"Attempting re-entry", Moonraker appreciation thread

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  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    chrisisall wrote:
    Jaws makes it really hard for me to enjoy it. I can even deal with Bond in space, but Jaws...

    But can you deal with JAWS IN SPACE?
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    pachazo wrote:
    chrisisall wrote:
    Jaws makes it really hard for me to enjoy it. I can even deal with Bond in space, but Jaws...

    But can you deal with JAWS IN SPACE?
    Outside of a Spelberg movie or TSWLM I can't deal with Jaws at all.
  • chrisisall wrote:
    pachazo wrote:
    chrisisall wrote:
    Jaws makes it really hard for me to enjoy it. I can even deal with Bond in space, but Jaws...

    But can you deal with JAWS IN SPACE?
    Outside of a Spelberg movie or TSWLM I can't deal with Jaws at all.

    That pretty much puts a wrap on it for me as well.
  • @chrisisall- I just caught this from last year and couldn't help but repost it, it's too good not to-
    moonraker the film was not only a disgrace to bond fans, but a disgrace to Ian Fleming and the book. The director (Lewis Gilbert )and production team must have been on LSD while making Moonraker.

    Who'd have ever thought of Buttons as a visionary =))
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Personally I love MR.*

    But keep it to yourselves in case that Wizardofice bloke finds out and rips into me as he is a Fleming die hard.

    * apart from Jaws landing in the circus tent, the pigeon and Dolly. There are limits.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,448
    pachazo wrote:
    chrisisall wrote:
    Jaws makes it really hard for me to enjoy it. I can even deal with Bond in space, but Jaws...

    But can you deal with JAWS IN SPACE?

    The sequel to Jaws 4? Nah, Leprechaun In Space was bad enough. ;-)

  • edited August 2013 Posts: 3,564
    Moonraker: appreciation or hate? To quote Rip Torn as Artie from The Larry Sanders Show, when instructed to "Be there or be square": "I can do BOTH!"
  • I thought MR was great. Roger Moor was brilliant, as always, The space battles were exciting, Drax is one of my favourite Bond villains, exotic locales and damn, Jaws is in a clown suit !!!! He's scarier than Pennywise !!!!!
  • Posts: 5,634
    I usually can't have a bad word said about this 1979 release but to be fair, there are one or two highly questionable moments such as the Saint Mark's Square nonsense in Venice, and above all else, seeing James Bond go into orbit. (This never occured in the novel). Other than that, and you have to defend it, in saying it's simply a very enjoyable adventure with lots to get involved with, and Moore despite going into overdrive with the humor every now and again, does take things seriously at certain stages. Never wanted the return of Richard Kiel, and Chiles' Goodhead is a disaster, but it has the best background scores of the entire series and the pre credits sequence is up there as 'possibly' the best in the franchise. It's also very poignant as it's the last time we see Bernard Lee as the immortal M, and Michael Lonsdale makes for one of the most memorable main adversaries ever. It's in my top five without question
  • Posts: 2,400
    It's the worst portrayal of Bond ever. And despite how much I love to rip into his caricaturization of the character, it's not even Moore's fault. He's written horribly in this film.
  • Posts: 1,052
    I guess in many ways you have to just go along with the luncay of it all, you will never see a film like this ever again!
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 19,339
    It had some very good and SERIOUS moments in it plus a lot of genuine spying during the film.
    IF,and it is a big IF,they calmed down the pantomime moments and IF they turned Jaws back into how he was in TSWLM instead of a characature THEN i think MR would have been a very good film,especially as Moore is on top form in this,as is Michael Londale as Drax.

    A shame,as it took a lot of the budget away from FYEO ,two years later.
  • Posts: 11,189
    It's the worst portrayal of Bond ever. And despite how much I love to rip into his caricaturization of the character, it's not even Moore's fault. He's written horribly in this film.

    Hmm I'm not sure. I find Moore a little irritating in MR with that smug grin of his which he seems to do every few minutes.
  • edited August 2013 Posts: 3,494
    BAIN123 wrote:
    It's the worst portrayal of Bond ever. And despite how much I love to rip into his caricaturization of the character, it's not even Moore's fault. He's written horribly in this film.

    Hmm I'm not sure. I find Moore a little irritating in MR with that smug grin of his which he seems to do every few minutes.

    He knows this film is a turkey, well more like a chicken running around with it's head cut off, and is grinning all the way to the bank. He was probably really laughing when it made lots of money, of which he no doubt got quite the unexpected bonus pay for along with everyone else who shared in those. He says as much in his book. Truly, him having fun with it all and me in on the inside joke (and Emily Bolton's yummy factor) are the only saving graces as far as the acting goes.

    Mushroom, anyone? :))

  • edited August 2013 Posts: 57
    pachazo wrote:
    Great post @LeighBurne! MR does indeed have some fine moments and gets unfairly chastised in my opinion. It does have it's fair share of eye rolling moments also but it's not the worst film in the franchise that so many make it out to be. Great to see some appreciation for Lonsdale as well as hardly anyone here agrees with me with that one.
    Completely forgot to check back with this thread, but thanks @pachazo!
    I guess in many ways you have to just go along with the luncay of it all, you will never see a film like this ever again!
    That's another reason I quite like it. Irrespective of its uneven quality, it's unquestionably the pinnacle of "crazy Bond" and for that, I can't help but feel it has a special place in the series.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    Love it!

    Really had a great time watching this. It's not a good James Bond movie, but it is a good movie in general. Really enjoyable. Sit down with your 7-UP and go for a magical ride that will take you to the final moments of the 70's to the birth of the 1980's. John Barry's score, Ken Adam's production design. Sure the movie is silly but it's fun. Bond movies are meant for fun entertainment. If you like Dark Gritty Bond, that's great. If you like Light Campy Bond, that's great too. We shouldn't hate this film because of it's camp and outlandishness. I've made food comparisons of Bond movies before. But as a whole, the Bond films are like a case of different drinks. If you drink too much of the same thing for an extended period of time you'll get burnt out. That's why I love every different decade of Bond movies, you know you'll get something different and unique each time.
  • edited March 2014 Posts: 19,339
    I used to absolutely DETEST Moonraker (hence on the old website,since 2007 i used to call it Muckraker he he ) but as i have aged and so has the film,i just see it for what it is,or was,which is a Christmas Day,after the Queens Speech, Blockbuster Bond film.

    It got all the family sitting watching it,stuffed after a Xmas Dinner but still eating more sweets as Bond battled his way through Drax's ranks.

    So,i think,for memories like that,i finally appreciate MR for what it is.
  • Posts: 11,189
    I'm not a huge fan of MR but I can't deny that its cinematography and music are excellent.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    Murdock wrote:
    It's not a good James Bond movie, but it is a good movie in general. Really enjoyable.
    That probably sums it up best to me. You definitely have to watch it in the right mindset. If you are able to achieve that then it really can be quite enjoyable.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    You must bring out the child in you to really appreciate this film. And Roger Moore certainly manages to elevate what is otherwise a very silly film indeed. Agree that the PTS is one of the very best in the series.
  • edited March 2014 Posts: 11,189
    I don't like Moore that much in MR. I find him annoying. The sort of bloke ur ageing dad would find hilarious.

    God I've been laying into Moore a lot recently :(
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    BAIN123 wrote:
    I don't like Moore that much in MR. I find him annoying.

    Imagine Brosnan in MR, then. Oh wait, we have that already. Not much elevation there.
  • edited March 2014 Posts: 11,189
    BAIN123 wrote:
    I don't like Moore that much in MR. I find him annoying.

    Imagine Brosnan in MR, then. Oh wait, we have that already. Not much elevation there.

    I'd take Brosnan GE and TND hands down over Moore in MR. Yes he was smarmy but at least there was something vaguely Bond like about him.

    I prefer Moore when the humour is more balanced (LALD, TSWLM,FYEO,OP)
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    "Vaguely" is the right word. Good call, @BAIN123!
  • Posts: 11,189
    I was trying to be more positive to Broz.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I try that too sometimes, but it is hard, isn t it?
  • Posts: 19,339
    I actually think Sir Rog plays Bond very straight in most of MR,its what goes on around him that cocks things up in the 2nd half.
  • Posts: 1,052
    It's the Rog film I watch the least by a long way, but everytime I watch it I find it to be not as bad as I thought. There are definitley 3 or 4 cringe inducing moments.

    Surely it features the most original use of a pigeon in film!?
  • edited March 2014 Posts: 19,339
    Finally one of Drax's dobermans catches up with the MR 'double take pigeon' :

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5ktK2_Y77vCXOImBNZk3VtyyknN9Mus0JJMqWKMaVMVtrUZhp
  • edited March 2014 Posts: 11,189
    I try that too sometimes, but it is hard, isn t it?

    Not really. Broz had some bad moments but so did Rog.
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