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Watched this afternoon. Glorious as ever, from the cool intro of Laz as Bond ( Aston, sunglasses, lit cigarette, gun sight!) to the tragic finale, sublime viewing. Paid more attention to the recently deceased Michael Reeds cinematography, this is a really gorgeous looking Bond movie! Still number 1 for me!
“I think he’s attempting reentry, sir.”
Moonraker is probably the most ridiculous Bond flick. It’s big, it’s loud, it’s dumb, it’s fun, it’s pure escapism with terrific performances by Roger Moore and Michael Lonsdale.
My biggest issue with Moonraker is right as I begin to vibe with it, there is always something ridiculous to punctuate a scene, and it stops me from completely enjoying it. Jaws is a complete joke now, whether he is flapping his hands like a bird at the beginning of the movie, or just making ridiculous faces as bad things happen to him. The cable car fight should be a thrilling piece of filmmaking, but it falls so flat IMO. The gondola sequence is probably the most nonsensical thing in any Bond.
There is a lot that I do like in this movie. The opening with Bond fighting for the parachute is great stuff. The centrifuge and fight inside the Venini glass shop are both film highlights, and I can’t say enough about the excellent production design. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. Barry delivers another great soundtrack.
The hate for the ending fight in outer space is a bit overblown, IMO. It’s well shot, edited, scored, and honestly doesn’t last as long as I remembered. Some of the kills are absolutely wild, with astronauts spinning off into space like frisbees and whatnot.
I think Lois Chiles as Holly Goodhead is a huge step up from Anya in The Spy Who Loved Me. We actually get to see Holly in action, and it’s a nice arc watching Bond go from making those sexist comments to her about being a woman to appreciating her set of skills later on in the movie.
Hugo Drax is a great villain and his plot to kill millions in order to repopulate the Earth in his image has to be one of the more interesting stories in the series, even if the movie doesn’t take full advantage of it. His death is another highlight - Bond could’ve simply shot him with that poisoned tipped dart and that could’ve been the end of it, but I love that Bond goes an additional step and ejects Drax from the airlock.
Far from the worst Bond film for me. The production design, spectacle and scope of the film keep it from the bottom place. I think it’s definitely more memorable than Spectre, although maybe not as cohesive as No Time To Die. I may have to sit on this one, because I do think Moonraker has more rewatchability overall.
Sixteen down, eleven to go…
1. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
2. Goldfinger
3. GoldenEye
4. Dr. No
5. The Living Daylights
6. You Only Live Twice
7. The World Is Not Enough
8. Live and Let Die
9. For Your Eyes Only
10. The Man With The Golden Gun
11. Moonraker
12. No Time To Die
13. Spectre
14. A View To A Kill
15. Tomorrow Never Dies
16. Diamonds Are Forever
Good review (Your #1 is definitely :x my all time favorite).
I do find it a step up from TSWLM, the acting or performances from the casts were terrific compared to TSWLM, far more reactive and not stiff.
Yes, agreed on Goodhead being an improvement over Anya, she's much more tough, she's independent and didn't need Bond to save her unlike Anya (whom Bond saved at the train against Jaws, then at the climax where she's tied up) and I do also find Lois chiles a better actress than Bach, Bach comes off as wooden for me, she's stiff and quite not believable in her lines, Lois Chiles comes off more as natural to her performance, not forced.
Same for the villains also, Hugo Drax is a big step up from Stromberg in menace, threatening factor and presence, Stromberg seemed to me like a poor copy of Blofeld, his presence was also weak, and quite not active, he's uninteresting as a villain, whereas Hugo Drax was more lively, he had more menace, strong presence, and scary.
Even to the performances, Michael Lonsdale is a big step up from Curd Jurgens (again Jurgens' acting seemed a bit stiff for me).
I couldn't think of a great performance in TSWLM except Roger Moore himself, everyone in there seemed stiff or wooden, or had forced performances.
The cinematography was also a step up from TSWLM too, Moonraker was more beautifully shot than TSWLM, some scenes in the TSWLM where it looked dull, compared that to MR which was very lively and colorful, beautiful shots.
I don't know TSWLM for me is a bit overrated, but comparing it to MR alone, the latter is obviously better.
First time i've watched this in quite a while and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Definitely my favourite Brosnan PTS. The boat chase is brilliantly put together and it's nice to see Brosnan well involved in the action, even if it looks like he ingested a few gallons of Thames water...! As Q's powerboat thunders in pursuit and David Arnold's masterful score kicks in I was loving it!
The rest of the film ain't too bad either. No personal baggage here, just a straight up Bond adventure. Decent story and a really sultry villainess. Some of the action is sometimes a bit meh, but so many great moments overcome it. Just love Elektra's torture of Bond and the Submarine climax works well even if Bond's fight with Renard should have been better.
Overall one of my most enjoyable viewings.
Can see this moving up my rankings somewhat...
Good for you mate! As an intense non-fan of Brossa era, this is his most tolerable of his for me! Mainly down to the casting of Sophie Marceau, a great villain and utterly alluring! Am a fan of Robert Carlyle, but Renard was wasted potential ( agree their final scrap is awful!) And it was great to see the late Robbie Coltrane again! The Q boat is a cool Bond vehicle, but as is the problem with all of Vic Armstrong action set pieces, it goes on and on and thus becomes boring! The helicopter attack was another good idea, but not well executed ( and would have better in daylight!)
Kleinman did another excellent job on the titles, and I was a huge fan of Garbage at the time, though I think if they were left to do the theme on their own, it would have been even better! As for Brossa, he still a lousy Bond to me, and that confrontation scene with Elektra is toe curlingly bad acting on his part!
I know you're not Brosnans biggest fan mate! I'm not either, but I find his first 3 Bond films entertaining enough and with some nice Bondian touches. But it just goes to show, when Brosnan was given more serious meaty dialogue, he couldn’t deliver. (Personally my least favourite acting scene of his was on the beach with Natalya in GE)
But re-visiting TWINE after a long time was surprisingly enjoyable 😊
Yes, that beach scene in GE is pretty awful, with its chocolate box visuals and cringey dialogue!
Daniel Craig is just so good in it! But then all the regulars are on top form. And even as a David Arnold fanatic, I absolutely love the score. I don't get emotional at the end (like I always do with OHMSS) I just enjoy Craig’s marvellous performance before he bows out.
So, a Bond movie watch is definitely on the cards, but now the problem of which one?
I got all of Daniel films on 4K late last year, so perhaps QOS! Or I could continue my Rog Bond film marathon 'Comments as you watch!', which would put TSWLM in the frame. Decisions, decisions!?
Watch the Craig films first, then after that, watch the Moore Bond films for fun after the almost dark and dour Craig ones. ;)
Always a really fun watch. I think the story works well and the villain is certainly insane!
On this viewing I really enjoyed Terri Hatcher's performance. She makes a mark with a pretty small part.
Always loved the Captain on the British Battleship.."Whatever that thing is, sink it!"
A bit too much action in this but it's all very well done and Brosnan looks like he's having fun. And Arnold's first Bond score is masterful.
The Captain on the British ship had me wracking my brains where I saw him before. And a recent T.V. showing of 'Braveheart' solved it. He plays a rather nasty soldier who has his eye on Wallaces true love!
Yes you're right mate. Although apparently he played an 'Admiral' on the HMS Bedford, not a captain...my bad!
He was also in Gangs of New York. In his 80's now according to his bio!
After two fun Brosnan films it was time for some real quality..😉
And what a Bond film this is! The best PTS followed by the pure Fleming of Koskov's defection sequence. Dalton is so good in these scenes it's a Fleming fans dream! That's not to say he's not great throughout the whole thing. Also my favourite climax in the series. Incredible stuntwork and a nail-biting ticking bomb!
A really good cold War story and the best dialogue until CR came along. Dalton is so natural in this and his chemistry with D'Abo is a joy.
Only a few misteps. The cello chase is rather silly, the Russian prison guards scouse accent and John Barry's 'sexy music' when Bond is picked up by the two Leiter girls. (However the rest of his score is phenomenal)
My 4th favourite Bond film and not likely to change that rating any time soon. It's a shame LTK couldn't carry on the quality of this film.
Good summing up, mate! Marvellous Bond movie. Ticks all the boxes for me! Dalton is phenomenal!
I only disagree with your last line! Think LTK was just as good, i like the fact it was so different to TLD, and Dalton was still brilliant! ( + it has my favourite villain in the series in Sanchez!) These two and OHMSS will always be my top 3!
I’ve always liked this one more than TLD. My last viewing of TLD blew me away and this viewing of LTK was no different. The villains, unique score and Dalton’s performance all make this one an instant classic for me. Sanchez may be my favorite villain of them all. Dalton has jumped up in my rankings a few spots post-NTTD, firmly in spot #2 behind Connery. Q has probably the best character development in the series when he realizes how impractical it would be for him to lug that walkie-talkie broom around with him in the field. Probably the biggest laugh in the movie.
2022
1. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
2. Casino Royale ‘06
3. Goldfinger
4. GoldenEye
5. Licence To Kill
6. Dr. No
7. Octopussy
8. The Living Daylights
9. Quantum of Solace
10. Thunderball
11. You Only Live Twice
12. The World Is Not Enough
13. Live and Let Die
14. For Your Eyes Only
15. The Man With The Golden Gun
16. Moonraker
17. No Time To Die
18. Spectre
19. A View To A Kill
20. Tomorrow Never Dies
21. Diamonds Are Forever
And no, I didn't pick my screen name for that reason. That came about when in a previous forum (not this one) I found that Scaramanga was already taken, and so I switched to a secondary character.
GF
YOLT
OHMSS
LALD
TSWLM
MR
OP
GE
What others are appropriate and indulging for kids of this age. Every time I think of maybe Skyfall, Spectre, DAF etc, I try to think of what they'll enjoy and also not subject them to aspects that may be inappropriate. DAD may be the best due to the silliness of it and isn't overly violent. I'll just fast forward at the sex scene with Bond and Jinx.
Of the Brossa era, with a gun to my head, I would probably still pick this, as the only tolerable Bond movie he starred. He's still terrible, that confrontation scene with Elektra is still toe curlingly bad, and you can distract yourself in this film by counting how many times Brossa touches his face! The Q boat was a cool vehicle, but the boat chase is oh so dull, Danny Kleinmans titles are gorgeous (apart from the appearance of the pumping machines, he should have stuck with the oil/water/babes images!), I could watch Sophie Marceau all day long, way too good for this movie, and I have a soft spot for Robert Carlyle, underwritten role, and it was lovely to see the late great Robbie Coltrane again! It has really nothing else to recommend! Oh, as a footnote, it has one of the best titles, and could see Fleming use such a title, unlike his other Di(r)e titles!
I think David Arnold's score Is pretty great as well, mate..! 😁
Yes, I'll give you that mate! Especially the part where Bond and Elektra are skiing!
One of my all time favourite Arnold tracks. Really nails that Barry Bond sound!
My last watch was Spectre and I absolutely loved it. Funny how things go, I remember ranking it last at a certain point. But now I am absolutely crazy about the locations, the atmosphere, Léa & Monica and the fact that this is the one Craig entry since CR that really feels like it wants to be a Bond film.
Too long: So much could have been trimmed and/or removed. Either use Blofeld well (primary villain), or take him out of the picture.
Madeline/Mathilde: I have no problem with Bond discovering that he has a kid somewhere, but I'd rather that it did not devour so much screen time, or carry such weight in the plot.
Everything from Bond finding Dou Dou onward: This lame villain takes Bond out? It all just seems so weak and forced. Bond just plays along into his death.
It occurs to me that I might not have minded Bond's death, even as it is here, had they (EON) not forced Craig's Bond into a separate continuity. If they had just continued without making such a point to the contrary (maybe tacitly implying that the first 20 films fit between QOS and SF, the return of Judi Dench being one of those overlooked inconsistencies) and I probably would have accepted the decision as a fitting end to a 25 film run.
Awesome! My cat joined me watching The Man with the Golden Gun the other day, we had a blast! :))
He only likes the underwater scenes...😁
For me - as a Brozza fan - I consider his two worst scenes acting wise to be the confronting Electra scene (obviously) and the scene on the hospital ship with M in DAD. In both Brosnan seems very mannered with the arm and hand gestures.
He's better when he's more restrained like with M in GoldenEye or the scene with Kaulfman in TND.
Say what you like about him in GE but he doesn't do the thinking/ face touching acting like he does in TWINE
Hello again to everyone btw.