Review of Moonraker (1979) by Magnus G — 18 Oct 2012

Serviceable and entertaining - the concept of James Bond in space is obviously far-fetched and out-of-place, but it's actually done quite well in this film (up until they start shooting each othe with laser guns, anyway).

The weak point of this film is once again the emphasis on juvenile sight gags and one-liners. The film opens with an absolutely astonishing skydive fight with Bond (a stuntman standing in for Roger Moore) tackling an enemy for the only available parachute. It's the most impressive stunt in the entire franchise so far, but it's marred by the inclusion of Jaws, flapping his wings to stay afloat, before crashing into a circus tent (!) with accompanying big-top music. It's ridiculous and it ruins the coolest moment in the film.

In terms of casting, Lois Chiles is decent enough without leaving any lasting impressiong. Michael Lonsdale is terrific as Hugo Drax, perhaps the most enjoyable performance of the film. Richard Kiel's Jaws makes an encore appearance (the first time a henchman has done so in a Bond film), but like so many aspects of this film, he's played for laughs one too many times, diluting the impact he had in "The Spy Who Loved Me".

Moonraker is still quite an enjoyable film despite these criticisms (far ahead of "The Man with the Golden Gun" and "Diamonds are Forever"), but it pales in comparison to its terrific predecessor.