Title: Moonraker
Year: 1979
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Country: UK
Language: English
First, I must admit that I have not seen every movie in the James Bond Franchise, so my perspective is a little bit limited. I have seen Dr.No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), License to Kill (1989), Goldeneye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002), Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012) and No Time to Die (2021).
Dr. Lisa Funnell (author of For His Eyes Only) and Dr. Michael W. Boyce (Geek 4 Podcast) offer a far more comprehensive academic understanding of the James Bond franchise. Seek their work out when you have the time.
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Plot Synopsis:
In Moonraker (1979), James Bond (Roger Moore) investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle, and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.
Context:
In the late 70's conservative leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan rose to power. The West was undergoing a resurgence of conservatism after a liberal 60's & early 70's. Nationalism was on the rise as leaders promised to make their countries great again by promising to return to values of the past. Sound familiar?
In Britain the "Winter of Discontent", a series of labour strikes, brought Britain's economy to a halt. The turmoil evoked Parliament to strike a "no confidence" vote on the present government, which meant an election was to be held. Thatcher's party seized this opportunity and won on the slogan "Labour isn't Working".
In times of great despair, audiences seek movies that are escapist fantasy. In between For Your Eyes Only and Moonraker, Star Wars (1977) broke box office records and changed the film industry almost overnight. The latest Bond film would have no choice but to be escapist and incorporate science fiction elements, while also dishing out an anti-Thatcher message.
Review:
Often thought of as "James Bond... in Space!", Moonraker is the fourth 007 film to star Roger Moore. The general consensus is that Sean Connery's Bond is the best, but I think Moore is better in his role. I feel like Moore gives the character a little more class and sophistication. The way he observes his surroundings gives him more credibility as a spy. I feel he "earns" his seductive power over women better than Connery, who often "seduces" women by physical force. Connery's Bond ages worse over time, especially post #metoo movement.
The Bond Girl in Moonraker, and I'm not kidding when I say her name, is Dr. Goodhead (Lois Chiles), A scientist/astronaut/cia agent; she is an intelligent woman who holds her own in a fight and is primarily the reason the villain's plans are foiled. She is treated as an equal to James Bond. If anything, Bond needs her help, which is quite a rare thing to see in the 007 franchise.
The villain, Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), is an Elon Musk type- character; he's a wealthy man that is obsessed with going to space. Why? Well he wants to create a super-race of humans on his orgy space station while poisoning every remaining human on earth. Then he will send the babies back to Earth and they will make the Earth perfect. It's a real "make Earth great again" idea that taps into a fascist eugenics mindset. This villain's goal is absolutely nuts, but it is in-line with neo-nazi ideology. As crazy as the plan is, these type of men exist.
The henchman, Jaws (Richard Kiel), is one of the few Bond villains that has not died by the end of the film. His mindset is changed because he knows that he will not fit with Drax's ideology and that his fate will be sealed if he does not side with Bond.
Despite Moonraker's legacy as being the "goofy" 007 film, I feel that it has a serious message, serious stakes and is very innovative when it comes to character development and plot. So many action films have been inspired by Moonraker, including Mission Impossible: Fallout. This film does everything right, and couldn't be any different considering the political context, so I think we should consider this the Best Bond.
