Personally , I thought the only good scenes were the PTS where bond gets thrown out of the plane and catches up to the bad guy, and rips that parachute right off him, and kicks the guy away, then My favorite henchman comes into screen AKA JAWS. Also another good scene was the boat chase, not the one when jaws goes off the waterfall but the one in Vienna, Such a classic, Another good scene was the cable car fight. but after that it got really dull, and boring. The ending was terrible. Everything looked so fake, i loved when drax got owned by the poisoned dart and does several flips out the door. lol

I honestly thing they should remake some of the old bond movies, just to make them way better, The ones that truly suck. Such as Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, Never Say Never Again, and a few others i can't remember.

Edited by BryanHerbert, 14 December 2009 - 04:57 PM.

[St. John Smythe]

Oh no, don't say that! I think each Bond actor brought his own personal style to each role and film, and whether good or bad, the films deserve to stand on their own legs. I think remaking the films would be a little disrespectful to the actors and to the Bond genre itself.

Although, I'm wondering at this point, since they're re-booting Bond, if they'll have to re-make OHMSS to show his wedding to Tracy, or if they'll just skip over that whole backstory. In scenario A.) - the remake - I'd be pissed off. In scenario B.) - ignoring that part of Bond's life - I'd be pissed off. So, damned if you do, damned if you don't, I guess.

I think even a remake of Moonraker would still be a bit campy. I mean, pretty much anything in space (that isn't specifically Sci-Fi, with aliens or in the far future or what-not) is still really campy and cheesy, to me at least. But I would be vehemently and loudly opposed to any remakes of any Bond films. And some people may find this blasphemous, but I like to live my life pretending that Never Say Never Again doesn't exist.

Edited by St. John Smythe, 14 December 2009 - 11:05 PM.

[bondrules]

Yes, The title song is both beautiful and haunting.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Meh; I'd just use the book's plot and tweak it so the Brits are building a missile system to defend themselves from terrorists; Drax is a plant for Quantum.

[dinovelvet]

I'd have had the fight between Bond and the pilot accidentally cause the stewardess and Bond to fall out of the plane, not Bond and the pilot. Bond would then be forced to chase after the stewardess in mid-air and grab her parachute from her. Not sure if Roger Moore would've agreed to that, not sure if Lewis Gilbert would've wanted to direct it, and I'm not sure audiences would've accepted Bond doing that to a female, though we've seen him slap a woman or two around prior to this film, so who knows.

That's an interesting idea, and would challenge the audience to keep rooting for Bond. I can see Connery and Craig getting away with doing that, but not nice guy Rog. Brosnan could do it, but we'd have to have a ten minute scene afterwards where he's all angsty about it.

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

I'd have had the fight between Bond and the pilot accidentally cause the stewardess and Bond to fall out of the plane, not Bond and the pilot. Bond would then be forced to chase after the stewardess in mid-air and grab her parachute from her. Not sure if Roger Moore would've agreed to that, not sure if Lewis Gilbert would've wanted to direct it, and I'm not sure audiences would've accepted Bond doing that to a female, though we've seen him slap a woman or two around prior to this film, so who knows.

That's an interesting idea, and would challenge the audience to keep rooting for Bond. I can see Connery and Craig getting away with doing that, but not nice guy Rog. Brosnan could do it, but we'd have to have a ten minute scene afterwards where he's all angsty about it.

[The Shark]

That's an interesting idea, and would challenge the audience to keep rooting for Bond. I can see Connery and Craig getting away with doing that, but not nice guy Rog. Brosnan could do it, but we'd have to have a ten minute scene afterwards where he's all angsty about it.

Sir Rog could have done that easily in TMWTGG. Remember he threatens to castrate a gunmaker, slaps around a beautiful woman in a dressing gown, throws an elephant selling Thai boy off his boat after fixing it, locks Goodnight in his cupboard forcing her to watch while he makes love to Andrea etc....