Moonraker (1979)

"Star Wars" came out two years before this and was a massive hit, so why not give James Bond a laser blaster and put him in space? The answer is because it would be stupid. There are a few memorable scenes; Roger Moore trapped in a g-force simulator, Richard Kiel as Jaws biting everything in sight, and the catchy Shirley Bassey theme song. There is admittedly a lot I like about this Bond film, but it's also represents the beginning of the end for when the series shifted to overly relying on improbable spy gadgetry and far too much humor. "For Your Eyes Only" was terrific, but I do think "Moonraker" signaled the end of good Bond pictures during the Roger Moore era, most of which only got worse.

"Look after Mr. Bond. See that some harm comes to him." That leads to one of the few great moments when Roger Moore uses one of his secret weapons to stop a machine simulating a space ship whirling around faster than any amusement park ride. This is one of the few misfires in the first two decades of the series, going more for laughs and less for thrills as Bond strives to protect a British investment in a huge rocket, resulting in him going over the world for no seemingly real purpose. Richard Kiel's villain "Jaws" returns, having a nice dance in the sky with Bond in the opening sequence, and getting a bizarre "cutsie" romance in the second half of the film. While a semi followup to "The Spy Who Loves Me", it seems like its walking along with its own drumbeat. It helps to watch these two films back to back, simply to tie in the Jaws character, although it goes way overboard in many moments.Every adventurous moment strives for comic relief, and while there are laughs, there's also a scratching of the head feeling that goes along with it all. That's never more obvious than the initially thrilling Venice scene where Bond's gondola suddenly parades through the town square as confused tourists look on. A tense action sequence with Kiel and Moore battling on a high up people mover in Rio de Janeiro starts off promisingly and ends up with a farcical outcome that has to be seen to be believed. Lois Chiles is a rather ineffective "Bond Girl". To top it off, Shirley Bassey's theme song is one of the blandest ever. Moments of comic genius mixed with the usual Bond elegance can't hide the fact that this is the silliest entries in the series. Spoofing the spaceship music from "Close Encounters", this seems like a Bond film as seen through the eyes of Mel Brooks.

"Moonraker" is not usually rated very highly in the catalogue on Bond movies, which I disagree with. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert who was given a huge budget & shot the movie at some glamorous locations around the world including Venice, Florida & Rio De Janeiro. Scenes were also shot at the Iguazu Waterfalls in Argentina & at the Château De Guermantes which is a large & very beautiful mansion in France. The actors who took part in this movie must have felt it was all a really fabulous kind of working holiday!. The premier Bond girl in this escapade is the gorgeous Lois Chiles playing Holly Goodhead, but there is the usual array of scores of other beautiful ladies. The first beauty with whom 007 has a dalliance is played by Corinne Clery who works as a helicopter pilot for the movie's main villain Drax played by Michael Lonsdale. Mr. Lonsdale is an excellent actor who plays Drax as a very intelligent, suave, sophisticated & worldly man. He is also extremely rich, the french château being one of his homes. Miss Clery comes to a very nasty sticky end when she displeases her boss who decides to "terminate her employment". This Drax does by setting his two pet Doberman dogs on her who chase her down through a forest after she runs for her life. The movie's obligatory nasty henchman is Jaws played by the giant Richard Kiel who was also used in another Roger Moore Bond movie "The Spy Who Loved Me". One of the most exciting scenes in the movie is a fight which takes place between James Bond & Jaws on the cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain high above Rio De Janeiro. Very unusually in any Bond movie, the nasty Jaws is given a love interest Dolly played by pig-tailed Blanche Ravalec. There are some very comical scenes between the two of them & in fact the entire movie is made with its tongue firmly in its cheek!. The movie's finale is set in space which is also fun to watch. All in all, this is an entertaining Bond movie as long as you don't take it too seriously.

By most accounts, "Moonraker" should be a middling Bond effort at best. The villain is weak, the plot is like tissue paper, and the acting is supremely over-the-top. Yet, for some reason, this movie has always just provided me with some great, thoughtless entertainment!For a basic plot summary, "Moonraker" sees James Bond (Roger Moore) run up against Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), a crazed entrepreneur bent on conquering Earth from his space base. Along the way, Bond enlists the help of Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles), as well as the traditional orders from M (Bernard Lee) and gadgets from Q (Desmond Llewelyn).Perhaps I can stomach this movie so well because it was one of the first "old Bond" movies I ever saw, right when I was getting into the franchise, but I think there are a very inherent "saving graces" that indeed make it watchable:-The space theme, which is very different from the typical Bond fare and makes this movie unique to the series. -The character of Jaws (Richard Kiel), who is one of the most exciting Bond villains of the entire run. He is never the "main baddie", but as an "evil henchman" you can't get any better! -Moore's lighthearted Bond can sometimes get sickening, but for some reason the shtick works pretty well in this one, getting even some legitimate laughs throughout.Overall, even though "Moonraker" can, at times, be the epitome of cheese-ball and eye-rolling cinema, it still can be enjoyed by Bond fans looking for "something different".