Moonraker

A second trip to space, this time with Roger Moore and a space shuttle. More of a comedy sci-fi than a spy film, but of a very decent quality. Richard Kiel bit off what he could chew and did a great job of it. Roger Moore was hilarious, and the writing didn’t fall behind. (08/03/2016)

007__#11__Sci-fi Bond? Yeah, why not? As an experiment, it’s good. The whole world just went crazy with Star Wars, so the final battle with ray guns is quite understandable from a producer's point of view, although it was my least favourite part of the film. Otherwise, the whole film runs like a well-oiled machine, with a chase on boats, a fight on cable cars, a duel in a glass museum, in short, action after action (sometimes quite comic-book-like, which is mainly due to Jaws and his almost supernatural abilities, after all, cutting a steel cable with your teeth is not a very common sight). A favourite of audiences at the time, the indestructible assassin Jaws, played by Richard Kiel, makes a comeback here, becoming the only villain to appear in two Bond films (not counting Blofeld). Roger, now in his 50s, is still going strong. (10/01/2005)

Bond’s journey into space now seems to have aged poorly due to the rear projections during the otherwise well-crafted action scenes (the fight in the clouds was actually shot in the clouds; the fight on the cable car was really shot high above the ground). The closing space sequences are hindered more by their slow pace rather than by non-digital effects, as they deteriorate into a state of weightlessness almost to the point of poeticism (I thus saw inspiration for these sequences in 2001: A Space Odyssey, on which Ken Adam also collaborated, rather than in Star Wars). That poeticism is just as inappropriate in an action-packed film as all of the comical elements. The struggle with the masked fighter could have easily been a discarded confrontation between Inspector Clouseau and Cato. In spite of these reservations and the franchise’s overall shift to a strange direction (fortunately only temporary), Moonraker is not a bad movie, and it’s definitely not boring. 65% (06/19/2011)

Three and a half stars. I'll say right from the start that my main problem with Moonraker is Richard Kiel. His Jaws is completely unnecessary here, and - let's face it - awkward. I literally hate the scenes with the braided busty blonde, whether it's their meeting or what happens to them at the end of the film. Brrr. Jaws just wasn't supposed to be here, but you know how it goes - once the audience likes a character, why not put them back in, right, filmmakers? Nevermind. I have absolutely no qualms regarding the rest of the film. It's an exaggerated Bond film (like Brosnan's Die Another Day), it comes closest to parodying itself, and is all the more entertaining for it. A ride in Venice, a river chase in Rio... However, director Gilbert and composer Barry deserve absolute praise for the scene of the escape of the beautiful pilot from the Dobermans. Although it is one of the crueler scenes, it is incredibly beautifully filmed. And Lois Chiles is one of the most beautiful Bond girls ever.__P.S. Music blaring during launch and space flight... Simply divine. (03/20/2010)

A visually extremely attractive Bond film, where the impulse of form over content is clearly visible. Script-wise, it's the same thing over and over again, but Bond slowly starts to become self-aware of his importance in the pop culture machinery, sticking to traditional things that fans love, while also starting something new. There is a strong theme song, Roger Moore's quips, this time accompanied by interesting musical composition (John Barry) and scenes conspicuously filmed in Corsica, luxury hotels, and expensive cars. Let's not dwell over the crazy space shenanigans, those are just echoes of Star Wars. (05/07/2014)