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This was the first James Bond adventure produced after the success of Star Wars, so it jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon by combining the suave appeal of Agent 007 (once again played by Roger Moore) with enough high-tech hardware and special effects to make Luke Skywalker want to join Her Majesty's Secret Service. After the razzle-dazzle of The Spy Who Loved Me, this attempt to latch onto a trend proved to be a case of overkill, even though it brought back the steel-toothed villain Jaws (Richard Kiel) and scored a major hit at the box office. This time Bond is up against Drax (Michel Lonsdale), a criminal industrialist who wants to control the world from his orbiting space station. In keeping with his well-groomed style, Bond thwarts this maniacal Neo-Hitler's scheme with the help of a beautiful, sleek-figured scientist (played by Lois Chiles with all the vitality of a department store mannequin). There's a grand-scale climax involving space shuttles and ray guns, but despite the film's popular success, this is one Bond adventure that never quite gets off the launching pad. It's as if the caretakers of the James Bond franchise had forgotten that it's Bond-and not a barrage of gizmos and gadgets (including a land-worthy Venetian gondola)--that fuels the series' success. Despite Moore's passive performance (which Pauline Kael described as "like an office manager who is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension"), there are even a few renegade Bond-philes who consider it one of their favourites. -- Jeff Shannon]
In the new "making of" featurette the enormous complexities of putting together a feature of this scope are talked about by all those involved, from genius production designer Ken Adam to special effects whiz and Thunderbirds alumnus Derek Meddings (Lois Chiles reveals that to this day she is delighted to have had the most obscene name of any Bond girl; the behind-the-scenes tale of the boat hanging over the waterfall is astonishing). Sensibly enough the supplementary documentary celebrates the work of the special effects men from John Stears to Derek Meddings and John Richardson. The audio commentary has executive producer Michael Wilson in conversation with director Lewis Gilbert, screenwriter Christopher Wood and associate producer William Cartlidge, who are all obviously having a good time watching the movie together again. Altogether, another handsome DVD presentation in this impeccable series. --Mark Walker
Customer Reviews
Sheer escapist fantasy and good fun to boot (2007-08-13)  Like The Man With The Golden Gun, Moonraker is often unfairly criticised for its excess of fantasy and introduction of some comedy elements that many feel have no place in a bond movie. Admittedly, there are occasions where the comedy is, perhaps a little overstated; (the Tarzan yell in Octopussy anyone?)however, bond films are not about serious representation of covert spy missions, instead - in their heyday at least, they are about pure escapist fantasy, and Moonraker succeeds in providing this by the bucket load. From the quirky dialogue, to the stunning locations, stunts and special effects, Moonraker broke the mould and was to remain the highest grossing Bond Movie of all time until 1995's Goldeneye.Moonraker has it's flaws, but in terms of entertainment alone, it is perhaps one of the best Bond films ever. There's barely a let up in the action, there are some great 'how will he get out of that?' sequences - namley the 'Astronaught Training' g-force simulator, which thanks to some great editing is a genuinely tense piece of cinema. There are several set pieces, including a record breaking (pun intended) fight in a glass museum, but the most thrilling have to be the sequences in space, with some truly convincing special effects, models and minatures which just goes to show that you don't need CGI for everything!Disliked by so called Bond Purists for all the reasons that make this film as entertaining as it is. Indulgent in almost every aspect, Moonraker might not be the most cerebral of the Bond canon, but for a couple of hours of unadulterated fun, you can't beat it.
BOND BLASTS OFF INTO SPACE (2007-06-01)  Moonraker is something of a guilty pleasure of the James Bond series. It is the one that divides Bond fans the most, criticisms aimed primarily at the films admitted excess of comedic relief and the inappropriate nature of the sci-fi aspect of the plot.While the comedic relief in the film is admittedly a bit much, it does not hurt the film fatally, and the space setting of the film is a natural evolution. Some of the comedic relief actually winds up making the film better, primarily in the film's treatment of outsized killer Jaws. In the film Jaws acquires a love interest and while the introduction is cheesy and there is overblown music, the denoument proves strikingly effective, when the full extent of his employer's plans sinks in to Jaws, and his heart is swayed by the love of Dolly: at the end Jaws and Dolly have a tender scene with a toast in which Jaws has his only line of dialouge in the series; "Well here's to us". Certainly nobody could have expected this pairing to work as superbly as it does.Character inerplay also serves the film well. Jame's interaction with Bernard Lee (this was the last film as Bernard Lee as M) and Major Geoffrey Boothroyd is better than normal and includes the introduction of a favorite Q gadget - the wrist-mounted dart discarger. It proves decisive in Jame's relationship with Dr. Goodhead. Their relationship begins coldly, but begins to warm when Goodhead places James in a centrifuge chamber and it malfunctions and threatens to crush James to death, he uses Q's dart discharger to blast the controls out of action and slow the centrifuge to a stop. Moore wisely plays the scene totally straight.James as been assigned to investigate the disappearence of a Moonraker shuttle on loan from the US Air Force to the RAF; His Majesty's Secret Service has found evidence that the craft was hijacked in mid-air and James must begin his investigation by interviewing the shuttle's builder, head of Drax industries Hugo Drax. Here the film engages brilliant use of "masking", using the Paris Airport and a chateau and the passing the setting off as California by explaining that the chateau was brought from France stone by stone in a forest straddling the Mojave Desert.Drax is the most understated Bond villain of all, easy matching Donald Pleasance's Blofeld in monotone of evil. Drax's sinister nature shows when he places a sniper for Bond amid the quail shoot, a shoot that Bond in his style foils; humiliated Drax watches Bond leave and then turns on his personal pilot Corinne Dufour who suddenly needs to run for her life at the pursuit of hungry dogs.James investigation takes him to Venice and a showdown with Drax that humiliates M and Defense Minister Fredrick Grey, who demands Bond to be suspended, James, however has a crucial clue that leads him to Brazil, and eventual alliance with Holly Goodhead as Hugo Drax's plans begin to unfold.The film displays some of the more engaging SFX of the imaginative late 1970's - 1980's sci-fi era as well as one of John Barry's strongest scores. But the clinching scene comes at the end with by far the best double entendre of the series.Sci-fi may not be pure James Bond, but here it works as 2 hours of entertainment (but it reminds me to much of Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey) and its not the best Bond entry in the series but its good in its own way. Thank you for reading my review.
"Take me round the world one more time".. Mills & Boon line? (2007-04-02) This has to be one of Roger Moore's cheesiest Bond ventures, in which he goes to uncover the plot behind a scheme to destroy all human life on earth by releasing globes filled with poisonous orchids. The plot may not sound too bad, but its Moore's terrible one liners that makes you slap your forehead and laugh.I guess that was typical of the 70's/80's - a new approach was taken to the Bond films, that being a more radical/slapstick humour approach. And this falls straight into the place of being one of the cheesiest Bonds, with a laughable ending, as quoted on my review title.The film is filled suprisngly with a mix of good and bad effects, though its not worth jugdging them because this was 1979, and its now 2007. The laugh out loud moment see's Jaws 'hopping' from one cable car to another, seemingly with incredible ease, even though the cars are swinging and theirs a 4 metre gap in between them! :DIt may no be the best, but just like Chuck Norris films, you can't beat a dabble of bad one-liners on a rainy day!
Cheese Scraper (2006-03-24) The third worst ever Bond film - only beaten by the monumentally boring Octopussy and ridiculous Die Another Day - and a massive disappointment after the brilliant Spy Who Loved Me. Moonraker marked the point where the comedy and playfulness of Moore's Bond was taken a step too far, its all very cheap and silly. Imagine Carry on Bond and you will still end up mortified. At least it sounds like a Bond film though - unlike the David Arnold/Pierce Brosnan ruined Bond boobies of the ninties and noughties. Three undeserved stars for that.
Wrongly criticised (2005-11-19)  Although it's a cheesy and probably the most tongue in cheek Bond film there is, it still makes a very decent Bond film. The storyline, and direction work to serve in true Bond style, John Barry delivers a beautiful musical score and Shirley Bassey's title song is pleasing too. There are some very good moments in the film, such as the part where Jaws attacks on top of the cable cars, the boat chase (more funny)and ultimately the flight into space. It's undeniably true that this film was undoubtedly influenced by the sci-fi boom of the late 70's, but at least in stays in line with original Fleming novel. How people can argue that Moonraker is the most unrealistic Bond film, when Die Another Day sadly still is in existence I shall never know. Disappearing cars, men in robotic suits, a space probe that can light up the north pole!!! Come on guys, a sci-fi film yes, but nowhere near as pathetic as Die Another Day.
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