Moonraker (1979)

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

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writer:

Christopher Wood (screenplay)

Stars:

Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roger Moore	...	James Bond
Lois Chiles	...	Dr. Holly Goodhead
Michael Lonsdale	...	Hugo Drax
Richard Kiel	...	Jaws
Corinne Cléry	...	Corinne Dufour
Bernard Lee	...	M
Geoffrey Keen	...	Sir Frederick Gray
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Q
Lois Maxwell	...	Miss Moneypenny
Toshirô Suga	...	Chang (as Toshiro Suga)
Emily Bolton	...	Manuela
Blanche Ravalec	...	Dolly - Jaws' Girlfriend
Irka Bochenko	...	Blonde Beauty
Mike Marshall	...	Col. Scott (as Michael Marshall)
Leila Shenna	...	Hostess Private Jet

Storyline

James Bond is back for another mission and this time, he is blasting off into space. A spaceship traveling through space is mysteriously hi-jacked and Bond must work quickly to find out who was behind it all. He starts with the rockets creators, Drax Industries and the man behind the organisation, Hugo Drax. On his journey he ends up meeting Dr. Holly Goodhead and encounters the metal-toothed Jaws once again.

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Plot Keywords:

space shuttle | jaws | brazil | cia | space station | 

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Taglines:

James Bond 007

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK France

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

29 June 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

007: Misión espacial

Filming Locations:

"The Canals", Venice, Veneto, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$34,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$62,700,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Danjaq, Eon Productions, Les Productions Artistes Associés

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nepal and India were considered as locations for the movie and the latter would become one in Octopussy.

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Goofs

Moments before Dr. Goodhead jumped with Bond out of the cable car structure in Pão de Açúcar she is wearing high heel, opened toe shoes. When she jumps and reaches the ground her shoes are flat and closed toe. It is visible that the scene is performed by a stunt using a wig.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Captain: How are we doing, Richard?
RAF Officer: We should pass over the English coast 15 minutes ahead of time, sir.
Captain: Wow! With this load on our back, that's good going.
RAF Officer: Just trust the RAF, sir.

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Crazy Credits

[Filmed at ...] Pinewood Studios (London) and on location in Italy, Brazil, Guatemala, U.S.A. and Outer Space!

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Connections

Spin-off James Bond 007 (1983)

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Soundtracks

"MOONRAKER"
Performed by Shirley Bassey
Composed by John Barry
Lyrics by Hal David

User Reviews

I LOVE IT!!!

Please, don't judge me too harshly, but I love Moonraker, the peak of all things Roger Moore. Never again would the Bond films be this over the top or overtly silly, but the truth is that Moonraker does it right. It will never win awards for being the most subtle Bond film ever made, but it should not be trashed in the way that it usually is because deep down Moonraker is just great fun. Roger Moore's Bond is just fun to be with, the on going joke that everytime Jaws tries to kill Bond he almost gets killed himself, complete with close ups of his exasperated face are brilliant (not subtle, but guaranteed to get you chuckling) and one of the loveliest Bond girls, CIA agent Holly Goodhead.

The script here is definitely not in the same league as the likes of From Russia With Love, The World is Not Enough, Licence to Kill or For Your Eyes Only, but Bond films never set out to be thought provoking pieces of art, they are meant to be grandiose fun pieces of entertainment and if you take Bond films on those levels then Moonraker succeeds admirably. Sure none of the acting is award worthy, and its frequently over the top in every regard. Over the top humor, over the top action sequences (a fight scene in a glass shop sees every bit of glass get destroyed) while the space sequences features a gigantic space battle complete with laser beams.

However there is a lot to like here. The pre title sequence is superb, featuring some of the best stunt work you will ever see in a pre-Brosnan Bond, the special effects are magnificent and lastly John Barry's music is quite simply the best he has ever come up with. For a film so over the top his music is beautiful and would set the hallmarks for his future scores. The sweeping orchestra and beautiful theme song by Shirley Bassey are classics.

Once again I end my review with a note not to judge me, but Moonraker is simply wonderful entertainment and one of my favorite Bond film of all time.