Just goes to show how awesome Richard Kiel was. Even as a villain, audiences loved him so much, they saved him from death, brought him back for a sequel and even gave him a character arc. I know I'm always glad to see him in movies.
Was in the states in '99 about to fly back to LA from Honolulu to get my flight back to the UK. Whilst waiting at the gate to Board, a nurse wheeled this massive guy and parked him near the desk. I did a double take, it was Richard Kiel looking none too healthy. Didnt bother the poor man, but I'll never forget it.
🔥🔥🔥GREAT REACT!!!🔥🔥🔥 I’ll never forget my Dad taking me to see this at the theater. I was a wide-eyed 10 year old kid and my world was suddenly changed. Over the decades, we bonded over the latest 007 movies and spent many Saturdays watching the classics. I’m a father now and have introduced my kids to these amazing movies. I miss my dad everyday and am thankful for our time. 007 was a big part of that time.
My mother met Richard Kiel (Jaws). He and his wife were regulars at the restaurant where she worked, used to bring their kids there for birthdays. She said he was an absolute sweetheart in real life.
This movie is pretty underrated, I feel. It used to get a lot of shit for being very silly and sure, it goes over the top too much at times. But it also has incredible sets, a great score and some amazing action, plus a very solid villain. It's not as good as TSWLM, but in FYEO we'll get back down to earth, down to basics anyway. I enjoy Moonraker as a silly, comforting piece of entertainment with some great artistic value in it.
Matthew Vaughn said Moonraker was one of his favourite Bond films. It’s no surprise that the villians’ scheme in Kingsman the Secret Service is very similar to Moonraker. Kill the population of the earth and replace it with your chosen people.
For a much more vicious and nasty fight on a cable car (not to mention a hell of a lot of explosions) I strongly recommend _Where Eagles Dare_ with Richard Burton & Clint Eastwood on a behind enemy lines WW2 spy action film.
If I recall, one of the producers met a young child who told him how much he loved Jaws in the Spy Who Loved Me and asked why he couldn’t be a good guy. They wrote his “arc” in this film for the kids.
There is an example of the Mandela Effect in this film. Jaws girlfriend had braces in the original, as this was the joke as to why they fell for each other. Now, she no longer has them. Very strange.
Some trivia about this one (sorry if any of this has been commented already, can't comb through 425 comments to look for it): Except for the closeups (which were obviously done with rear projection, or some other late-70s vfx technique) the scene with Bond, Jaws and the pilot falling from the plane was actually filmed in freefall. Michael G. Wilson had come up with the scene some years earlier, but reasoned it would be impossible to film. The way a sequence like that would typically have been filmed was by strapping a Bell & Howell Eyemo camera (originally made for newsreel filming) to a skydiver's head, but the weight of the anamorphic lenses used on most of these films would have broken the camera operator's neck. Then Wilson stumbled across a discarded Panavision prototype lens made of plastic in a used camera store in Paris. With this lens and a custom-built lightweight titanium camera it was finally possible to film the sequence. The whole sequence had to be filmed in short segments (a few seconds each) over several days. A film editing machine was brought to the airfield, and the director would show the skydivers the assembled footage from the previous day, so they could see which segments needed to be filled in. There wasn't enough time to do opticals for the visual effects, so they were all done using a successive exposure technique, where one element would be photographed, the film run backwards through the camera, then another element exposed. For some shots of the space laser battles I think they did close to 50 passes. This technique resulted in a sharper/cleaner image than opticals (though by that point most effects houses mitigated that by shooting opticals on a larger negative and then printing down to 35mm), but leaves no margin for error, and introduces increased risk of damaging the film from the repeated passes through the camera. The exterior shots of the space station disintegrating were done by closing off the soundstage and blasting the model with a shotgun. First Bond film released in Dolby Stereo (although "You Only Live Twice" had a 70mm 6-channel mix for its Japanese premiere). Up until this they were all released in mono (1-channel).
The villain’s name being Drax and the scene in which Bond and the love interest are trapped in the chamber underneath the rocket engines are the only things this film has in common with the source novel. Ian Fleming’s novel is mostly a low-key mystery and his only novel set entirely in the UK. The “Moonraker” in the novel is not a space shuttle, it’s a nuclear missile being built by Drax for the UK. Bond gets involved when M asks him to investigate Drax as a personal favor because he cheats at bridge in the club that Drax and M are both members of. It’s easily one of the best Fleming novels.
Moonraker bears no resemblance whatsoever to the novel. Instead, it copies the plot of The Spy Who Loved Me, which itself borrowed the plot from You Only Live Twice.
Moonraker is essentially the third version of You Only Live Twice. The second was The Spy Who Loved Me. The Spy Who Loved Me was the best version, Moonraker was the most ridiculous version and You Only Live Twice was the original version. All of them directed by Lewis Gilbert. As ridiculous as it is that Drax could build a secret space station that no one on earth knows about, Blofeld in You Only Live Twice launching a rocket ship from a secret base inside a hollowed out volcano in the sea of Japan is a close second. As over the top as The Spy Who Loved Me is, it is the most realistic of the three. All three feature great art direction and production design, but when it comes to that, I give the edge to You Only Live Twice because that volcano set is so iconic.
I would say by strict definition Diamonds are Forever was more campy especially with Mr Wyndt & Mr. Kidd..this one was just enjoyably absurd. Great review love the laughing.. people forget Bond movies used to be fun.
Yeah, okay. Moonraker is silly and outlandish. So what? Not everything has to be taken seriously 100% of the time. There are other very serious James Bond movies if you want to watch them. It's not perfect, but it's fun and that is all that matters. This is my favorite Roger Moore/James Bond movie. Fun Fact: Except for a few brief close-ups, the entire sequence of Bond, Jaws, and the pilot falling from the plane, with Bond and the pilot fighting for a single parachute, was shot in free fall. The seven-pound camera for these sequences was mounted on the helmet of another skydiver, and a few shots are of the cameraman's own arms and legs. Stuntmen Jake Lombard and B.J. Worth wore parachutes concealed within their suits. The "parachute" over which they fought, was actually a dummy chute, which had to be removed before the stuntman could use the real parachute underneath. Stuntman Jake Lombard would don and remove the dummy chute up to three times in a single jump. The actual parachutes used by the stuntmen had a main and reserve chute concealed within the suitcoats. A breakaway seam ran down the back, which allowed the parachute to be opened without the need to remove the coat. There were only sixty to seventy seconds of free fall time, between when the stunt performers exited the aircraft, and when they had to activate their chutes. After factoring in the time needed to get the performers and cameraman into position after leaving their plane, only a few seconds of film could be shot per jump. Therefore, the entire sequence required eighty-eight jumps, and five weeks to film, just to produce the two minutes of footage in the final movie.
This film contains one of the most famous examples of "the Mandela effect". Many people - at least those who saw it in theatrical release - have a distinct memory of the young pig-tailed girl who became Jaws' love interest wearing braces. I saw it in the theatre and have this memory as well. That's why she seemed like the perfect choice for him (plus the physical comedy of her being so petite). I've read up on this and apparently the actress who played the part says that she was NOT wearing braces for the role. Yet many people remember it that way. Strange.
I saw Moonraker in a packed theatre when it came out when I was a kid. When Dolly smiled, the entire theatre erupted in laughter because Dolly had BRACESI She was the prefect match for Jaws. That was the joke. I will never forget that moment. I believe the braces may have been added as an after effect, hence the actress has no memory of them. Also, subsequent releases (VHS, laserdisc etc.) probably changed this for some reason (maybe not to make Dolly seem like a child??).
As a kid I was so excited about Jaws being back in this movie, because I just thought he was so cool. As an adult I like that Jaws was back, because series movies like Bond get you invested in a great villain only to kill them off in one film.
A huge saving grace for this movie is the absolutely gorgeous music. Plus it’s one of few movies where you see Roger Moore’s Bond really unsettled. He didn’t enjoy the spinner ride at all.
Moonraker is the first Bond film I saw at the cinema (aged 6!) I know lots of people don't like it, and some of the Star Wars-y stuff is a bit daft, but I'll always be fond of this film. Roger Moore is superb, and there are some fantastic locations and gadgets. There's no real chemistry with Bond and Dr Goodhead, but the cast is really strong, too. Imagine my surprise when I watched FYEO a couple of years later - such a contrast with this film!
A bit of Mandela Effect trivia. The scene where Jaws meets his love interest; most everyone who saw the movie back in the day recalls the blonde Alpine girl also having a metal mouth (braces). Because everyone remembers laughing when SHE shows Jaws her teeth .
Have a pretty big soft spot for "Moonraker", as it was the first Bond Film I ever watched as a kid. And even when I take my rose tinted glasses off, it still has a lot going for it. Drax is a great Villain with a really nice, dry sense of humor, Roger Moore is absolutely comfortable as Bond by this point, Holly is a underapprechiated and smart Bond-Girl able to handle herself, there are great setpieces, beautiful camerawork, and both Derek Meddings (Effects) and Ken Adam (Production Design) provided the best work of their respective careers for this movie. And that John Barry-Score... *Chefs kiss* It is outlandish? Absolutely. It is an obvious cash in to ride the Star Wars-wave? Obviously. But I don't care one bit. 🙂
This is among my favorite Bond films. I love the villain's plot. Part eco terrorist, part master race eugenicist, all evil. Great score, beautiful cinematography ...and lasers! What's not to love?
The opening stunt of Jaws slinging Bond out of the plane remains one of my favourite stunts/scenes from the 007 franchise....(the second being the car somersault over the broken bridge in The Man With The Golden Gun).
Great reaction, Shan! I love that you're entertained by the cheeseyness of this film. This was my favorite Bond film when I was a kid. My mom would let us watch Bond movies on TV on Sunday nights in the early 80s. I'm curious if you've ever seen a film called The Black Hole? It's a Disney film from 1979, but not your typical Disney film of that era. Sci-Fi, live action, practical effects. It's an enjoyable film, and is on Disney+ in case you have that. Anyway, love your channel.
I'm very nostalgic for "The Black Hole" film. For a sci-fi film there are many who might think it's a bit too slow but it could work for a reaction if well edited. It also has the Cygnus which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful ship models in all of film history - maybe second only to the mothership from Close Encounters or the Enterprise refit.
I love Moonraker. Its pure fun. Doesn’t take itself too seriously. ‘ I think he’s attempting re-entry sir!’ - best line in any Bond film by far. Q drops the mike with that pun.
It's hugely silly but I do love it. All the money is up on screen, Ken Adam's sets are amazing and John Barry's score is gorgeous. This was a massive hit back in '79. Very silly but very fun.
Jaws falling in love remains one of the hardest left turns in cinema history. To this day my brain still does a kind of uncanny valley thing where I can't actually believe that it's real.
This will always be my favorite bond movie. I remember back in the 80s every last day of school they would show us movies and this was one of the regulars. So Ive seen this a gazillion times. Reminds one of the good ol days.
"We're not science fiction, we're in fact science fact." - Cubby during the production of Moonraker I laugh uncontrollably everytime I see the video of him saying that line.
Trivia Except for a few brief close-ups, the entire sequence of Bond, Jaws, and the pilot falling from the plane, with Bond and the pilot fighting for a single parachute, was shot in free fall. The seven-pound camera for these sequences was mounted on the helmet of another skydiver, and a few shots are of the cameraman's own arms and legs. Stuntmen Jake Lombard and B.J. Worth wore parachutes concealed within their suits. The "parachute" over which they fought, was actually a dummy chute, which had to be removed before the stuntman could use the real parachute underneath. Stuntman Jake Lombard would don and remove the dummy chute up to three times in a single jump. The actual parachutes used by the stuntmen had a main and reserve chute concealed within the suitcoats. A breakaway seam ran down the back, which allowed the parachute to be opened without the need to remove the coat. There were only sixty to seventy seconds of free fall time, between when the stunt performers exited the aircraft, and when they had to activate their chutes. After factoring in the time needed to get the performers and cameraman into position after leaving their plane, only a few seconds of film could be shot per jump. Therefore, the entire sequence required eighty-eight jumps, and five weeks to film, just to produce the two minutes of footage in the final movie Trivia The scene in which the gondola converts into a hovercraft, and elevates out of the water, succeeded with the fifth attempt. During the first four takes, the vehicle was so unstable that Sir Roger Moore fell into the water, and he needed to have his silk suit replaced for each take. It was fortunate that the stunt worked during the fifth take, because he was wearing the last available silk suit. Trivia The cost for this movie was $30 million, nearly as much as the first 8 films combined, without taking into account inflation. Trivia The cable that Jaws bit was actually made of licorice Trivia Producer Albert R. Broccoli called Steven Spielberg, requesting permission to use the indelible five-note leitmotif from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Broccoli wanted to use it as the entry code for an electronic laboratory door lock in a scene in this movie. Several years later, Spielberg called Broccoli requesting permission to use the 007 theme music for a scene in a movie he was producing, titled The Goonies (1985). Broccoli pointed out that there were more than five notes in the 007 theme music. Spielberg suspected the producer's tongue was firmly planted in his cheek, as he continued to banter. He was right. The Steven Spielberg and Albert R. Broccoli connection has another twist, an interest in directing a Bond movie while in negotiations with Broccoli, until Star Wars saga producer and creator George Lucas offered the script for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Trivia Sir Roger Moore arrived a few days late for the shoot in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, due to a kidney stone attack in France. Moore had also had a renal colic attack while filming Live and Let Die (1973). Once he arrived in Rio de Janeiro, he literally walked off the plane, went into make-up and hair, got fitted out, went back onto the plane, and was then filmed arriving in Rio de Janeiro as James Bond for this movie. Trivia During the cable car stunt, high above Rio de Janeiro, a real cliffhanger moment occurred when stuntman Richard Graydon slipped, and was hanging on for dear life. The rest of the crew, including Ken Adam, were petrified while the camera was rolling, and they were watching from a vantage point. Trivia This movie became the focus of a real-life adventure story, when mercenary John Miller used it as cover, in his attempt to kidnap fugitive Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and return him to Britain for trial. Miller and his team posed as members of this movie's production team, offering a cameo in the movie to Biggs, intending to lure him onto a yacht for the proposed scene to be filmed, and once in international waters, sail it to a Commonwealth country, from where he could be extradited. The scheme became unstuck when a member of the press, who'd heard rumors of the operation, telephoned Biggs' house, thinking he had already been snatched. Trivia It was the first movie to feature the modern space shuttle in a movie. This movie's release was suppose to coincide with the first launch of the space shuttle, but this unfortunately didn't occur until April 12, 1981, just before the release of the next James Bond movie, For Your Eyes Only (1981), and exactly twenty years after Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space (April 12, 1961). Trivia Lois Chiles was pregnant during shooting If you want more trivia here's the link to the page https ://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079574/trivia
I have an intense case of Mandel effect with this movie. I truly believed that the cute blond girl had braces, and it was a cute little connection with Jaws. I see my memory got mixed up. I love that space station. It could be used in a Star Wars, or Star Trek movie at that time. This is totally Space Force.
This is my #1 favorite Bond film. By FAR. The only issue I have, as far as campiness, is the hovercraft scene when they show they reverse the shot of pigeon, to make it look as if it's shaking it's head in disbelief.
The silliness is what I watch 007 movies for. For that reason, this one along with Diamonds are Forever, are among my favorites, even though critics dismissed both of them. I think Moonraker is also nostalgic for me because it is one of my earliest encounters with the series. It also gives us a shift in the "Bond Girl" image. Goodhead is highly educated and self reliant and this starts to show up more in future films.
Shan, I just want to point out: Ken Adam did the production design for two Kubrick movies: "Dr. Strangelove" and "Barry Lyndon". You can see him interviewed about Kubrick in the movie "Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures". He ended up having a nervous breakdown working with Kubrick on "Barry Lyndon"! I can't remember if you've seen those movies yet, but they're definitely worth watching.
I love the incredible contrast between Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only. I like each but for very different reasons. Moonraker for being so far out there that its almost a spoof on the genre in itself. And the other for being far more grounded, darker and my absolute favourite from Moore.
"The main weakness of the film has to be the crazy plot." With all due respect, sir, I always consider the crazy plot to be the main strength of any Bond movie! 😀 This was my very first Bond movie I saw in cinema at age 12 back then, so I always will have fond memories of it. ^^
"Is Bond an astronaut or a space soldier" the only answer I can give you is He's James Bond he does almost pretty much everything. I guess Bond isn't the only one who can get the georgous women but Jaws as well which was left field but nice. I wish we had more of Jaws in the future films unfortunately Richard Kiel is no longer with us :'(. I love this film for its corny lines and silliness it's just a fun film and this was my first Bond movie. Note: This is Bernard Lee's last Bond film as the original M before his unexpected passing.
The thing with the dogs I always interpreted as implying that the dogs were trained for security, not that the guy was a control freak. Security/guard dogs are generally trained to eat only on command to make them harder to poison or drug.
The novel Moonraker is one of the best Bond books, and this film has little to do with it. Drax in the book is a literal Nazi, while he's only implicitly a Nazi in the film. The novel's atomic missile is replaced with the space shuttles (and, in a sense, the nerve gas globes). Holly Goodhead is very loosely based on Fleming's character Gala Brand, who worked for Drax while being an undercover agent. If you squint at the book and film, you can draw a parallel between an action scene or two. Moonraker would receive another adaptation in 2002 with the film Die Another Day. It's a smidge more faithful to the book in some ways, but it's also an absurd, over-the-top Bond flick that pushes credulity to the limits. I suppose the good thing about the films' lack of fidelity to this particular book is that it gives fans ample justification for reading it. (No offense to Fleming on Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, or On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but if you've already seen the movies, you won't find much to surprise you in the books.)
I was 15 when "Moonraker" came out, my friends and I were so excited to hit the theater that Sat afternoon to see the latest Bond. This was the peak of the Bond franchise for sure. Bond had been the main hero in movies for almost 20 years. Then in 1981 when "For Your Eyes Only" came out "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was in the theater and Bond took the back seat as Indiana Jones took over. For me Bond became obsolete in the summer of 81 not only did I get Indiana Jones that summer but I got Snake Plissken too.
I love this version of Bond. Roger Moore. Tongue-in-cheek matiné adventure and humor. Great effects and fun sets. Moonraker is so underrated. In 1979 this movie was considered too much sci-fi, but both the space shuttle and space station was real projects just getting their "wings". The movie has become much more appreciated in the last decades thankfully. It's a lovely James Bond movie. Cmon! Doctor Goodhead!! Almost beats Pussy Galore!
This was the first Bond film I saw in the cinema, with my brother (I was 10, he was 12 -our Parents had seen a few of the Connery films in the 60's, and approved that we could see Bond). There was a number of memorabilia for "Moonraker" -which I still have: trading cards, two Corgi mini-vehicles -the Space Shuttle, and Drax Co' helicopter; and plastic model kit of the Moonraker and launch-rockets (these are broken, in a box, in basement) After Star Wars, so many films and tv had more memorabilia. This film with its multiple Space Shuttles, was released two years before the NASA Space Shuttle actually launched in 1981. This is "comfort food" 007, not great, but satisfying for how it makes you feel.
I remember seeing it in a cinema in the Isle of Man, Corgi did the shuttle and helicopter in two sizes, a small version a few inches long and the larger ones about two and a half times the size.
man..I was 13 years old when this movie was released. Epic movie. Even as a younger kid I drew a huge panoramic(two pages of notebook) with no less than 100 divers in the epic fight scene from Thunderball (1967). So naturally I LOVED this epic space fight scene. Great Great movies. I own ever bond movie, minus this years (2021). Thanks for your reactions !!!!
I unironically like this movie. A lot. The pacing is a very valid gripe, however most Bond movies have that issue for me. 20 minutes of slow underwater fighting? A chase after a fight after an explosion? I mean, that's just how it is. But I love most of them a great deal
I feel like Moonraker is more like the 60's Bond, but I am a fan of Roger Moore. The fast-paced story is fun, the score is great, and the title track is very good.....done as a disco version during the end credits.
Please watch this soon........ "The Sting" (1973) Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Robert Earl Jones (James Earl Jones' father). Seven academy awards. Grifters team up to run a con on a mob boss in the 1930's.
Jaws remains my favourite Bond character. I had a bit of a fear of dogs for a short while, because of the dog attack and I was a small boy who'd never met any dogs. Now I love them. Anyway, if you're looking to see Roger Moore in his favourite role check out THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF. Amazing movie and shows Mr. Moores range :)
Painful flashbacks of grinding out the Aztec level on 00 Agent difficultly. Those friggin drone guns at every corner, then, even if you do beat Jaws, all those freaking Moonraker lasers. Dammit, now I have to dig up my N64 and play Goldeneye.
I love Moonraker. Although I saw a double feature of You Only Live Twice and Thunderball as a young kid, this was my first Bond movie that I saw right when it was released. As a big fan of NASA all throughout the 70's and 80's, I was so excited to see the space shuttle in this movie. Due to delays at Nasa, it was 2 years after this movie came out that the first shuttle launch happened so I think they did a really good job in the special effects dept. On another note, I always thought it was cool that those dogs wouldn't eat until he snapped his fingers. I have trained two of my dogs to wait until I snap before they eat just to see if I could. It works with their dogfood but if I dropped a couple pieces of steak on the floor, it would be gone in seconds.
Yes, believe or not. Moonraker is my all time favorite Bond movie.moore is the best bond for me because I like the humor he brings. And the return of everyone's favorite Jaws got a lot of screen time. The bad guy is a little boring. Great actor but I feel he didn't do much on scene. I love this movie.
Am glad you enjoyed the film for what it was and taking into consideration when it came out to clearly cash in on the crazy unexpected success of STAR WARS. As you may recall, the end credits of Spy Who Loved Me stated For Your Eyes Only will be next. This was the third and final theme song song to be performed by legendary diva Shirley Bassey who also performed Goldfinger & Diamonds Are Forever.
Bond fans love or lothe Moonraker. The crowd scenes in St. Peters Square were real tourists. The crew could not get them to keep out of shot so they just filmed through them. Well spotted the running gag of the same guy with his wine bottle , who is an Italian director I think. Thev gravity scenes was all done with wire work. So well done for the time to avoid them swaying about. Sir Rodger said filming the end scene was far from romantic as they were laying on top of each other on a board and suspended from wires. The part of Drax was offered to James Mason but he turned it down. Michael Lonsdale is ok but too dead pan. Mason would have been great. Michael Lonsale passed away fairly recently.
And just for the record, I don’t mind the double-take of the pigeon one bit. Early in the films, there’s a lot of comedy. The last 20 minutes is conflict / fight / strategy which is deadly serious. And a quick flourish of joy of life at the very end. This is the formula for a Bond film.
For Your Eyes Only wisely brought the series back down to Earth - literally. The gadgets and gimmicks are at a minimum, and it opens with an unexpectedly poignant moment for long term fans.
It is a silly film but I love it nonetheless. Despite the silliness the death of Corrine by the dogs was a particularly dark moment. It's also amusing that if you see an image of the actress who played Jaws girlfriend, she was a French model and looked quite different without the oversized glasses and pigtails. This was also the third Shirley Bassey song and I like it the most of hers. The soundtrack in the spaceflight was quite moody and bears some similarity to that from the film the Black Hole also done by John Barry.
Just about to start your reaction now (Been following and really enjoying your Bond series!). I am eagerly awaiting your reaction to the final line of the film (after "Good God, what's Bond doing!?"), am sure you won't let us down! 😄
Classic Bond film in almost every way. This particular film reminds me the most of what you would picture in an Austin Powers parody. LOL! You can totally picture Dr. Evil in place of Drax.
After all we have learned, and seen since 1979, this movie seems 1000% more ridiculous than it did on release. However, as with any movie, you just have to let your imagination take over, and forget about reality for a couple hours.
I remember at this point in time there was alot of excitement about the space shuttle (Which hadn't launched at this point) The launch in the movie was closer to the style of a Saturn V rocket ( Slow and majestic)... a few months later the world saw the the real shuttle was more of a hot rod... In fact to this day I can still hear the news caster covering the launch... " No slow majestic climb like the old Saturns... Columbia kicks and go!!!"
Interestingly, Roger Moore was in another movie that came out the same year 1979, an all star action comedy called Escape to Athena, which had a sub-plot and climax that came much closer to the Moonraker novel than anything in the actual Moonraker movie. Apart from Hugo Drax, he is the only element retained from the book. Moonraker isn't in my top five or even top ten favourite Bond films but I do appreciate its outlandish total escapism. For me, it's a film of two halves with a very tense first half. The scene with the centrifuge is very gripping and well done and the chilling scene of poor Corine being chased by the dogs through the woods. The way it is filmed and scored makes it feel more like a scene from a horror movie than a Bond film. Then we get into the second half of the film and it just becomes increasingly crazier and crazier. Talking of music. You picked up on many of the musical in-jokes but there was one you seemed puzzled by. I think you picked up on the fact that it was another musical reference but couldn't quite place it. After the scene where Bond escapes from the ambulance he appears riding a horse and wearing a poncho, flanked by I think two Gaucho's . The music playing over that scene is from the original classic, The Magnificent Seven from 1960. A film I would thoroughly recommend if you've never seen it. Loving your reactions to the Bond series. The best reactions I've seen to the Bond movies on RUclips. You seem to be thoroughly enjoying them. Can't wait for you to get to For Your Eyes Only. One of my all time favourites in the series and in my opinion Roger Moore's best performance as Bond.
This my favorite Bond film. After this, they seemed to loose their fun campy sudo-superhero feel and go more for sincerity and world politicing. I miss the old Bond. For a fun side note, check out Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The movie is based on a book from the same Author, Ian Fleming. Watch for the gadgets and the silly suggestive female character names :)
In 1979 a space station like that was in space. It was called Skylab. In the 1970s they still had moon rockets left and were able to send space stations like that into Orbit in one piece. They had also plans to make space stations even bigger by making them inflatable.
I saw this in the theater. I wasn't a big fan of James Bond, but I liked this movie. And the practical special effects of the shuttles taking off were uncannily accurate looking way before we'd ever seen a real shuttle launch. I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Kiel, a menacing villain I grew up watching, and he told me that wearing those metal teeth was very uncomfortable. Like wearing the bumper of a '57 Chevy in his mouth. He also said he asked for repeated takes when he bit through the cable. It was made of black licorice and he LOVED black licorice.
First Bond film I saw in the theatre. I’ve always enjoyed it for the fun. I feel like if you didn’t have this, you wouldn’t have had “For Your Eyes Only” as a sort of reset to more straightforward Bond. Lois Chiles as Goodhead is probably the most competent Bond “girl” of the more era.
Such a silly movie. But costed more to make than all the previous bond movies, combined. But let's just take a minute to appreciate John Berry's great score. His "flight into space" is a personal favorite.
With Star Wars, Alien, Close Encounters, ET, Meteor, The Thing - Bond had to go to space. One of the best jokes in the series - “Where did you learn to fight like that, NASA?” “No, Vassar.” Having attended Vassar College, I appreciate it.
For awhile, this was the only Bond film I'd ever seen as an kid. This was Bernard Lee's final appearance as the original M. Passed away after the movie finished.
Just goes to show how awesome Richard Kiel was. Even as a villain, audiences loved him so much, they saved him from death, brought him back for a sequel and even gave him a character arc. I know I'm always glad to see him in movies.
"Well... here's to us."
Was in the states in '99 about to fly back to LA from Honolulu to get my flight back to the UK.
Whilst waiting at the gate to Board, a nurse wheeled this massive guy and parked him near the desk.
I did a double take, it was Richard Kiel looking none too healthy. Didnt bother the poor man, but I'll never forget it.
Drax was a weak villain. You needed Jaws as such a strong henchman to pick up the slack.
"My God, what's Bond doing?"
"I think he's attempting re-entry, sir."
That is hands down my favourite double entendre in the entire franchise.
Agree 100% .....
And I thought Christmas only comes once a year was my favorite.
'James...you always were a cunning linguist'...naughty Moneypenny:)
Correction: film industry!
🔥🔥🔥GREAT REACT!!!🔥🔥🔥
I’ll never forget my Dad taking me to see this at the theater. I was a wide-eyed 10 year old kid and my world was suddenly changed. Over the decades, we bonded over the latest 007 movies and spent many Saturdays watching the classics.
I’m a father now and have introduced my kids to these amazing movies. I miss my dad everyday and am thankful for our time. 007 was a big part of that time.
“I think he’s attempting re-entry.” Favorite one liner of the whole film.
My mother met Richard Kiel (Jaws). He and his wife were regulars at the restaurant where she worked, used to bring their kids there for birthdays. She said he was an absolute sweetheart in real life.
First Bond movie I ever watched (as a kid), so for me Roger Moore will always be the original Bond. 😊
This movie is pretty underrated, I feel. It used to get a lot of shit for being very silly and sure, it goes over the top too much at times. But it also has incredible sets, a great score and some amazing action, plus a very solid villain.
It's not as good as TSWLM, but in FYEO we'll get back down to earth, down to basics anyway. I enjoy Moonraker as a silly, comforting piece of entertainment with some great artistic value in it.
It's my favorite of all the Bond movies. My second favorite is Goldeneye.
Underrated? NEVER! .
Matthew Vaughn said Moonraker was one of his favourite Bond films. It’s no surprise that the villians’ scheme in Kingsman the Secret Service is very similar to Moonraker. Kill the population of the earth and replace it with your chosen people.
@@seanrosenau2088 Well, I would never go that high with it. It's not in my top 10, but I'm glad you love it this much :)
@@TheWaynos73 Oh, thanks for the info. I never knew that.
For a much more vicious and nasty fight on a cable car (not to mention a hell of a lot of explosions) I strongly recommend _Where Eagles Dare_ with Richard Burton & Clint Eastwood on a behind enemy lines WW2 spy action film.
And a much better soundtrack or musical score
Or, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Boiling Rock Pt 2.
;-)
It's one of my favourite films, you should watch it and it has some wonderful plot twists.
Where Eagles Dare is one of the first of the modern action blockbusters, and once it gets started it doesn't stop.
Broadsword calling Danny boy come in Danny boy lol What a great film Richar6d Burton and Clint Eastwood are awesome.
If I recall, one of the producers met a young child who told him how much he loved Jaws in the Spy Who Loved Me and asked why he couldn’t be a good guy. They wrote his “arc” in this film for the kids.
There is an example of the Mandela Effect in this film. Jaws girlfriend had braces in the original, as this was the joke as to why they fell for each other. Now, she no longer has them. Very strange.
Some trivia about this one (sorry if any of this has been commented already, can't comb through 425 comments to look for it):
Except for the closeups (which were obviously done with rear projection, or some other late-70s vfx technique) the scene with Bond, Jaws and the pilot falling from the plane was actually filmed in freefall. Michael G. Wilson had come up with the scene some years earlier, but reasoned it would be impossible to film. The way a sequence like that would typically have been filmed was by strapping a Bell & Howell Eyemo camera (originally made for newsreel filming) to a skydiver's head, but the weight of the anamorphic lenses used on most of these films would have broken the camera operator's neck. Then Wilson stumbled across a discarded Panavision prototype lens made of plastic in a used camera store in Paris. With this lens and a custom-built lightweight titanium camera it was finally possible to film the sequence. The whole sequence had to be filmed in short segments (a few seconds each) over several days. A film editing machine was brought to the airfield, and the director would show the skydivers the assembled footage from the previous day, so they could see which segments needed to be filled in.
There wasn't enough time to do opticals for the visual effects, so they were all done using a successive exposure technique, where one element would be photographed, the film run backwards through the camera, then another element exposed. For some shots of the space laser battles I think they did close to 50 passes. This technique resulted in a sharper/cleaner image than opticals (though by that point most effects houses mitigated that by shooting opticals on a larger negative and then printing down to 35mm), but leaves no margin for error, and introduces increased risk of damaging the film from the repeated passes through the camera.
The exterior shots of the space station disintegrating were done by closing off the soundstage and blasting the model with a shotgun.
First Bond film released in Dolby Stereo (although "You Only Live Twice" had a 70mm 6-channel mix for its Japanese premiere). Up until this they were all released in mono (1-channel).
The villain’s name being Drax and the scene in which Bond and the love interest are trapped in the chamber underneath the rocket engines are the only things this film has in common with the source novel. Ian Fleming’s novel is mostly a low-key mystery and his only novel set entirely in the UK. The “Moonraker” in the novel is not a space shuttle, it’s a nuclear missile being built by Drax for the UK. Bond gets involved when M asks him to investigate Drax as a personal favor because he cheats at bridge in the club that Drax and M are both members of. It’s easily one of the best Fleming novels.
Lol your edit at 22:08 had me thinking Holly punched Bond and Bond punched her back for a second
Moonraker bears no resemblance whatsoever to the novel. Instead, it copies the plot of The Spy Who Loved Me, which itself borrowed the plot from You Only Live Twice.
Moonraker is essentially the third version of You Only Live Twice. The second was The Spy Who Loved Me. The Spy Who Loved Me was the best version, Moonraker was the most ridiculous version and You Only Live Twice was the original version. All of them directed by Lewis Gilbert. As ridiculous as it is that Drax could build a secret space station that no one on earth knows about, Blofeld in You Only Live Twice launching a rocket ship from a secret base inside a hollowed out volcano in the sea of Japan is a close second. As over the top as The Spy Who Loved Me is, it is the most realistic of the three. All three feature great art direction and production design, but when it comes to that, I give the edge to You Only Live Twice because that volcano set is so iconic.
I would say by strict definition Diamonds are Forever was more campy especially with Mr Wyndt & Mr. Kidd..this one was just enjoyably absurd. Great review love the laughing.. people forget Bond movies used to be fun.
Yeah, okay. Moonraker is silly and outlandish. So what?
Not everything has to be taken seriously 100% of the time. There are other very serious James Bond movies if you want to watch them. It's not perfect, but it's fun and that is all that matters.
This is my favorite Roger Moore/James Bond movie.
Fun Fact: Except for a few brief close-ups, the entire sequence of Bond, Jaws, and the pilot falling from the plane, with Bond and the pilot fighting for a single parachute, was shot in free fall. The seven-pound camera for these sequences was mounted on the helmet of another skydiver, and a few shots are of the cameraman's own arms and legs. Stuntmen Jake Lombard and B.J. Worth wore parachutes concealed within their suits. The "parachute" over which they fought, was actually a dummy chute, which had to be removed before the stuntman could use the real parachute underneath. Stuntman Jake Lombard would don and remove the dummy chute up to three times in a single jump. The actual parachutes used by the stuntmen had a main and reserve chute concealed within the suitcoats. A breakaway seam ran down the back, which allowed the parachute to be opened without the need to remove the coat. There were only sixty to seventy seconds of free fall time, between when the stunt performers exited the aircraft, and when they had to activate their chutes. After factoring in the time needed to get the performers and cameraman into position after leaving their plane, only a few seconds of film could be shot per jump. Therefore, the entire sequence required eighty-eight jumps, and five weeks to film, just to produce the two minutes of footage in the final movie.
This film contains one of the most famous examples of "the Mandela effect". Many people - at least those who saw it in theatrical release - have a distinct memory of the young pig-tailed girl who became Jaws' love interest wearing braces. I saw it in the theatre and have this memory as well. That's why she seemed like the perfect choice for him (plus the physical comedy of her being so petite). I've read up on this and apparently the actress who played the part says that she was NOT wearing braces for the role. Yet many people remember it that way. Strange.
I do remember her with braces. Damn. 😂
How funny. I remember her with braces as well. When I saw her smile just now with those pearly whites, I was like ... huh?
That's the only reason the scene made sense. They had an instant attraction and connection for one another because of his metal teeth and her braces.
I remember braces too.
I saw Moonraker in a packed theatre when it came out when I was a kid. When Dolly smiled, the entire theatre erupted in laughter because Dolly had BRACESI She was the prefect match for Jaws. That was the joke. I will never forget that moment. I believe the braces may have been added as an after effect, hence the actress has no memory of them. Also, subsequent releases (VHS, laserdisc etc.) probably changed this for some reason (maybe not to make Dolly seem like a child??).
As a kid I was so excited about Jaws being back in this movie, because I just thought he was so cool.
As an adult I like that Jaws was back, because series movies like Bond get you invested in a great villain only to kill them off in one film.
Woke up today not feeling well. Watching you react to another Bond movie was just the pick-me-up I needed! Thanks for being such a fun guy with these.
A huge saving grace for this movie is the absolutely gorgeous music. Plus it’s one of few movies where you see Roger Moore’s Bond really unsettled. He didn’t enjoy the spinner ride at all.
Moonraker is the first Bond film I saw at the cinema (aged 6!) I know lots of people don't like it, and some of the Star Wars-y stuff is a bit daft, but I'll always be fond of this film. Roger Moore is superb, and there are some fantastic locations and gadgets. There's no real chemistry with Bond and Dr Goodhead, but the cast is really strong, too. Imagine my surprise when I watched FYEO a couple of years later - such a contrast with this film!
A bit of Mandela Effect trivia. The scene where Jaws meets his love interest; most everyone who saw the movie back in the day recalls the blonde Alpine girl also having a metal mouth (braces). Because everyone remembers laughing when SHE shows Jaws her teeth .
Have a pretty big soft spot for "Moonraker", as it was the first Bond Film I ever watched as a kid. And even when I take my rose tinted glasses off, it still has a lot going for it. Drax is a great Villain with a really nice, dry sense of humor, Roger Moore is absolutely comfortable as Bond by this point, Holly is a underapprechiated and smart Bond-Girl able to handle herself, there are great setpieces, beautiful camerawork, and both Derek Meddings (Effects) and Ken Adam (Production Design) provided the best work of their respective careers for this movie. And that John Barry-Score... *Chefs kiss* It is outlandish? Absolutely. It is an obvious cash in to ride the Star Wars-wave? Obviously. But I don't care one bit. 🙂
This is among my favorite Bond films. I love the villain's plot. Part eco terrorist, part master race eugenicist, all evil. Great score, beautiful cinematography ...and lasers! What's not to love?
The opening stunt of Jaws slinging Bond out of the plane remains one of my favourite stunts/scenes from the 007 franchise....(the second being the car somersault over the broken bridge in The Man With The Golden Gun).
Great reaction, Shan! I love that you're entertained by the cheeseyness of this film. This was my favorite Bond film when I was a kid. My mom would let us watch Bond movies on TV on Sunday nights in the early 80s.
I'm curious if you've ever seen a film called The Black Hole? It's a Disney film from 1979, but not your typical Disney film of that era. Sci-Fi, live action, practical effects. It's an enjoyable film, and is on Disney+ in case you have that. Anyway, love your channel.
I'm very nostalgic for "The Black Hole" film. For a sci-fi film there are many who might think it's a bit too slow but it could work for a reaction if well edited. It also has the Cygnus which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful ship models in all of film history - maybe second only to the mothership from Close Encounters or the Enterprise refit.
I love Moonraker. Its pure fun. Doesn’t take itself too seriously.
‘ I think he’s attempting re-entry sir!’ - best line in any Bond film by far. Q drops the mike with that pun.
I'm surprised Moore didn't deliver that line... Maybe he thought it was too 'Carry on....'
It's hugely silly but I do love it. All the money is up on screen, Ken Adam's sets are amazing and John Barry's score is gorgeous. This was a massive hit back in '79. Very silly but very fun.
Jaws falling in love remains one of the hardest left turns in cinema history. To this day my brain still does a kind of uncanny valley thing where I can't actually believe that it's real.
This will always be my favorite bond movie. I remember back in the 80s every last day of school they would show us movies and this was one of the regulars. So Ive seen this a gazillion times. Reminds one of the good ol days.
"We're not science fiction, we're in fact science fact."
- Cubby during the production of Moonraker
I laugh uncontrollably everytime I see the video of him saying that line.
Trivia Except for a few brief close-ups, the entire sequence of Bond, Jaws, and the pilot falling from the plane, with Bond and the pilot fighting for a single parachute, was shot in free fall. The seven-pound camera for these sequences was mounted on the helmet of another skydiver, and a few shots are of the cameraman's own arms and legs. Stuntmen Jake Lombard and B.J. Worth wore parachutes concealed within their suits. The "parachute" over which they fought, was actually a dummy chute, which had to be removed before the stuntman could use the real parachute underneath. Stuntman Jake Lombard would don and remove the dummy chute up to three times in a single jump. The actual parachutes used by the stuntmen had a main and reserve chute concealed within the suitcoats. A breakaway seam ran down the back, which allowed the parachute to be opened without the need to remove the coat. There were only sixty to seventy seconds of free fall time, between when the stunt performers exited the aircraft, and when they had to activate their chutes. After factoring in the time needed to get the performers and cameraman into position after leaving their plane, only a few seconds of film could be shot per jump. Therefore, the entire sequence required eighty-eight jumps, and five weeks to film, just to produce the two minutes of footage in the final movie
Trivia The scene in which the gondola converts into a hovercraft, and elevates out of the water, succeeded with the fifth attempt. During the first four takes, the vehicle was so unstable that Sir Roger Moore fell into the water, and he needed to have his silk suit replaced for each take. It was fortunate that the stunt worked during the fifth take, because he was wearing the last available silk suit.
Trivia The cost for this movie was $30 million, nearly as much as the first 8 films combined, without taking into account inflation.
Trivia The cable that Jaws bit was actually made of licorice
Trivia Producer Albert R. Broccoli called Steven Spielberg, requesting permission to use the indelible five-note leitmotif from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Broccoli wanted to use it as the entry code for an electronic laboratory door lock in a scene in this movie. Several years later, Spielberg called Broccoli requesting permission to use the 007 theme music for a scene in a movie he was producing, titled The Goonies (1985). Broccoli pointed out that there were more than five notes in the 007 theme music. Spielberg suspected the producer's tongue was firmly planted in his cheek, as he continued to banter. He was right. The Steven Spielberg and Albert R. Broccoli connection has another twist, an interest in directing a Bond movie while in negotiations with Broccoli, until Star Wars saga producer and creator George Lucas offered the script for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
Trivia Sir Roger Moore arrived a few days late for the shoot in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, due to a kidney stone attack in France. Moore had also had a renal colic attack while filming Live and Let Die (1973). Once he arrived in Rio de Janeiro, he literally walked off the plane, went into make-up and hair, got fitted out, went back onto the plane, and was then filmed arriving in Rio de Janeiro as James Bond for this movie.
Trivia During the cable car stunt, high above Rio de Janeiro, a real cliffhanger moment occurred when stuntman Richard Graydon slipped, and was hanging on for dear life. The rest of the crew, including Ken Adam, were petrified while the camera was rolling, and they were watching from a vantage point.
Trivia This movie became the focus of a real-life adventure story, when mercenary John Miller used it as cover, in his attempt to kidnap fugitive Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and return him to Britain for trial. Miller and his team posed as members of this movie's production team, offering a cameo in the movie to Biggs, intending to lure him onto a yacht for the proposed scene to be filmed, and once in international waters, sail it to a Commonwealth country, from where he could be extradited. The scheme became unstuck when a member of the press, who'd heard rumors of the operation, telephoned Biggs' house, thinking he had already been snatched.
Trivia It was the first movie to feature the modern space shuttle in a movie. This movie's release was suppose to coincide with the first launch of the space shuttle, but this unfortunately didn't occur until April 12, 1981, just before the release of the next James Bond movie, For Your Eyes Only (1981), and exactly twenty years after Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space (April 12, 1961).
Trivia Lois Chiles was pregnant during shooting
If you want more trivia here's the link to the page https ://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079574/trivia
What nonsense. There’s no way that licorice cable could support the gondola.
@@tempsitch5632 It could if the gondola was also made of licorice.
@@porflepopnecker4376 Maybe the other ends of the licorice rope are securely fastened to a sturdy ginger-bread based anchoring system.
@@tempsitch5632 European or African licorice?
@@jb888888888 Australian
My favorite Bond film. I was around 8 years old when I first saw it. Its campiness was right up my alley, and Jaws stole the show.
I have an intense case of Mandel effect with this movie. I truly believed that the cute blond girl had braces, and it was a cute little connection with Jaws. I see my memory got mixed up.
I love that space station. It could be used in a Star Wars, or Star Trek movie at that time.
This is totally Space Force.
This is my #1 favorite Bond film. By FAR. The only issue I have, as far as campiness, is the hovercraft scene when they show they reverse the shot of pigeon, to make it look as if it's shaking it's head in disbelief.
The silliness is what I watch 007 movies for. For that reason, this one along with Diamonds are Forever, are among my favorites, even though critics dismissed both of them. I think Moonraker is also nostalgic for me because it is one of my earliest encounters with the series. It also gives us a shift in the "Bond Girl" image. Goodhead is highly educated and self reliant and this starts to show up more in future films.
17:31 the mandela effect, people swore that the girl was wearing braces back when they first saw this movie.
Shan, I just want to point out: Ken Adam did the production design for two Kubrick movies: "Dr. Strangelove" and "Barry Lyndon". You can see him interviewed about Kubrick in the movie "Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures". He ended up having a nervous breakdown working with Kubrick on "Barry Lyndon"! I can't remember if you've seen those movies yet, but they're definitely worth watching.
I love the incredible contrast between Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only. I like each but for very different reasons. Moonraker for being so far out there that its almost a spoof on the genre in itself.
And the other for being far more grounded, darker and my absolute favourite from Moore.
"The main weakness of the film has to be the crazy plot."
With all due respect, sir, I always consider the crazy plot to be the main strength of any Bond movie! 😀
This was my very first Bond movie I saw in cinema at age 12 back then, so I always will have fond memories of it. ^^
"Is Bond an astronaut or a space soldier" the only answer I can give you is He's James Bond he does almost pretty much everything. I guess Bond isn't the only one who can get the georgous women but Jaws as well which was left field but nice. I wish we had more of Jaws in the future films unfortunately Richard Kiel is no longer with us :'(. I love this film for its corny lines and silliness it's just a fun film and this was my first Bond movie. Note: This is Bernard Lee's last Bond film as the original M before his unexpected passing.
The outer space battle was a loving re-creation of Thunderball's underwater battle.
John Barry’s score is just so underrated - when the space station is revealed for the first time it’s breathtaking
The thing with the dogs I always interpreted as implying that the dogs were trained for security, not that the guy was a control freak. Security/guard dogs are generally trained to eat only on command to make them harder to poison or drug.
The novel Moonraker is one of the best Bond books, and this film has little to do with it. Drax in the book is a literal Nazi, while he's only implicitly a Nazi in the film. The novel's atomic missile is replaced with the space shuttles (and, in a sense, the nerve gas globes). Holly Goodhead is very loosely based on Fleming's character Gala Brand, who worked for Drax while being an undercover agent. If you squint at the book and film, you can draw a parallel between an action scene or two.
Moonraker would receive another adaptation in 2002 with the film Die Another Day. It's a smidge more faithful to the book in some ways, but it's also an absurd, over-the-top Bond flick that pushes credulity to the limits. I suppose the good thing about the films' lack of fidelity to this particular book is that it gives fans ample justification for reading it. (No offense to Fleming on Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, or On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but if you've already seen the movies, you won't find much to surprise you in the books.)
I used to devour these books in high school.
I like that the book tells us what 00-agents do while they are not on a mission and also their pay grade.
Drax, Hitler with a goatie?
I was 15 when "Moonraker" came out, my friends and I were so excited to hit the theater that Sat afternoon to see the latest Bond. This was the peak of the Bond franchise for sure. Bond had been the main hero in movies for almost 20 years. Then in 1981 when "For Your Eyes Only" came out "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was in the theater and Bond took the back seat as Indiana Jones took over. For me Bond became obsolete in the summer of 81 not only did I get Indiana Jones that summer but I got Snake Plissken too.
I love this version of Bond. Roger Moore. Tongue-in-cheek matiné adventure and humor. Great effects and fun sets. Moonraker is so underrated. In 1979 this movie was considered too much sci-fi, but both the space shuttle and space station was real projects just getting their "wings". The movie has become much more appreciated in the last decades thankfully. It's a lovely James Bond movie. Cmon! Doctor Goodhead!! Almost beats Pussy Galore!
This was the first Bond film I saw in the cinema, with my brother (I was 10, he was 12 -our Parents had seen a few of the Connery films in the 60's, and approved that we could see Bond).
There was a number of memorabilia for "Moonraker" -which I still have: trading cards, two Corgi mini-vehicles -the Space Shuttle, and Drax Co' helicopter; and plastic model kit of the Moonraker and launch-rockets (these are broken, in a box, in basement) After Star Wars, so many films and tv had more memorabilia.
This film with its multiple Space Shuttles, was released two years before the NASA Space Shuttle actually launched in 1981.
This is "comfort food" 007, not great, but satisfying for how it makes you feel.
I remember seeing it in a cinema in the Isle of Man, Corgi did the shuttle and helicopter in two sizes, a small version a few inches long and the larger ones about two and a half times the size.
“It’s stupid, but I love it”. Yep, that pretty much how a lot of us feel about it. It’s not bad if you just turn off your brain for a little while.
Finally another 007 film! So excited to be back!
man..I was 13 years old when this movie was released. Epic movie. Even as a younger kid I drew a huge panoramic(two pages of notebook) with no less than 100 divers in the epic fight scene from Thunderball (1967). So naturally I LOVED this epic space fight scene. Great Great movies.
I own ever bond movie, minus this years (2021).
Thanks for your reactions !!!!
Great review as always.
And Space Force is doing all this stuff right now! It's just that no one can see us...
I unironically like this movie. A lot.
The pacing is a very valid gripe, however most Bond movies have that issue for me. 20 minutes of slow underwater fighting? A chase after a fight after an explosion? I mean, that's just how it is.
But I love most of them a great deal
I feel like Moonraker is more like the 60's Bond, but I am a fan of Roger Moore. The fast-paced story is fun, the score is great, and the title track is very good.....done as a disco version during the end credits.
The Ken Adam set you mentioned early on is in fact The Pompidou Centre in Paris, completed in 1977.
Please watch this soon........
"The Sting" (1973) Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Robert Earl Jones (James Earl Jones' father). Seven academy awards.
Grifters team up to run a con on a mob boss in the 1930's.
I've seen Moore's Bonds so many times and it is so nice when someone sees them first time with great commentary, makes you appreciate them more.
One could also say, "Those were the first three notes from Richard Strauss's 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' ". 😁
Jaws remains my favourite Bond character.
I had a bit of a fear of dogs for a short while, because of the dog attack and I was a small boy who'd never met any dogs. Now I love them. Anyway, if you're looking to see Roger Moore in his favourite role check out THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF. Amazing movie and shows Mr. Moores range :)
How can you not enjoy Moonraker? The most enjoyable of guilty pleasures.
Painful flashbacks of grinding out the Aztec level on 00 Agent difficultly. Those friggin drone guns at every corner, then, even if you do beat Jaws, all those freaking Moonraker lasers. Dammit, now I have to dig up my N64 and play Goldeneye.
I love Moonraker. Although I saw a double feature of You Only Live Twice and Thunderball as a young kid, this was my first Bond movie that I saw right when it was released. As a big fan of NASA all throughout the 70's and 80's, I was so excited to see the space shuttle in this movie. Due to delays at Nasa, it was 2 years after this movie came out that the first shuttle launch happened so I think they did a really good job in the special effects dept.
On another note, I always thought it was cool that those dogs wouldn't eat until he snapped his fingers. I have trained two of my dogs to wait until I snap before they eat just to see if I could. It works with their dogfood but if I dropped a couple pieces of steak on the floor, it would be gone in seconds.
I WAS a kid (well...a teen) around that time and I DEFINITELY wanted every gadget he possessed. AND his women. lol
I said it before and I’ll say it again but it would have been perfect if Bond had said: „Oh, he needed some space.“ after ejecting Drax.
brilliant! How bout "Stepped out for some fresh air"
Yes, believe or not. Moonraker is my all time favorite Bond movie.moore is the best bond for me because I like the humor he brings. And the return of everyone's favorite Jaws got a lot of screen time. The bad guy is a little boring. Great actor but I feel he didn't do much on scene. I love this movie.
Great James Bond movie.
Have loved it 1979
Roger is great 007
Loved the video Thanks !!
My first Bond at the cinema, and I still enjoy it today. Great reaction!
Am glad you enjoyed the film for what it was and taking into consideration when it came out to clearly cash in on the crazy unexpected success of STAR WARS. As you may recall, the end credits of Spy Who Loved Me stated For Your Eyes Only will be next.
This was the third and final theme song song to be performed by legendary diva Shirley Bassey who also performed Goldfinger & Diamonds Are Forever.
Bond fans love or lothe Moonraker. The crowd scenes in St. Peters Square were real tourists. The crew could not get them to keep out of shot so they just filmed through them. Well spotted the running gag of the same guy with his wine bottle , who is an Italian director I think. Thev gravity scenes was all done with wire work. So well done for the time to avoid them swaying about. Sir Rodger said filming the end scene was far from romantic as they were laying on top of each other on a board and suspended from wires. The part of Drax was offered to James Mason but he turned it down. Michael Lonsdale is ok but too dead pan. Mason would have been great. Michael Lonsale passed away fairly recently.
And just for the record, I don’t mind the double-take of the pigeon one bit.
Early in the films, there’s a lot of comedy. The last 20 minutes is conflict / fight / strategy which is deadly serious. And a quick flourish of joy of life at the very end. This is the formula for a Bond film.
For Your Eyes Only wisely brought the series back down to Earth - literally. The gadgets and gimmicks are at a minimum, and it opens with an unexpectedly poignant moment for long term fans.
It is a silly film but I love it nonetheless. Despite the silliness the death of Corrine by the dogs was a particularly dark moment. It's also amusing that if you see an image of the actress who played Jaws girlfriend, she was a French model and looked quite different without the oversized glasses and pigtails. This was also the third Shirley Bassey song and I like it the most of hers. The soundtrack in the spaceflight was quite moody and bears some similarity to that from the film the Black Hole also done by John Barry.
Just about to start your reaction now (Been following and really enjoying your Bond series!).
I am eagerly awaiting your reaction to the final line of the film (after "Good God, what's Bond doing!?"), am sure you won't let us down! 😄
This was so much fun. Your reaction gave me a new appreciation of this film. :)
This is Bernard Lee's last appearance as M.
Classic Bond film in almost every way. This particular film reminds me the most of what you would picture in an Austin Powers parody. LOL! You can totally picture Dr. Evil in place of Drax.
i guess people either love or hate this movie. personally, its always been one of my top bond films.
7:39 the way Roger says "a Woman" is priceless
After all we have learned, and seen since 1979, this movie seems 1000% more ridiculous than it did on release.
However, as with any movie, you just have to let your imagination take over, and forget about reality for a couple hours.
I remember at this point in time there was alot of excitement about the space shuttle (Which hadn't launched at this point) The launch in the movie was closer to the style of a Saturn V rocket ( Slow and majestic)... a few months later the world saw the the real shuttle was more of a hot rod... In fact to this day I can still hear the news caster covering the launch... " No slow majestic climb like the old Saturns... Columbia kicks and go!!!"
Just a short trip into space and back, sort of a test flight.
Interestingly, Roger Moore was in another movie that came out the same year 1979, an all star action comedy called Escape to Athena, which had a sub-plot and climax that came much closer to the Moonraker novel than anything in the actual Moonraker movie. Apart from Hugo Drax, he is the only element retained from the book.
Moonraker isn't in my top five or even top ten favourite Bond films but I do appreciate its outlandish total escapism. For me, it's a film of two halves with a very tense first half. The scene with the centrifuge is very gripping and well done and the chilling scene of poor Corine being chased by the dogs through the woods. The way it is filmed and scored makes it feel more like a scene from a horror movie than a Bond film. Then we get into the second half of the film and it just becomes increasingly crazier and crazier.
Talking of music. You picked up on many of the musical in-jokes but there was one you seemed puzzled by. I think you picked up on the fact that it was another musical reference but couldn't quite place it. After the scene where Bond escapes from the ambulance he appears riding a horse and wearing a poncho, flanked by I think two Gaucho's . The music playing over that scene is from the original classic, The Magnificent Seven from 1960. A film I would thoroughly recommend if you've never seen it.
Loving your reactions to the Bond series. The best reactions I've seen to the Bond movies on RUclips. You seem to be thoroughly enjoying them. Can't wait for you to get to For Your Eyes Only. One of my all time favourites in the series and in my opinion Roger Moore's best performance as Bond.
This my favorite Bond film. After this, they seemed to loose their fun campy sudo-superhero feel and go more for sincerity and world politicing. I miss the old Bond. For a fun side note, check out Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The movie is based on a book from the same Author, Ian Fleming. Watch for the gadgets and the silly suggestive female character names :)
And Goldfinger as the King is so cool ;)
My 2nd favorite Bond movie and Dolly had braces.
I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS ONE SO MUCH 😄
"He'll be fine" LOL
I'm really looking forward to you reaction to For Your Eyes Only (1981) That's my favorite James Bond film.
Man: That's a priceless Steinway!
Bond: Not anymore.
Michael Lonsdale who plays Drax, is in another film i love called The Day of the Jackal (1973). Its well worth watching.
First film I ever saw. Parents took me while on holiday in Scarborough. Mr Kiel terrified me. I was 5 .Really enjoyable bond flick.
In 1979 a space station like that was in space. It was called Skylab.
In the 1970s they still had moon rockets left and were able to send space stations like that into Orbit in one piece.
They had also plans to make space stations even bigger by making them inflatable.
Drax has some great lines in this film. "Make sure some harm comes to him" and "Put him out of my misery" are just two of them.
I saw this in the theater. I wasn't a big fan of James Bond, but I liked this movie. And the practical special effects of the shuttles taking off were uncannily accurate looking way before we'd ever seen a real shuttle launch. I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Kiel, a menacing villain I grew up watching, and he told me that wearing those metal teeth was very uncomfortable. Like wearing the bumper of a '57 Chevy in his mouth. He also said he asked for repeated takes when he bit through the cable. It was made of black licorice and he LOVED black licorice.
First Bond film I saw in the theatre. I’ve always enjoyed it for the fun. I feel like if you didn’t have this, you wouldn’t have had “For Your Eyes Only” as a sort of reset to more straightforward Bond. Lois Chiles as Goodhead is probably the most competent Bond “girl” of the more era.
Such a silly movie. But costed more to make than all the previous bond movies, combined. But let's just take a minute to appreciate John Berry's great score. His "flight into space" is a personal favorite.
But a falling out of a plane stunt 😳
No Moonraker, no Austin Powers... Moonraker is my fav. Bond film with OHMSS
I knew you'd love the "attempting re-entry" line!
With Star Wars, Alien, Close Encounters, ET, Meteor, The Thing - Bond had to go to space. One of the best jokes in the series - “Where did you learn to fight like that, NASA?” “No, Vassar.” Having attended Vassar College, I appreciate it.
Saw this movie in the theater on July 4th, 1979. It was a pretty nice film to end the holiday on after outdoor activities (picnics, festivals).
"It's after 9 pm....Bond needs some action" LOL!
For awhile, this was the only Bond film I'd ever seen as an kid.
This was Bernard Lee's final appearance as the original M.
Passed away after the movie finished.