Moonraker

I watched my newest LD purchase, and was floored at how good the sound was. Easily the best the film has ever sounded in any format. The video was merely passable but with perfect color timing.

The film's biggest flaw is the uninspired script. It's merely by the numbers doing what the public likes. It is TSWLM II in space, in other words YOLT III. All had the same director. Wood returns from Spy as the screenwriter and again shows promise with come of the basic characterizations and plotting which are of course jettisoned because in these films you can't get too detailed. The pacing is very relaxed which if off putting for many. Then add the odd feeling of having such a lavish production in France and it already sticks out from the others. Then add the silly over the top humor bits and the ludicrous space battle climax that overshadows all of the realistic majority of the film. If you could somehow excise the Bondola, pitiful Jaws humor and space laser battle the inherent realism of Moonraker could be better seen.

Bond does some actual spying for a change. Moore is in his in between period with some of his early darkness and later 80's era redundancy because of the watered down script. Lonsdale makes a great villain and needed more to do. It's a dated film that has some spark to it is properly noticed. It isn't bad by any means nor does it deserve to be hated by many who either haven't seen it in years or haven't seen it at all. It is a better film overall than FYEO. It was the last time Bond films had grand scale or any sense of the Harry Saltzman mad imagination.

Moore in space is worth a million Skyfalls.