Moonraker

Completely over-the-top Bond outing attempting to ingratiate Bond to the Star Wars set.

I hated this movie when it came out, but have to acknowledge these days that it was intended as fun and it succeeds on that level.

Has but a passing acquaintance with Fleming's source novel, which I'd love to see adapted Masterpiece Theatre style set in the 50s with, say, Charles Dance as Bond.

The first Bond film I ever saw in a theater, at the ripe age of 7. This it holds some nostalgia for me, even while admitting it is not a very good film, and certainly a terrible Bond film. The desperation of the franchise to ape whatever film movement was hot at the moment (blaxplotation, kung fu, and in this case, sci-fi) comes to a head with Moonraker, and turned the franchise into a cartoon.

Which is a shame, as there are elements that work – Lois Chiles is great, the action sequences are fine (except for the silly space dogfight), and Moore is his usual droll self. But the things that don’t, from Lonsdale’s bland villain, to relatively minor things, like the double-taking pigeon in St. Mark’s Square, really doom the film. The arc of Jaws and his girlfriend is absurdly sweet and charming, but doesn’t destroys any gravitas the film has, and doesn't fit. This film really let the rot take hold, culminating in A View to a Kill, the worst Bond film, and which made it necessary to reboot the franchise twice before Pierce Brosnan’s successful run.

I did this film nearly a decade ago, and made some errors which have now become fact thanks to the internet. Most pertinently, S. Newton Anderson is certainly not Jaws’ lumpy henchman, and I actually have no idea who he is. IMDb lists his role as “Samuel,” but there is no one by that name in the film. I have the feeling he is Q’s assistant in Brazil, but until I find a pic of Anderson, I cannot say. Also, Nicholas Arbez is prominently listed in the opening credits, but I have no idea who he is. I suspect he is Drax’s shuttle pilot taking him to the space station, but who knows? All Google searches for Arbez come back to Moonraker. I misidentified several other French extras, but think all are fixed now.

I am indebted to Jon Auty’s excellent research on stuntman for several identifications. Any errors, however, are solely mine.