Moonraker (1979)

User Review

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  Barneyonmovies

  6 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Moonraker is widely accepted as one of Bond's silliest outings (perhaps bar the ridiculous Die Another Day) but it's also arguably the film in which Moore's Bond really found his groove as the light-hearted, comedic 007. Indeed whilst it might have been nice to delve a little more into Bond's vulnerabilities after the brilliant Spy Who Loved Me, what we get here is a version of the character who's written less brutally, and is instead the most charming and likeable we've seen him since George Lazenby filled the shoes. That makes for very easy viewing where it's easier to root for Bond, and a degree of surface-level enjoyment as we watch Moore breeze on through all the absurdity around him with a smile. That's a hard level of charm for anyone to resist.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: You could hardly accuse Bond of ever being grounded in some sort of reality, so the issue here isn't really the suspension of disbelief as Bond travels to space. It's instead that the story is just a bit sloppy. Normally there's a good chunk of mystery or intrigue surrounding what's going on as Bond follows the trail of some evil villainous scheme, but here there's less of that. So it might have you smiling, but it'll never have you hooked.
  
  VERDICT: Moore comes into his own as the lighter, comedic and naturally gentleman-like Bond, and that makes Moonraker a breeze to watch, even if the story lets things down a little.

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