James Bond fans have been asked to accept a lot of things over the years. The series serves as a water mark for pure escapist fantasies, so viewers have always known to expect their fair share of silliness from these pictures. Even with the cast of Roger Moore, Michael Lonsdale, Lois Chiles, Richard Kiel, Corinne Clery and Toshiro Suga,  1979's Moonraker is really pushing it. For as chintzy a demeanor as the Roger Moore movies adopted, this one really takes the cake. Bond continues to shine as a beacon of cinematic coolness even today, but Moonraker did its best to sabotage 007's image and threaten to turn the series into a big, fat joke.

Having had enough action on terra firma, Bond's handlers have set him loose in the final frontier: outer space. Bond's latest journey begins when he's called in by MI6 to investigate the disappearance of Moonraker, an experimental spacecraft manufactured by gazillionaire Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale). Drax feigns innocence, but after a few attempts on his life at the mogul's estate and factory, Bond starts to think otherwise. His quest to get to the bottom of Drax's dirty dealings takes him from the canals of Venice to Rio de Janiero, amidst the hustle and bustle of Carnivale.

Roger Moore &

 Lois Chiles

Throughout his journey, Bond is hunted down by not only Drax's minions but also Jaws (Richard Kiel), the man with the metal chompers and our hero's most indestructible of foes. Now with the help of fetching scientist Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles), Bond aims to put an end to Drax's insidious scheme, a genocidal plot orchestrated from Earth's very own orbit.

 

Richard Kiel

For a while, Moonraker is business as usual as far as Bond is concerned. The film has the typical series set-up: a nice selection of ladies, a villain with his eyes on world domination, and an assortment of gadgets that happen to be just what Bond needs to combat evil this time around. But it's around the 30-minute mark when the film starts to take a few liberties with 007's trademarked cheekiness. Seeing Bond survive an assassination attempt via centrifuge or drive a gondola onto dry land, fall well within the entertainingly absurd attitude each of these films carry in one form or another. However, it's when our hero battles a foe in full kendo gear (in the middle of Venice, mind you) and traipses around dressed in gaucho garb that credibility takes a swan dive down the tubes.

True, Moonraker gives Bond more to do than in something like Live and Let Die, but it still doesn't stop the film from reaching a cringe-inducing level of camp that Batman & Robin would shudder at.

What really matters in Moonraker is the sci-fi aspect of the story. Three-time Bond director Lewis Gilbert's attempts to replicate the wonder of being thrust into outer space just doesn't mesh well with 007's world -- especially when it comes across as more lethargic than awe-inspiring. The film grinds to a halt once Bond makes it to Drax's space station hideaway, a sluggishness that no amount of special effects can overcome. The last straw comes in the form of an epic laser battle that crushes any hint of good taste into a hopeless, pathetic little wad. Matters aren't helped by Moore, who gives one of his most lecherous performances as Bond and is at his most ridiculous running around blasting away astronauts.

Still, I must give Moonraker credit for when it succeeds in spite of itself. While the action in the last half is drawn-out and boring, the first half contains some riveting sequences, from the opening skydiving scene to the exciting Venice chase. Though his evil plot is a thinly-veiled copy of Stromberg's scheme from The Spy Who Loved Me, Lonsdale's imposing demeanor turns Drax into a villain to be reckoned with. The same goes for Kiel, whose Jaws is as entertaining an adversary as ever (and who even gets a love interest here). Plus, while not the most memorable of Bond girls, Chiles delivers a capable enough performance as Goodhead and doesn't look too shabby to boot.

Some enjoy Moonraker for its over-the-top nature, and to be fair, I can see how they'd view it as an adventure with its tongue ever so firmly implanted in its cheek. But try as I might, I just wasn't able to have a good time with Moonraker, whose preposterousness was a little too out of this world for my taste.

Director: Lewis Gilbert

Writer: Christopher Wood

Cast: Roger Moore, Michael Lonsdale, Lois Chiles, Richard Kiel, Corinne Clery, Toshiro Suga

Rating: PG (violence and sensuality)

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Run Time: 126 minutes

Studio: United Artists

Format: Color, widescreen

Photo credits: United Artists