Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
Diamonds are Forever
Rewatching Bond films
- Thread starter Morrus
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Starmaster
Explorer
I guess what I've got to say just goes to show how people can have such wildly different opinions on things, especially Bond films because:
(1) I consider Charles Gray to be the Best. Blofeld. Ever.
(2) Roger Moore has always been my favorite Bond. Some folks may think he looked a bit old for the part or found him to be a bit wooden, but I think he was decent in the action scenes and I liked his dry humor. Maybe that's because always enjoyed the comedic aspect to the films (something I sorely missed in Craig's character). Best of all, though, I thought that Moore came off as perfectly suave while hobnobbing with the rich and famous in a tux. He seemed to fit in perfectly in those scenes.
(3) I enjoyed all the films except Moonraker. I've got a high tolerance for suspension of disbelief, but that one was just too goofy even for me.
Okay, now I'm going to find somewhere to hide from the mob carrying the buckets of tar and feathers.
(1) I consider Charles Gray to be the Best. Blofeld. Ever.
(2) Roger Moore has always been my favorite Bond. Some folks may think he looked a bit old for the part or found him to be a bit wooden, but I think he was decent in the action scenes and I liked his dry humor. Maybe that's because always enjoyed the comedic aspect to the films (something I sorely missed in Craig's character). Best of all, though, I thought that Moore came off as perfectly suave while hobnobbing with the rich and famous in a tux. He seemed to fit in perfectly in those scenes.
(3) I enjoyed all the films except Moonraker. I've got a high tolerance for suspension of disbelief, but that one was just too goofy even for me.
Okay, now I'm going to find somewhere to hide from the mob carrying the buckets of tar and feathers.
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Dalton apart, I have a real soft spot for Moore, preferring him greatly to Connery. He’s charming and goofy and not afraid to let his eyebrows do all the acting, and epitomised all the light-hearted swashbuckling of cinematic Bond (though the ninja sequence in YOLT is also very responsible for this). Yes, he’s old, but it’s mostly pardonable up until FYEO.
Charles Gray isn’t at all bad but he is in a bad film, sadly. Donald Pleasance got YOLT, which was much better.
For future Blofeld, I think either Mikkelsen is fine, you could cast both in consecutive films for a laugh.
See, to me he comes across like a butler. More Jeeves than Bond.
OK, Moonraker. Here goes...
I had bad memories of this one. It's not great, but it's not the train-wreck I remember. And the special effects are better than than they were in my mind.
But, bizarrely, it's the exact same film as the last one. Find/replace "sea" with "space"; plot done! Villain steals subs/spaceshuttles. Bond teams up with foreign female spy. Jaws chases them comedically throughout the movie. Villain has an undersea/space station and plans to kill everyone so they have to live in his new world. American troops attack the lair/space station and a big battle ensues (third time, Gilbert?) while Bond easily offs the villain by himself. MI6 and other important officials are shocked to see Bond and the second Spy Who Loved Him "keeping the British end up"/"attempting re-entry".
The opening stunt is great. Spy's Union Jack parachute remains the high point, but this skydive fight is a close second. These two opening stunts--which are not as common so far as you'd think; it's only now, ten films in, becoming a trope--always stuck in my mind.
I said earlier that Jaws was basically Wile E. Coyote in The Spy Who Loved Me. In this one, he is even more so. Like in the last movie, over and over again he appears from nowhere to attack Bond and then 'dies' (he survives every time) in a cartoonish way. Falling from a plane, he flaps his arms and tries to fly! But he lands on a circus tent so he's OK. Fight on a cable car, it crashes into the tower at high speed and everything explodes! Chasing Bond in a boat he goes over a massive waterfall! Dressed as a giant clown, he gets swept away by the crowd! Over and over again... this guy is just a buffoon and not threatening in the least.
The other henchman, Kendo-man (I don't recall his name) shows up randomly a few times to attack Bond, too.
The first half is a traditional Bond investigation. Mansion, Venice, Rio, Amazon. Still as weakly-threaded as the last one, with a line at the end of each scene 'explaining' why they go to the next location. I mean, Bond recognises an orchid, so his plan? Go to the Amazon and wander around until he's attacked by Jaws & co. on speedboats. Then stumble across the villain's rocket base. If only all investigations were that easy!
The main villain, Drax, is OK I guess. Is he the first one without some kind of 'disability'? I guess Goldfinger didn't. But Drax has no metal hand, missing eye, flipper hands, third nipple, wheelchair. That's always been a problematic Bond trope. Anyway, Drax? Nothing to say really. He does enjoy a good trap-death, but at least he hangs a lampshade on it.
The space stuff? It looks better than I remember. This is 1979 now, Star Wars/2001 era. Apparently this movie was by far the most expensive Bond flick to date (it was also the highest grossing until Goldeneye). Sure, the space action is no Star Wars, but the actual effects hold up well, especially the use of light and shadow in space, the zero-g, even the lasers don't look too bad (but they could have given the good guys and bad guys different colours). That said--were those lasers actually any more useful than just a regular gun? I imagine they cost a pretty penny. Hey, they look shiny.
Still, the film isn't quite as straight-up comedy as the last. it's still a quip-a-thon. Moore's fight scenes are not much better--he's OK when throwing a simple punch, but the other three moves which he pulls out with every fight are worse than Shatner fighting -- (a) swing off something and slowly kick them with both feet; (b) a gentle kick with his shin to their lower back which usually makes them jump in the air or fall over; (c) a judo chop.
Sooo.... I'm surprised, but I think it's better than The Spy Who Loved Me. It's not good. But it's not a trainwreck. The effects are great and hold up well. The action scenes are good (though Moore can't fight). An excellent opening stunt. The tropes are all in place. But it is the exact same film again. Let's call it surprisingly average.
I'll give this one a 004 rating.
I had bad memories of this one. It's not great, but it's not the train-wreck I remember. And the special effects are better than than they were in my mind.
But, bizarrely, it's the exact same film as the last one. Find/replace "sea" with "space"; plot done! Villain steals subs/spaceshuttles. Bond teams up with foreign female spy. Jaws chases them comedically throughout the movie. Villain has an undersea/space station and plans to kill everyone so they have to live in his new world. American troops attack the lair/space station and a big battle ensues (third time, Gilbert?) while Bond easily offs the villain by himself. MI6 and other important officials are shocked to see Bond and the second Spy Who Loved Him "keeping the British end up"/"attempting re-entry".
The opening stunt is great. Spy's Union Jack parachute remains the high point, but this skydive fight is a close second. These two opening stunts--which are not as common so far as you'd think; it's only now, ten films in, becoming a trope--always stuck in my mind.
I said earlier that Jaws was basically Wile E. Coyote in The Spy Who Loved Me. In this one, he is even more so. Like in the last movie, over and over again he appears from nowhere to attack Bond and then 'dies' (he survives every time) in a cartoonish way. Falling from a plane, he flaps his arms and tries to fly! But he lands on a circus tent so he's OK. Fight on a cable car, it crashes into the tower at high speed and everything explodes! Chasing Bond in a boat he goes over a massive waterfall! Dressed as a giant clown, he gets swept away by the crowd! Over and over again... this guy is just a buffoon and not threatening in the least.
The other henchman, Kendo-man (I don't recall his name) shows up randomly a few times to attack Bond, too.
The first half is a traditional Bond investigation. Mansion, Venice, Rio, Amazon. Still as weakly-threaded as the last one, with a line at the end of each scene 'explaining' why they go to the next location. I mean, Bond recognises an orchid, so his plan? Go to the Amazon and wander around until he's attacked by Jaws & co. on speedboats. Then stumble across the villain's rocket base. If only all investigations were that easy!
The main villain, Drax, is OK I guess. Is he the first one without some kind of 'disability'? I guess Goldfinger didn't. But Drax has no metal hand, missing eye, flipper hands, third nipple, wheelchair. That's always been a problematic Bond trope. Anyway, Drax? Nothing to say really. He does enjoy a good trap-death, but at least he hangs a lampshade on it.
The space stuff? It looks better than I remember. This is 1979 now, Star Wars/2001 era. Apparently this movie was by far the most expensive Bond flick to date (it was also the highest grossing until Goldeneye). Sure, the space action is no Star Wars, but the actual effects hold up well, especially the use of light and shadow in space, the zero-g, even the lasers don't look too bad (but they could have given the good guys and bad guys different colours). That said--were those lasers actually any more useful than just a regular gun? I imagine they cost a pretty penny. Hey, they look shiny.
Still, the film isn't quite as straight-up comedy as the last. it's still a quip-a-thon. Moore's fight scenes are not much better--he's OK when throwing a simple punch, but the other three moves which he pulls out with every fight are worse than Shatner fighting -- (a) swing off something and slowly kick them with both feet; (b) a gentle kick with his shin to their lower back which usually makes them jump in the air or fall over; (c) a judo chop.
Sooo.... I'm surprised, but I think it's better than The Spy Who Loved Me. It's not good. But it's not a trainwreck. The effects are great and hold up well. The action scenes are good (though Moore can't fight). An excellent opening stunt. The tropes are all in place. But it is the exact same film again. Let's call it surprisingly average.
I'll give this one a 004 rating.
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MarkB
Legend
Yeah, Moonraker wasn't a planned outing. In the end credits of The Spy Who Loved Me it even says that Bond will return in For Your Eyes Only. But then Star Wars happened and suddenly SPACE was the big selling point, so let's get in on the action! No time to write a new script, let's just recycle the old one.*
Drax's plan does, at least, seem more developed. Stromberg talks about an ideal underwater community, but he doesn't seem to actually have anything more than a model of one, whereas Drax has his space citadel all up and running.
*Reminds me of the Doctor Who story Silver Nemesis from the Sylvester McCoy era. They needed an anniversary special pronto, so rather than making a whole new plot they just used the one from Remembrance of the Daleks and swapped out the daleks with cybermen.
I've realised that Moonraker was Lewis Gilbert directing again. All three of his films (You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker) end the same way with ninjas/sailors/space-troopers attacking the villain's lair in a big battle. I liked it when it was ninjas in the volcano. Spy's sailor attack was pretty tedious, and Moonraker's space-trooper attack was better but no ninjas.
Also he really likes giant magnets. In YOLT some bad guys are picked up in their car by a helicopter dangling a giant magnet and dropped into the sea. In TSWLM Jaws is picked up by a giant magnet and dropped into the sea. I must have missed Moonraker's giant magnet, but the guy LOVES a giant magnet!
Also he really likes giant magnets. In YOLT some bad guys are picked up in their car by a helicopter dangling a giant magnet and dropped into the sea. In TSWLM Jaws is picked up by a giant magnet and dropped into the sea. I must have missed Moonraker's giant magnet, but the guy LOVES a giant magnet!
Zardnaar
Legend
My first Bond as vaguely adult was Goldeneye. Wasnt really exposed to things like reviews or interviews about them.
Did s bond marathon late 90s and 2 or 3 years ago.
I liked the Moore ones more late 90s. Now not so much.
First Timothey Dalton, Brisnan ones thought they were good.
Think I may be a sucker for locations as well hence liking Thunderball more than most.
Diamonds are Foreever, Quantum of Solace, Tomorrow Never Dies are near the bottom.
T-55 streets of St Peterburg that's great.
Lazenby wasn't great but there's worse Moore and Connery efforts imho. Liked his movie though.
Did s bond marathon late 90s and 2 or 3 years ago.
I liked the Moore ones more late 90s. Now not so much.
First Timothey Dalton, Brisnan ones thought they were good.
Think I may be a sucker for locations as well hence liking Thunderball more than most.
Diamonds are Foreever, Quantum of Solace, Tomorrow Never Dies are near the bottom.
T-55 streets of St Peterburg that's great.
Lazenby wasn't great but there's worse Moore and Connery efforts imho. Liked his movie though.
Paul Farquhar
Legend
"That's not a disability, it's an asset."
- Eccentrica Gallumbits
- Eccentrica Gallumbits
He's short.
You wouldn't want an explosive decompression, and I don't think gunpowder burns in vacuum. Also, recoil.
Gauss rifles would have been cooler though. What year was Traveller published?
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