I've heard and read that The Spy Who Loved Me is widely considered one of Roger Moore's best Bond films. With that in mind, my expectations were raised a bit, and this may have affected my opinion of it as a whole.
The Spy Who Loved Me
First of all, Happy Halloween! I almost felt like dressing as Dr. No today, but I couldn't find my black robot hands. Having said that, I feel like I may now disappoint some of you who have been regularly reading this series; while I did think The Spy Who Loved Me was better than The Man with the Golden Gun, I didn't find it to be overwhelmingly so. In fact, I'd probably put it just slightly below Live and Let Die. I do, however, see that Roger Moore is feeling very comfortable in the role of James Bond, and the producers seem to have settled into how they'd like to portray Moore's brand of 007 -- fun, self-aware, unapologetic.
I really enjoyed the opening of this one as well. First, the way they introduce Anya Amasova, or Agent XXX (played by Barbara Bach -- much nicer to look at than Vin Diesel or Ice Cube), immediately foretells the fact that she'll be a great match for Bond, whether as an ally or adversary. Following this, there is a chase on skis, not dissimilar to the one in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It isn't as impressive at first, with more of a reliance on greenscreen cinematography, but the culmination of the chase in an utterly breathtaking basejump, followed by Bond's parachute opening up to reveal the British flag, gave me goose bumps. That... was... awesome.
On to the rest of the film: When the character of Karl Stromberg (Curd Jurgens; what a great first name) is first introduced, I immediately noticed a few things. Of course, it was apparent that this would be the main supervillain of the movie, and again he was classy and sophisticated, as they all have been. Secondly, he is, I believe, the fourth one with a penchant for pet sharks. I don't know if this was regularly written into the books, but did Fleming do some market research on evil masterminds to determine these traits? I will be sorely disappointed if I find out Osama Bin Laden isn't hiding away in a luxury bunker under one of the Philippine Islands, sipping Dom Perignon, solving expert level sudokus, and shoveling chum to a school of great whites.
And, of course, Stromberg's got his menacing underlings, in the form of Sandor, a cross between Don Rickles and The Thing, and the steel-grilled Jaws, aka Brendan Fraser on steroids. After a brief stint imitating Lawrence of Arabia, Bond first encounters Sandor and easily disposes of him by tossing him off a building -- I'm not even sure why they bothered to include him. Jaws, on the other hand, is a formidable opponent, surviving a veritable stoning, a tumble from a train, an impossible car accident, gunshots to the teeth, and, quite ironically, an underwater showdown with the aforementioned sharks. And he's the one henchman (so far) who isn't defeated or captured by Bond in the closing moments of the film. He's quite special, in more ways than one.
As for the Bond girl, a role that has been largely uninteresting for the past few movies, Barbara Bach is certainly nice eye candy, even if she does look a little post-mortem in the face at times. But more so than that, she's the first Bond girl since Tracy di Vicenzo (who, incidentally, is briefly mentioned here) to really offer 007 a challenge. Every time he seems to have the jump on her, she's one step ahead, and the casual one-upsmanship between them adds a level of entertainment that wasn't really there with, say, Solitaire or Tiffany Case. On a somewhat related note, I need to start keeping track of how many of these films end with Bond making out with a woman at sea.
Of course, this installment wasn't without its inexplicable moments of nonsense. The Q branch workshop beneath the Egyptian ruins feels like something out of Looney Toons, and the music takes a turn for the sillier when Bond and Amasova are fleeing through the desert in a stolen van. The Lotus chase scene was video game-like; they manage to lose a motorcycle on their tail, only to then be chased by a car, after which a helicopter appears, and when our heroes escape the chopper by driving the Lotus off a pier and transforming it into a submarine, they're harassed by frogmen and armed mini-subs.
Despite the goofier elements of the movie, I think it did a rather admirable job of staying with the story and offering some solid entertainment. There were things that absolutely did not work for me, but the overall sentiment was that it probably would have been great summer fun for me, had I not been a developing fetus in my mother's womb. I understand that Moonraker is universally pooh-poohed, so a part of me is actually excited to witness it for myself. It can't be that bad, can it?
My favorite line: "There's a first time for everything." -- spoken by Bond as he's disarming a nuclear warhead. I wish I could approach situations like that just as nonchalantly.
My favorite moment: Late in the movie, Bond and an army of rescued submarine crewmen attempt to breach the control room of Stromberg's ship. As they stress over how to break through, one sailor steps up and volunteers to lead the charge. I thought to myself, "Wait, should I know this guy? Who is he?" And as the brave sailor charges forth and gets wasted immediately, I thought, "Oh right. He's the expendable extra they used to demonstrate how impregnable the control room is."
Other Articles:
- Day 1: Dr. No (1962)
- Day 2: From Russia With Love (1963)
- Day 3: Goldfinger (1964)
- Day 4: Thunderball (1965)
- Day 5: Casino Royale (1967)
- Day 6: You Only Live Twice (1967)
- Day 7: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
- Day 8: Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
- Day 9: Live and Let Die (1973)
- Day 10: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
- Day 11: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
- Day 12: Moonraker (1979)
- Day 13: For Your Eyes Only (1981)
- Day 14: Octopussy (1983)
- Day 15: Never Say Never Again (1983)
- Day 16: A View to a Kill (1985)
- Day 17: The Living Daylights (1987)
- Day 18: Licence to Kill (1989)
- Day 19: GoldenEye (1995)
- Day 20: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
- Day 21: The World Is Not Enough (1999)
- Day 22: Die Another Day (2002)
- Day 23: Casino Royale (2006)
- Day 24: Quantum of Solace (2008)
(1-20 of 36 posts) | Reply
on Oct 31 2008 03:35 PM Well it's nice you enjoyed the movie even if you felt it didn't totally live up to the hype we've given it. As for "Moonraker", I don't think it's as "pooh-poohed" as people claim it to be although it's one of the sillier Bond movies. Namely because of certain campe elements and the fact it's having Bond involved with outer space. Bear in mind "Star Wars" came out only a few years before "Moonraker" so the producers of Bond wanted to jump on the sci-fi bandwagon. But anyways, there's a lot to like in TSWLM and you touched upon its top points. The first being Moore finally feeling comfortable in the role and shaking off Connery's shadow. Another point being XXX and her relationship with Bond. Of course, the introduction action sequence is one of the best in the series. I know the jump was 100% real and the stuntman got paid handsomely for the dangerous stunt. Also, it's great fun watching Bond battle Jaws and seeing how he subdues the big lug. Looking forward to tomorrow's installment with "Moonraker!" (Reply to this) |
on Oct 31 2008 03:42 PM The Spy Who Loved Me isn't perfect, but it is fun. I really like Jaws. I love the part where he tears that van apart. And I even got to see the underwater car at Universal Studios once. Pretty cool! And yeah, Ian Fleming has a love for sharks and the Carribean, that becomes quite obvious as you watch the movies. The Spy who Loved Me is the Bond theme song that I hear in doctor's offices every time I get a check-up. Or in elevators. It's always on! As for Moonraker, the first two-thirds are okay, but then the end is total stupidity. You have been warned. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 04:05 PM Moonraker is on par with The Spy Who Loved Me until the last half-hour, which is completely ridiculous, even by Bond standards. I agree that Moore felt more comfortable with The Spy Who Loved Me than any of his others. "Spy" was tailor-made for his Bond persona and proved that Moore could indeed stand on his own. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 04:07 PM i agree with sputnik in that it's very weird at the end jaws is one of the best villains of the bond universe (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 04:10 PM Sputnik, while I haven't read too many of the Bond books yet, I do know that TSWLM movie is and entirely different story to that of Ian Fleming's novel. I'm not sure how obsessed Ian Fleming is about sharks and the Caribbean, but one must surely read the books before making that claim, as a lot of the movies (especially the later ones) don't revolve around the novels at all. Anyway, while I thoroughly enjoyed TSWLM, I think I actually liked TMWTGG more. I know, shocking, but I really did love the locales, and Roger Moore, and Christopher Lee, and while a lot of it was incredibly silly, it was also a fun adventure. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 04:43 PM My favorite Moore Bond movie. Sure it still had plenty of cheese which plagued the Moore era, but the cool gadgets and the story were enough to offset it. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 05:12 PM After the exciting pre-credit opening scene the producers tried to outdo the action for the opener in a number of following Bond movies. My favorite opener was in and around an air force base in an unnamed Latin country in "Octopussy". (No spoilers here) The Maurice Binder credit sequence was the best to date in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and he stuck with this visual style through "License To Kill". I have not found any of the credit scenes as interesting from "Goldeneye" to the present. It's just my personal preference. The Derek Meddings special effects were awesome. He came a long way and had a bigger budget since his days with "Thunderbirds" and "UFO". The sea lab Atlantis and the super tanker looked totally real. The model of the tanker was built on a sixty something foot catamaran and I read once that when they sank it in the Bahama's it was too large to recover so it may still be down there. The interior of the tanker with the submarine base was another colossal Ken Adam design. They built the world's largest sound stage for it and it was even larger than his volcano base in "You Only Live Twice". I find that there's a lot more to a Bond film than just who plays Bond! The "Spy Who Loved Me" opened in my home town of Seattle about two months after the original "Star Wars" which in those days only played in one theater in the city limits. All summer the lines for "Star Wars" went around the block and lots of people who couldn't get tickets walked a few blocks to the Cinerama Theater to see Bond and had a great time. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 05:29 PM All I can say is For Your Eyes Only. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 05:37 PM It's too bad they didn't use Medding for the space effects in "You Only Live Twice" ( see "Journey to the Far Side of the Sun" from the same time period ) I read some time ago The Bond producers were forced to use a Japanese firm for the effects when they filmed in Japan, which was Toho Productions of Go Go Godzilla fame. (Reply to this) |
on Oct 31 2008 05:37 PM Your doing a heck of a job man, keep it up!!! I've yet to see a Bond movie all the way through, but your comments are making wonder if maybe I should. So when your done watching all the Bond movies.....take on the ENTIRE Doctor Who series. Yeah I know its not movie related, but it would be intersting to hear what you make of it. Keep up the good work, man. Look forward to the next one! (Reply to this) |
on Oct 31 2008 05:40 PM I have heard that the only thing Ian Flemming allowed them (the films)take was the title and the character names. So I don't believe any of the plots are too similar. Of course this could have just been an urban legand of the time. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 05:45 PM In reply to this comment (#2105130) As much as I can remember from Fleming's books, I think "sharks as the villan's pets" was only used once -maybe, so I think the continued use in movies is the work of the screenplay writers rather than Fleming. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 06:06 PM In reply to this comment (#2105149) Whoah. I hate to admit it, but no, I have never read a James Bond novel. But like any true Bond fan, I know that the movies only vaguely follow the books, if at all. However, I have watched almost every "behind the scenes" or "Making of" documentary ever made about James Bond, so yeah, I picked up a few facts about Ian Fleming. He loved the Carribean. That is a fact. He wrote a lot of the Bond books in the Carribean. That's a fact, too. I'm not sure how much he loved sharks, but I doubt he would have protested to a lot of what the movies did with them, considering his love for the tropics. Maybe the movie producers amplified the tropics and sharks in the films a bit, but only because they were part of Ian Fleming's original recipe for James Bond, not just because they are sexy additions to the movies. People look at Bond's sexy image, his request for "shaken, not stirred" as parts of his identity. But if you're going to make a true Bond film, with a 100% accurate James Bond, he has to be in the Carribean. Or at least fighting sharks. IMHO. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 06:55 PM Ryan, I'm glad you said you like LALD better! As I keep on saying, don't be put off by people saying certain movies are bad, every one of them have redeeming qualities - even the really bad ones! I have to ask you ryan (and for that matter, the rest of us Bond fans who are loving reading your reviews) which is your favourite car so far? I know the new ones have some pretty cool cars, but I love the Aston Martin and Lotus (how cool would it be to have a car that turns into a submarine!!). I'd have to say that if I HAD to, I mean, really HAD to choose just one, it would have to be the Aston Martin DB5. As for Moonraker, I have to agree with Sputnik99 and say that it's a really good fun movie, but not such a good ending. (Reply to this) |
on Oct 31 2008 09:09 PM I heard this is Moore's best. So I'd see it. Gotta love Jaws. But the underwater car really grabbed me, in a bad way. I'd see it. I just saw "The Nightmare Before Christmas". What a excellent movie. Happy Halloween, Mweee hee heee! (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 09:28 PM Ian Fleming's novel, The Spy Who Loved Me, was a critical disaster. It was a 1st person tale told by a woman, and only featured Bond in the closing chapters. As a result of the extremely negative reviews, Fleming decreed that the novel should never be filmed. However, even had he not said that I doubt that EON would have used much of the plot for this film. TSWLM is a far more lavish film than the previous two Roger Moore efforts, although I have long rated it lower than most fans. In fact, I rate Moonraker higher(Sacrilege, I know!!). I loved the car chase, but then they ruined it with the submarine bit, and the various other goofy bits that have been mentioned all lower the film in my estimation. The one area in which I can't fault the film is the pre-credits sequence which is breathtaking and the best of the series, hands down. Oh, and Jaws is awesome! (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 10:36 PM Interesting you thought Live and Let Die was better. I'm waiting to see whether or not you agree with me that For Your Eyes Only is the strongest of the Moore movies. Moonraker is definitely the silliest of them all, but if you accept it as a campy,light hearted action romp it's quite entertaining. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 31 2008 11:34 PM Hey it's 2:33 in the morning. I'm bored. And tired. Good night. (Reply to this) |
on Nov 01 2008 01:26 AM It's a remake of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE with submarines instead of space ships. - Bill (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 01 2008 07:48 AM I am enjoying your take on the Bond movies. I am old enough to have seen them at the movies starting with Live and Let Die (I was 12). I hope that when you are through all of the movies, you will rate them in order of your preference. (Reply to this) |
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