Moonraker (1979)

Silly, overblown and campy
This is the point where the Bond franchise took a silly turn. Obviously inspired by the phenomenal success of the sci-fi fantasy "Star Wars", James Bond was launched into space. "Moonraker" is so crammed with space hardware and overblown gadgetry that it's barely about Bond at all; the producers lost focus on the main subject, almost parodying him.
The criminal industrialist Drax is just another loony-as-a-bedbug power-mad villain cut from the same clothe as the previous Bond baddies. One of the most blase performances from a Bond villain ever.
On the plus side: The menacing, steel-toothed Jaws returns from "The Spy Who Loved Me" to liven things up as he picks up where he left off---trying to put the bite on Bond. The subplot in which the mute Jaws is softened by love & becomes an ally is campy too but ultimately touching.
"Moonraker" is entertaining popcorn fun, but beyond that, it's little more than a far-fetched "spy-in-space" opera. Roger Moore would re-bound with his following outings, but it would really take his exit from the role to get the franchise back on track.

[3.5] Overdone and underwhelming
The first time I watched Moonraker I was honestly blown away by the large scaleness of this Bond film - keeping in tradition with the prior The Spy Who Loved Me film. The locations and variety of suspense and action was one-of-a-kind, but upon a few more viewings, I began to see where it all started to go wrong. For such a big film, this is perhaps oe of the laziest Bond films ever made. Roger Moore isn't the only one at fault here - even the Bond girl and main villain seem to be sleeping on the job.

Moore has seemed to have aged rather quickly after his first 3 Bond films, and in Moonraker, seems to be a bit sluggish to everything around him. The dry humor seems to have hit an all time low, and the charm towards the ladies feels tiresome. I get the impression Moore wasn't very interested in this film, but the script didn't really help provide very exciting lines to work with. Hugo Drax is the super-villain, and in the tradition of large-scale Bond movies, has plans for world domination. He owns all the manufacturing plants for Moonraker shuttles, and steals them to transport his perfect humans to a space station - there he plans to use the poisonous pollen of a rare orchard to wipe out human life on Earth. Unfortunately, Drax too looks terribly unexcited with his role, and is nearly unemotional with the majority of his lines. He has two notable henchmen - Chang - who does gives Bond a good fight in a glass factory (but he's no Oddjob, that's for sure) and the return of Jaws, who was still pleasing to watch, though too goofy this time around after his introduction in The Spy Who Loved Me.

What still manages to keep Moonraker a fun ride is the combinations of locations and action. The film begins with an exciting and breathtaking scene of Bond and Jaws battling it out in the sky, falling to the Earth without parachutes out - followed by the opening credits paired with the gorgeous Moonraker theme. After the credits, things start to role in California, at the Drax estate, which is absolutely marvelous - perhaps the biggest villain estate seen in all of the Bond films. Bond continues to Venice, where we see some good fights and boat chases through the Venetian canals. Then Bond travles to Rio, where some of the most spectacular arial views of the bay are shown, including a very fun cable car fight between Bond and Jaws high above the city. After Rio, Bond heads deeper into Brazil, where another boat chase occus on the Brazilian rivers, which ends in an array of waterfalls. Lastly, Bond travels to space along with Drax and Jaws (not the real space of course). The space station scene is entertaining, but feels extremely odd for Bond, and the effects and action are ok, but really extremely cheesy.

A big time Bond adventure that was wasted by uninteresting actors and script is what Moonraker comes down to. This movie is worth it just to see some fabulous scenery - some of the best ever. The whole space thing is a little ridiculous, but some may find it an enjoyable change of pace.

Acting - 3.5
Action - 4.5
Characters - 3.5
Story - 3
Overall - 3.5

[3.5] Overdone and underwhelming
The first time I watched Moonraker I was honestly blown away by the large scaleness of this Bond film - keeping in tradition with the prior The Spy Who Loved Me film. The locations and variety of suspense and action was one-of-a-kind, but upon a few more viewings, I began to see where it all started to go wrong. For such a big film, this is perhaps oe of the laziest Bond films ever made. Roger Moore isn't the only one at fault here - even the Bond girl and main villain seem to be sleeping on the job.

Moore has seemed to have aged rather quickly after his first 3 Bond films, and in Moonraker, seems to be a bit sluggish to everything around him. The dry humor seems to have hit an all time low, and the charm towards the ladies feels tiresome. I get the impression Moore wasn't very interested in this film, but the script didn't really help provide very exciting lines to work with. Hugo Drax is the super-villain, and in the tradition of large-scale Bond movies, has plans for world domination. He owns all the manufacturing plants for Moonraker shuttles, and steals them to transport his perfect humans to a space station - there he plans to use the poisonous pollen of a rare orchard to wipe out human life on Earth. Unfortunately, Drax too looks terribly unexcited with his role, and is nearly unemotional with the majority of his lines. He has two notable henchmen - Chang - who does gives Bond a good fight in a glass factory (but he's no Oddjob, that's for sure) and the return of Jaws, who was still pleasing to watch, though too goofy this time around after his introduction in The Spy Who Loved Me.

What still manages to keep Moonraker a fun ride is the combinations of locations and action. The film begins with an exciting and breathtaking scene of Bond and Jaws battling it out in the sky, falling to the Earth without parachutes out - followed by the opening credits paired with the gorgeous Moonraker theme. After the credits, things start to role in California, at the Drax estate, which is absolutely marvelous - perhaps the biggest villain estate seen in all of the Bond films. Bond continues to Venice, where we see some good fights and boat chases through the Venetian canals. Then Bond travles to Rio, where some of the most spectacular arial views of the bay are shown, including a very fun cable car fight between Bond and Jaws high above the city. After Rio, Bond heads deeper into Brazil, where another boat chase occus on the Brazilian rivers, which ends in an array of waterfalls. Lastly, Bond travels to space along with Drax and Jaws (not the real space of course). The space station scene is entertaining, but feels extremely odd for Bond, and the effects and action are ok, but really extremely cheesy.

A big time Bond adventure that was wasted by uninteresting actors and script is what Moonraker comes down to. This movie is worth it just to see some fabulous scenery - some of the best ever. The whole space thing is a little ridiculous, but some may find it an enjoyable change of pace.

Acting - 3.5
Action - 4.5
Characters - 3.5
Story - 3
Overall - 3.5