Fan Verdict - Moonraker

Each month, a different James Bond film is selected for review, rating and discussion by the largest online community of 007 fans - the Keeping The British End Up forums. Fans rated the following elements of the movie on a 1-10 scale (10 being best): Bond, Babes, Villains, Humour, Sadism, Snobbery, Action, Locations, Gadgets and 'Tilt' - a rating to account for any qualities not captured in the main categories. Also up for discussion were the 'best bits' of the movie, including: most 'Bondian' moment, funniest scene, best line, best location, best action sequence, best Bond girl and best overall performance. Moonraker overall score: 6.8

Above: Cover of the Moonraker OST

Most 'Bondian' Moment Winner: Shooting Drax's sniper out of the tree. “You missed Mr. Bond.” “Did I?” Honourable mentions: Spying and seducing Corrine, refusing help after surviving the centrifuge. Funniest Scene Winner: Drax humiliates Bond and his superiors as they arrive at the laboratory wearing gas masks. "You must excuse me, gentlemen, not being English, I sometimes find your sense of humour rather difficult to follow!”

Rating Results Category Average Score Bond 7.3 Babes 5.7 Villains 7.2 Humour 7.9 Sadism 5.0 Snobbery 6.8 Action 6.9 Locations 8.8 Gadgets 6.5 Tilt 5.9 Overall 6.8

Best Line
Winner: "‘I think he’s attempting re-entry sir!"
Honourable mentions: "May I press you to a cucumber sandwich?”, "Look after Mr Bond. See that some harm comes to him."

Best Location
Winner: The Brazilian rain forest.
Honourable mentions: Venice, Rio de Janeiro.

Best Action Sequence
Winner: Bond falling from a plane without a parachute in the pre-titles sequence.
Honourable mentions: Fight in the glass factory with Chang, boat chase on the river.

Best Bond Girl
Winner: Corinne Dufour

Best Overall Performance
Winner: Michael Lonsdale as Drax

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What The Fans Said
Below are selected quotes from reviews by Keeping The British End Up members. Click here to read all the reviews in their entirety.

"Moonraker" successfully managed to do something that the previous Bonds of the '70s failed to do: it managed to make us laugh with it, not at it. "Moonraker" successfully molded itself as a laugh along, lighthearted 007 adventure. -- Count Chocula

Audiences of the day were under a lot of very serious pressures from the outside world at this time and this movie gave them the release from this that they so badly needed. However, most rational observers looking back with hindsight agree that Moonraker is without a doubt the most absurd James Bond movie – definitely of the Roger Moore era, and possibly of all time. Ironically, it's exactly that ridiculousness that makes it so enjoyable to many – especially younger viewers. -- Sisillius

While a Bond film should have a sufficient amount of action, the character must never enter the realm of “generic action hero”. Bond is a trend-setter, not a trend-follower. Bond’s an elegant secret agent, but also a cold killer, if need be. James Bond isn’t a man who flies around outer space and blasts poison pods with lasers, as one would in a Space Invaders video game. I think it’s safe to say that James Bond should wield his Walther PPK on planet Earth, rather than wielding a laser gun in outer space. -- Mr Brown

The visual humour such as the Bondola scene with double taking pigeons and comedy drunks, as well as Jaws’ clumsy attempts to kill Bond, his romance with Dolly and the sci-fi musical gags, are all at odds with the crackling and razor sharp dialogue. The one liners make Moonraker one of the most quotable of all Bond films. -- NicNac

After the superb showcase of the Bond formula from the series’ newly appointed sole producer for "The Spy Who Loved Me", the decision to take Bond 'beyond' was met with trepidation by ardent fans of Fleming’s gritty novels. Would Bond make a mistake by entering the newly world-popular sci-fi genre? Alternatively, would Moonraker exemplify the big budget, escapist fantasy adventure ethos that audiences have come to expect with each new Bond release? The answer proved to be a little of both. -- James Clark

Moonraker is an always entertaining magical film which, contrary to expectation, is mostly not set in space but succeeds to take us 'round the world one more time. -- w7

It has everything a Bond film should have: one of the sexiest bunches of Bond babes, threatening and menacing villains, stunts and a bit of humour. One may say it has too much humour, but it’s what makes this film unique. -- FieldsMan

Moonraker ends on the same note on which it started; ambitions a mile wide but only an inch deep, happy to imitate its predecessor rather than think for itself. -- Shadowonthesun

Moore is at his best as James Bond, and helps keep the overall tone of the film and his presence is strong enough to make the audience accept him as England’s favourite spy. -- 007calbrit

In Fleming's largely ignored original novel, Bond is captured and tortured by Drax. Growing irritated at having to hear Drax talk ad nauseam about himself and his brilliant plan, Bond mocks him and says "Now let's get on with this farce, you great hairy-faced lunatic." And that is what Moonraker is -- a farce, of James Bond in particular and action films in general. -- Fairbairn-Sykes

As the film came to its end, Bond looks down at Holly and says, "I think it may be time to go home". He was really talking to us, the audience. -- DOUBLE-O-NOEL

If a Bond film has to be big, enjoyable, action-packed spectacle, then this is the way to do it - a big, often beautiful production with every single penny and then some up there on the screen. -- Lazenby.

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