Year: 1979
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Country: UK
Language: English
Moonraker is the eleventh picture in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, which started in 1963 with the classy Dr.No. If it looks as though it cost an unconscionable amount of money to make, that's because it did. This film cost more than the first six Bond pictures combined. Thankfully it did well in the box office, becoming the highest grossing in this series up until Goldeneye (1995)
James Bond (Roger Moore) investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.
Roger Moore is not my favourite Bond actor, this would be Sean Connery, but I must admit Moore plays a damn fine Bond in Moonraker, a film so over the top that it could be easily described as a sci-fi camp. In riding the coattails of George Lucas' Star Wars the picture managed to hit the sci-fi craze at the right time and successfully integrated our hero into space as a grandiose form of entertainment.
Though much of the sequences feel dated compared to the standards of 2017, I must admit that the smooth editing and gorgeous cinematography help Bond glide smoothly from one action sequence to the next. Though the script has a lot to be desired, Moonraker has a lot of what makes the Bond movies great; the villain is memorable, the blonde is beautiful, the comedic moments are funny, and the tense moments are plentiful.
As pure entertainment, Bond rarely gets more fun. If I were to introduce Bond to a friend then I would certainly start with Moonraker. A strange mix of multiple genres, I'd have to say that this is a "must see" despite its flaws and poor reputation among critics.
No comments:
Post a Comment