Beginner’s Bond: Moonraker
The “Beginner’s Bond” series chronicles my quest to close the largest gap in my personal film history: the James Bond franchise. I have been watching all of the 007 films in order… Well, I had been, until I got to here. When I reached the end of The Spy Who Loved Me, the next movie recommended by the Prime algorithm was For Your Eyes Only, which I foolishly assumed to be the next movie in the series. Why else would it be suggested to me at that moment?
I accidentally skipped over 1979’s Moonraker, but I’m really glad I came back for it. It’s definitely my favorite film from the Roger Moore era so far. This movie completely surrenders itself to the ridiculousness of a Saturday morning cartoon, and the result is a delightful sci-fi dessert of a movie. Not very substantive, but plenty of fun.
The title refers to a space shuttle that is hijacked in mid-flight and disappears without a trace. 007 is sent to investigate, and is almost immediately thrown out of a plane by Jaws. He wrestles a guy in midair to steal his parachute, a scene I have witnessed countless references to. Jaws survives the fall and is instantly smitten with a pretty girl that comes to check on him, an affection that seems to be reciprocated. When he shows up at Drax Industries asking questions, the villain attempts to murder Mr. Bond with a centrifuge. There are two delightfully ridiculous boat chases (one in a gondola!), a fight scene in a museum full of ancient glasswork waiting to be shattered, men getting defenestrated left and right—even a third act heel turn from Jaws. The series gets its second space station evil lair, and its third “exterminate humanity and start over” variety of villainous plot. We get to see a small army of armed astronauts assault a space station with laser rifles, and it’s a pretty awesome action set piece. Hugo Drax is such a creepy weirdo, a wannabe emperor with delusions of grandeur—being expelled into the void like debris is a fitting end for him. And just before the credits roll, we learn that Commander James Bond of Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the first man to get laid in space. Who else was gonna do it?
I still think James Bond is the most entertaining when he skates right on the edge of science fiction—two or three plausible but imaginative gadgets, maybe an impossibly well-armed vehicle, and the occasional jaunt into space. The promise is made in the very first scene, yet it never feels like the movie is in a rush to get there. It has plenty of interesting things to show you along the way.
Moonraker isn’t a brilliant film, but it is a good time. Up next is Octopussy, which wins the award for most bizarre title so far. I can’t wait (or am I terrified?) to find out what it means.
