Bond 11: Moonraker (1979)

Director: Lewis Gilbert

Starring: Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: Where all the other Bonds end . . . this one begins!

Plot: James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.

My Rating: 9/10. That's right, 9/10.

Would I watch it again? Yes


I love this movie and it's mostly because of John Barry's most beautiful and lush Bond score ever. It sucks me in. Sure, the film's got some silliness in it, and, for the most part, I don't care for it. But the movie's a lot of fun and I enjoy the hell out of it. If you're one of the others that thinks it's one of the worst, then suck it.

I'm tellin' ya, the music just pulls me right into it and doesn't let go. I've said it before, I like every actor that's played Bond - A LOT. They all bring something to the character that I like. I may not like the films but I like the actors.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie has always been, since I was a kid when I saw it in the theater, the centrifuge trainer sequence. It feels real and his predicament feels real and you start to believe that maybe he might not make it. You know he will because it's in the first 20 minutes that it happens. Moore pulls out a very convincing performance here and it's very effective.


This movie doesn't fuck around. In the first 20 minutes Bond has met the villain and is almost killed. Now let's talk about Lonsdale. This guy is a beast. He's very soft-spoken but you can tell that he's very much in control, brilliant, and ruthless. After his initial meeting with Bond he tells his hired killer, Chang, "Look after Mr. Bond. See that some harm comes to him." Fucking badass.

His under-played performance is enhanced when, on the space station, he tells Jaws to remove Bond and Goodhead (giggidy). Jaws hesitates and Drax repeats the order, this time barking it very loudly and strongly like a vicious beast. Goddamn if it isn't a jarring scene that makes you feel on edge. Very nicely done.

The death of Drax's personal helicopter pilot is particularly effective. As she runs through the forest being chased by dogs, with moments of slow motion, John Barry's brooding score underplays the entire scene. It's ominous and tense but the notes move slowly. Damn, what a fine scene.

Ken Adam's sets are astonishing.


And the space station reveal is beautifully done.


I could go on and on. Even though there are a lot of plot points here that have been stolen from previous Bond pictures, it still comes down to entertainment and this, to me, defines Bond as entertainment. Now wait until I rip that piece of shit apart that is A VIEW TO A KILL (1985)

Scorethefilm will return with his thoughts to...

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981)