Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Space: 007 - MOONRAKER (1979)

I am very fond of the James Bond film Moonraker. While it's generally regarded as one of the weaker films in the 007 canon, I find it difficult to find too much fault with it. It's just too important a part of my life-long obsession with science fiction and spy-fi films for me to be too critical of it. And it is notable for showing just how influential the success of Star Wars and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and other 70s sci-fi were - even Albert R. Broccoli, producer of ten highly profitable spy adventures starring British secret agent James Bond, felt commercially compelled to insert outer space elements into his eleventh cinematic escapade.

I was fifteen when the movie came out in 1979 (the same year as Meteor, The Black Hole and Star Trek - The Motion Picture), already a die-hard fan of science fiction and space-oriented films, and coverage of the movie in my monthly bible, Starlog, truly whetted my appetite. I had also just recently seen my first Bond film, Goldfinger, on HBO, so the prospect of seeing a 007 flick on the big screen was very exciting.

In the weeks leading up to its premiere, I picked up the Warren tie-in magazine, the fold-out poster magazine published by the Starlog folks, and the Jove Books novelization by screenwriter Christopher Wood. I also purchased and built the Moonraker space shuttle model. So when I went to the theater that fateful evening in May of 1979, I was pretty much predisposed to love the film.

For this 15 year-old, Moonraker had everything I could possibly want in a movie: space shuttles, lasers, beautiful women, exciting stunts and special effects, and most of all, a cool, suave, unflappable hero (admittedly, one with a somewhat juvenile wit).

Moonraker was the first James Bond film I saw in the theater, and I haven't missed one since. And while Goldfinger made me a Bond fan, it was Moonraker that made me a spy-fi fanatic. I still love it.

Sure, I wince now at Jaws' (Richard Kiel) ridiculous antics and his goofy romance sub-subplot, and Lois Chiles' performance as Dr. Holly Goodhead, NASA astronaut cum CIA agent, is astoundingly robotic... but she is quite lovely. And say what you will about the movie's faults – it looks spectacular (especially on Blu-Ray), with some of Ken Adam's most imaginative sets. Also, director Lewis Gilbert really keeps the film moving at a brisk pace. It's never boring and nearly always entertaining. On top of all that, it has John Barry's best Bond score of the 1970's.

Roger Moore looks great and has a couple of very effective scenes. The centrifuge sequence is a stand-out, and he even manages to give some weight and suspense to the video game climax. And, best of all, are Derek Meddings' remarkable miniature effects, all of them produced in traditional, hand-crafted manner (they didn't even have computerized motion-control cameras at their disposal). Some of the shots - like the Moonraker shuttles in their silos, or villain Hugo Drax's space station in orbit, still look incredibly convincing, even today.

By the time For Your Eyes Only came out two years later, I had seen many more 007 films on ABC TV, and had decided that I liked the more down-to earth, grittier Bond films better than the more fantastic ones. I had also decided that Sean Connery was the superior James Bond. I still believe that. But – you know, I really like Sir Roger, and sometimes I'm just in the mood for the more far out flix.

I still have my Warren tie-in magazine, poster magazine and paperback novelization. In fact, I really like the novel a great deal. Wood follows his own screenplay, of course, but still manages a fair approximation of Ian Fleming's style and characterization. His Spy Who Loved Me novelization is quite good, as well.

My love for spy thrillers continues to this day - in large part because of seeing Moonraker in the theater when I was 15... but I probably wouldn't have been in that theater at all if it wasn't for my devotion to sci-fi and space opera.

19 comments:

  1. It's nice to see someone give this film some praise. I also like it, and find it to be one of the most fun Bond films to watch to this day. I like serious 007 too, but that doesn't mean I have to dislike Moonraker!

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  2. I have the Warren companion magazine, somewhere. I used to stare at the cover wishing for a real picture of Lois Chiles in a Moonraker minidress. I still think her robotic performance fit the movie's theme and made her something special. Not just your standard issue Bond girl.

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  3. This post sums up how I feel about the film, with one minor disagreement. Diamonds Are Forever is the best Barry soundtrack from the 70's Bond flicks! Of course that is my opinion, which means it is incontrovertible and all opposing viewpoints come from decidedly lesser beings...

    It was model work like on this film that makes me very nostalgic for older movies. There is something so incredibly cool and wonderful about well made miniatures that make them irresistible. Half my love for Godzilla films was checking out the details on buildings being stomped.

    Is it my imagination, or do space stations in orbit look better or more aunthentic when using models than CGI? That one above is a good example.

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    1. The model work may have been great then, but I'll bet that when seen on a Blu-Ray DVD hooked up to a 50-inch HDTV set using HDMI cables viewed through a great A/V unit, it will probably look like crap. And this movie hasn't aged well, either; waiting to see the space battle shouldn't have to be the best part of a movie.

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    2. You are SO wrong. I watched the Blu-ray on my 55" Phillips HDTV through HDMI cables and the effects work looked fucking incredible.

      As to the quality of the film itself, I can't argue taste. I enjoy it for all the reasons I posted above.

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    3. Cool beans, then. Maybe I'll take a look at the movie on my Blu-Ray player and my 30-inch LG LCD, but it will definitely be a rental.

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  4. Funny, This is one of the few bond film i like, but i have seen most of them, i remember this one from the cinema when i was about six,im a huge jaws fan

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  5. I concur with your assessment; I mentally block out the awful Jaws sub-plot when I watch it. I always thought Hugo Drax was one of the great Bond villains, too; that speech he gives on the space station is just marvelous, and his desperate attempts to be "high class" even though he's just buying his way there are very telling (particularly the scene where he's pretending to play the piano for the two European noblewomen, and the whole notion of bringing a French castle to California in the first place...).

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  6. A few years younger (I was 12 in '79), I find I have much the same experiences you've had! '79 was a huge sci-fi year, and Moonraker-because of its space component, was my first James Bond movie- leading to a life long enjoyment of all things 007! A big fan of the books and the more realistic films, I have to admit to a fondness for Moonraker; definitely a guilty pleasure!

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  7. There's something to like about every Bond film. For this one it has some fun parts, great scenery and better than average Bond girls. However the cheese factor is high, the villain is just alright and Roger Moore smirks more than ever. Not one of my favorites, but I still try to watch it once a year.

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  8. My first Bond film was Live and Let Die. I was about 10 or 11 and asked my mom to take me because of the Wings song. I loved the movie and Roger Moore was my Bond. Until Daniel Craig, but that's another story. By the time Moonraker came out, I was 17, driving, and I could see that Cubby had done the space thing just to get in on the latest fad. And Roger Moore's appearance in The Cannonball Run didn't help either. I didn't see Moonraker in the theater when it came out, and frankly I'm glad I didn't waste my money and time. I did see it later, but it only proved to me that my initial reaction was correct for me. If you love it, great; but for me it was a low point for e Bond

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  9. I will never understand the fan-boy hate for this movie. I think most of the angst comes from the younger (less informed) fans. It's definitely one of my favorite Roger Moore films and one of my all-time favorite Bond flicks. Roger Moore is on top of his game here, fresh off of "The Spy Who Loved Me" which was my first Bond movie. Both of these movies reset the bar for huge finales, with tons of good guys and villains blasting the crap out of each other (something we really hadn't seen since Connery's "You Only Live Twice").

    In "Moonraker" we have an incredible opening with the skydive and the reintroduction of Jaws (he's back!). From there we hop into the investigation of the missing Moonraker shuttle. In my opinion, this is one of the best Bond investigations ever, because the trail was laid out efficiently. It wasn't just about "Bond goes to some exotic location to see some contact or to recover something." The pieces slowly come together from Drax's estate, all the way to Venice and then to the heart of the Amazon. All along the way, he's putting the pieces together and by the time he discovers the neurotoxins and delivery system, it all starts to make sense. Even as a ten year old, I was able to follow most of it. Sure, the megalomaniac villains were beginning to wear thin, but Drax's calm demeanor was right-down creepy.

    The gadgets are back and Bond has plenty of them in this movie. And these aren't just for show -- each one literally saves his life. From the wrist-darts, the plastique explosive watch, and even the pen-syringe -- each one is a life saver. And who can forget the cool speed boat battle? Some great gadgets were showcased there and with John Barry's score running in the background, it was awesome. Okay, we can just skip over the gondola hovercraft scene if you want. And while we're at it, let's move past Jaws' romance with the little girlfriend too.

    The final 30 minutes are where the movie really shines. The shuttle launch effects and models were incredible. When the space station is finally revealed, even Bond is shocked at the scale of the danger they're in. The sets, the costumes and even the props work to great effect here.

    And when the final battle is about to start, you know it's going to be over-the-top like a classic Bond movie should be. Fans who are angered by the ridiculousness of the space battle need to go back and watch the ninja-volcano fight in "You Only Live Twice." When you hear Colonel Scott say "open the cargo doors" his somber tone shows the seriousness of what is about to happen. He's sending his men off to die horribly and he knows it. The space battle is just an incredible amount of visual effects and wire work. You just have to feel sorry for the poor guys who end up tumbling into space screaming their bloody heads off.

    Moore is effective at being Bond, because even through all of this, he manages to keep a cool head and gets to quote some great lines. He's slick, he's manipulative and he even gets Jaws to switch sides in the end. Like a good Bond, he keeps the bad guy talking and buys himself time to escape time and time again. And Drax's demise has to be one of my favorite deaths: Shot in the chest with a cyanide dart and spaced, all while Bond is mocking him with his "one small step" send-off.

    The tension keeps running up to the end, as Bond struggles to shoot down the 3 remaining probes. I have to hand it to the effects guys again -- the shuttle looks believable as well as the viewscreens and targeting system. But in the end, Bond smites the villain, saves the world, gets the girl and gives his bosses something to get flustered about. It's great entertainment and shows why Moore was a great Bond during his watch. Nobody else could do it better during the 70's and 80's.

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    1. Great write-up! It reflects my feelings about this fun movie as well.

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  10. While it's not my favorite Bond, I always rather like Moonraker. It came out around at an youthful age when I was fascinated with space and then realized the space shuttle was never going to be outfitted with lasers--and then it proved me wrong!

    P.S. Chris, that new masthead is incredible! REALLY nice work. :)

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  11. I'm watching MOONRAKER now on Encore. The whole month of July, the Encore (Movie Networks) has been playing the first 19 James Bond: 007 movies in their rotation, and at 8:00pm ET.
    I hope after this month, Encore will continue to play them.

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  12. I'd say the late 1970s were the absolute zenith for science fiction on the large and small screens. It was the Star Wars effect. Everybody wanted in on what Lucas started. Along with the coming of Starlog and Fantastic Films, it was an explosion of SF that really hasn't been equalled since.

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  13. Moonraker is definitely my favorite James Bond film. Not only did it have an excellent story, production designs, sets, costuiming, SFX, and a beautiful Bond Girl(the ever lovely Lois Chiles as Dr. Holly Goodhead), it also had plenty of action and adventure to it. Especially elements of science fact.

    No matter what some die-hard Bond fans may say, Moonraker is an excellent James Bond thriller. Sure, it was influenced by the Star Wars craze, but it was still a blast to watch.

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  14. I also love 'Moonraker'. They clearly upped the Bond budget for this one and it helps. It's a great, fun action movie. The first OO7 film I saw at the cinema too.

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  15. It states at the end of The Spy Who Loved Me that James Bond would be returning not in Moonraker, but in For Your Eyes Only. Apparently, EON Productions squeezed Moonraker into the hot seat before Eyes Only in order to cash in on the enormously popular Sci-fi craze that followed in the wake of Lucas' Star Wars, and watching it through rose-tinted space goggles in the midst of that whole Seventies sci-fi revival endeared it to me and gave it a kind of cool that it maybe didn't fully deserve. However, I still regard it as something of a supreme guilty pleasure.

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