Moonraker

Moonraker


Starring:Irka Bochenko, Emily Bolton, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Lois Chiles, Corinne Clery, Walter Gotell, Geoffrey Keen, Richard Kiel, Douglas Lambert, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Anne Lonnberg, Michael Lonsdale, Mike Marshall, Lois Maxwell, Roger Moore, Blanche Ravalec, Leila Shenna, ToshirĂ´ Suga
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
This was the first James Bond adventure produced after the success of Star Wars, so it jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon by combining the suave appeal of Agent 007 (once again played by Roger Moore) with enough high-tech hardware and special effects to make Luke Skywalker want to join Her Majesty's Secret Service. After the razzle-dazzle of The Spy Who Loved Me, this attempt to latch onto a trend proved to be a case of overkill, even though it brought back the steel-toothed villain Jaws (Richard Kiel) and scored a major hit at the box office. This time Bond is up against a criminal industrialist named Drax (Michel Lonsdale) who wants to control the world from his orbiting space station. In keeping with his well-groomed style, Bond thwarts this maniacal Neo-Hitler's scheme with the help of a beautiful, sleek-figured scientist (played by Lois Chiles with all the vitality of a department-store mannequin). There's a grand-scale climax involving space shuttles and ray guns, but despite the film's popular success, this is one Bond adventure that never quite gets off the launching pad. It's as if the caretakers of the James Bond franchise had forgotten that it's Bond--and not a barrage of gizmos and gadgets (including a land-worthy Venetian gondola)--that fuels the series' success. Despite Moore's passive performance (which Pauline Kael described as "like an office manager who is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension"), Moonraker had no problem attracting an appreciative audience, and there are even a few renegade Bond-philes who consider it one of their favorites. --Jeff Shannon
James Bond Ultimate Edition Boxed Sets Bundle
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The Ultimate Bond is the Ultimate
  • wonderfully restored movies!
  • 007- Bond, James
  • Picked up whole collection in one pack - great deal
  • The Ultimate For The 007 Fan
James Bond Ultimate Edition Boxed Sets Bundle
Starring: Sean Connery , Pierce Brosnan , Roger Moore , George Lazenby , and Timothy Dalton
Manufacturer: MGM
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Sean ConnerySean Connery | James Bond | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
Pierce BrosnanPierce Brosnan | James Bond | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
Roger MooreRoger Moore | James Bond | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
Collections & DocumentariesCollections & Documentaries | James Bond | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
Timothy Dalton & George LazenbyTimothy Dalton & George Lazenby | James Bond | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
All TitlesAll Titles | James Bond | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
Brosnan, PierceBrosnan, Pierce | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Connery, SeanConnery, Sean | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Dalton, TimothyDalton, Timothy | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Lazenby, GeorgeLazenby, George | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Moore, RogerMoore, Roger | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
All MGM TitlesAll MGM Titles | MGM Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
( J )( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Ultimate EditionsUltimate Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. Casino Royale (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
  2. Never Say Never Again
  3. Seinfeld Collection: The Complete Seasons 1-7 (Amazon Exclusive)
  4. Casino Royale
  5. The Prestige

ASIN: B000MCI1RA
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

The Man with the Golden Gun: The British superspy with a license to kill takes on his dark underworld double, a classy assassin who kills with golden bullets at $1 million a hit. Roger Moore, in his second outing as James Bond, meets Christopher Lee's Scaramanga, one of the most magnetic villains in the entire series, in this entertaining but rather wan entry in the 007 sweepstakes. Moore balances the overplayed humor of the film with a steely performance and Lee's charm and enthusiasm makes Scaramanga a cool, deadly, and thoroughly enchanting adversary. --Sean Axmaker

Goldfinger: To own Goldfinger (1964) on DVD is to have at your fingertips the proof that Sean Connery is the definitive James Bond. No one but Connery can believably seduce women so effortlessly, kill with almost as much ease, and then pull another bottle of Dom Perignon '53 out of the fridge. Goldfinger contains many of the most memorable scenes in the Bond series: gorgeous Shirley Eaton (as Jill Masterson) coated in gold paint by evil Auric Goldfinger and deposited in Bond's bed; silent Oddjob, flipping a razor-sharp derby like a Frisbee to sever heads; our hero spread-eagle on a table while a laser beam moves threateningly toward his crotch. Goldfinger's two climaxes, inside Fort Knox and aboard a private plane, have to be seen to be believed. --Raphael Shargel

The World Is Not Enough:Bond 5.0, Pierce Brosnan, undercuts his usually suave persona with a darker, more brutal edge largely absent since Sean Connery departed. Equally tantalizing are our initial glimpses of Bond's nemesis du jour, Renard (Robert Carlyle), and imminent love interest, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), both atypically complex characters cast with seemingly shrewd choices, and directed by the capable Michael Apted. The story's focus on post-Soviet geopolitics likewise starts off on a savvy note, before being overtaken by increasingly Byzantine plot twists, hidden motives, and reversals of loyalty superheated by relentless (if intermittently perfunctory) action sequences.--Sam Sutherland

Diamonds Are Forever: Sean Connery retired from the 007 franchise after You Only Live Twice but was lured back for one last official appearance as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton keeps the film zipping along gamely from one entertaining set piece to another, including a terrific car chase in a parking lot, a battle with a pair of bikini-clad killer gymnasts named Bambi and Thumper, and a deadly game with a bizarre pair of fey, sardonic killers who dispatch their victims with elaborate invention. Connery retired again after this one but he returned once more, for Never Say Never Again 15 years later. --Sean Axmaker

The Living Daylights: Timothy Dalton made his 007 debut in the lean, mean mode of Sean Connery, doing away with the pun-filled camp of Roger Moore's final outings. This James Bond is ruthless, tough, and romantic. The Living Daylights, set during the thaw of the cold war, begins with the defection of Russian KGB General Koskov (Jeroen Krabb) and his revelation of a Soviet plot to eliminate Britain's secret agent force. Assigned to eliminate Koskov's Soviet boss (John Rhys-Davies), Bond uncovers a conspiracy involving Koskov and an American arms dealer (Joe Don Baker). Veteran series director John Glen's action scenes have never been better--especially the show-stopping mid-air battle on the net of a speeding cargo plane--and he returns the series to the smart, rough, high-energy adventures that made the Bond reputation. --Sean Axmaker

A View to a Kill: Roger Moore's last outing as James Bond is evidence enough that it was time to pass the torch to another actor. Beset by crummy action (an out-of-control fire engine?) and featuring a fading Moore still trying to prop up his mannered idea of style, the film is largely interesting for Christopher Walken's quirky performance as a sort-of supervillain who wants to take out California's Silicon Valley. Grace Jones has a spookily interesting presence as a lethal associate of Walken's (and who, in the best Bond tradition, has sex with 007 before trying to kill him later), and Patrick Macnee (Steed!) has a warm if brief bit. Even directed by John Glen, who brought some crackle to the Moore years in the Bond franchise, this is a very slight effort. -- Tom Keogh

Thunderball: James Bond's fourth adventure takes him to the Bahamas, where a NATO warplane with a nuclear payload has disappeared into the sea. Bond (Sean Connery) travels from a tiny health spa (where he tangles with a mechanized masseuse run amuck) to the casinos of Nassau and soon picks up the trail of SPECTRE's number-two man, Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), and his beautiful mistress, Domino (Claudine Auger), whom Bond soon seduces to his side. Equipped with more gadgets than ever, 007 escapes an ambush with a personal-size jet pack and takes to the water as he searches for the undersea plane, battles Largo's pet sharks, and finally leads the battle against Largo's scuba-equipped henchmen in a spectacular underwater climax. This thrilling Bond entry became Connery's most successful outing in the series and was remade in 1983 as Never Say Never Again, with Connery returning to the role after a 12-year hiatus. --Sean Axmaker

Die Another Day: The 20th James Bond adventure, Die Another Day succeeds on three important fronts: it avoids comparison to Austin Powers by keeping its cheesy humor in check, allows Halle Berry to be sexy and worthy of a spinoff franchise, and keeps pace with the technical wizardry that modern action films demand. Pierce Brosnan is paired with American agent Jinx (Berry) in chasing a genetically altered North Korean villain (Rick Yune) armed with a satellite capable of destroying just about anything. John Cleese and Judi Dench reprise their recurring roles (as "Q" and "M," respectively); they're accompanied by weapons-laden sports cars, a hokey cameo by Madonna (who sings the techno-pulsed theme song), and enough double-entendres to keep Bond-philes adequately shaken and stirred. Die Another Day makes you welcome the familiar end-credits promise: James Bond will return. --Jeff Shannon

The Spy Who Loved Me: The best of the James Bond adventures starring Roger Moore as tuxedoed Agent 007, this globe-trotting thriller introduced the steel-toothed Jaws (played by seven-foot-two-inch-tall actor Richard Kiel) as one of the most memorable and indestructible Bond villains. Jaws is so tenacious, in fact, that Moore looks genuinely frightened, and that adds to the abundant fun. This time Bond teams up with yet another lovely Russian agent (Barbara Bach) to track a pair of nuclear submarines that the nefarious Stromberg (Curt Jürgens) plans to use in his plot to start World War III. The Spy Who Loved Me is a galaxy away from the suave Sean Connery exploits of the 1960s, but the film works perfectly as grandiose entertainment. From cavernous undersea lairs to the vast horizons of Egypt, this Bond thriller keeps its tongue firmly in cheek with a plot tailor-made for daredevil escapism. --Jeff Shannon

License to Kill: Timothy Dalton's second and last shot at playing James Bond isn't nearly as much fun as his debut, two years earlier, in the 1987 The Living Daylights. This time Bond gets mad after a close friend (David Hedison) from the intelligence sector is assassinated on his wedding day, and 007 goes undercover to link the murder to an international drug cartel. Robert Davi makes an interesting adversary, but as with most of the Bond films in the '70s, '80s, and '90s--and especially since the end of the cold war--one has to wonder why we should still care about these lesser villains and their unimaginative crimes. Still, Dalton did manage in his short time with the character to make 007 his own, which neither Roger Moore did nor Pierce Brosnan did. --Tom Keogh

Goldeneye: The 18th James Bond adventure was a runaway box-office success when released in 1995, thanks to the arrival of Pierce Brosnan as the fifth actor (following the departure of Timothy Dalton) to play the suave, danger-loving Agent 007. This James Bond is a bit more vulnerable and psychologically complex--and just a shade more politically correct--but he's still a formally attired playboy at heart, with a lovely Russian beauty (Izabella Scorupco) as his sexy ally against a cadre of renegade Russians bent on--what else?--global domination. All in all, this action-packed Bond adventure provided a much-needed boost the long-running movie series, revitalizing the 007 franchise for the turn of the millennium. -- Jeff Shannon

Live and Let Die: Roger Moore was introduced as James Bond in this 1973 action movie featuring secret agent 007. This film marks a deviation from the more character-driven stories of the Connery years, a deliberate shift to plastic action (multiple chases, bravura stunts) that made the franchise more of a comic book or machine. If that's not depressing enough, there's even a good British director on board, Guy Hamilton (Force 10 from Navarone). The story finds Bond taking on an international drug dealer (Yaphet Kotto), and while that may be superficially relevant, it isn't exactly the same as fighting supervillains on the order of Goldfinger. --Tom Keogh

For Your Eyes Only: After a ship sunk off the coast of Albania, the world's superpowers begin a feverish search for its valuable lost cargo: the powerful ATAC system, which will give its bearer unlimited control over Polaris nuclear submarines. As Bond joins the search, he suspects the suave Kristatos (Julian Glover) of seizing the device. The competition between nations grows more deadly by the moment, but Bond finds an ally in the beautiful Melina Havelock (Caroline Bouquet), who blames Kristatos for the death of her parents. The non-stop action includes automobile chases, thrilling underwater battles, and even a breathtaking tour over razor-sharp coral reefs. But all of this is merely a prelude to 007's cliffhanging assault of a magnificent mountaintop fortress. -- Robert Lynch

From Russia with Love: Directed with consummate skill by Terence Young, the second James Bond spy thriller is considered by many fans to be the best of them all. Certainly Sean Connery was never better as the dashing Agent 007, whose latest mission takes him to Istanbul to retrieve a top-secret Russian decoding machine. His efforts are thwarted when he gets romantically distracted by a sexy Russian double agent (Daniela Bianchi), and is tracked by a lovely assassin (Lotte Lenya) with switchblade shoes, and by a crazed killer (Robert Shaw), who clashes with Bond during the film's dazzling climax aboard the Orient Express. From Russia with Love is classic James Bond, before the gadgets, pyrotechnics, and Roger Moore steered the movies away from the more realistic tone of the books by Ian Fleming. --Jeff Shannon

On Her Majesty's Secret Service: Australian model George Lazenby took up the mantle of the world's most suave secret agent when Sean Connery retired as James Bond (although Connery returned in Diamonds Are Forever before leaving the role to Roger Moore). In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 007 leaves the Service to privately pursue his SPECTRE nemesis Blofeld (played this time by Telly Savalas), whose latest master plan involves a threat to the world's crops by agricultural sterilization. Lazenby hasn't the intensity of Connery but he has fun with his quips and even lampoons the Bond image in a playful pre-credits sequence. Former editor Peter Hunt makes a strong directorial debut, deftly handling the elaborate action sequences with a kinetic finesse. --Sean Axmaker

Dr. No: Released in 1962, this first James Bond movie remains one of the best, and serves as an entertaining reminder that the Bond series began (in keeping with Ian Fleming's novels) with a surprising lack of gadgetry and big-budget fireworks. In his first adventure James Bond is called to Jamaica where a colleague and secretary have been mysteriously killed. With an American CIA agent (Jack Lord, pre-Hawaii Five-O), they discover that the nefarious Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) is scheming to blackmail the U.S. government with a device capable of deflecting and destroying U.S. rockets launched from Cape Canaveral. Of course, Bond takes time off from his exploits to enjoy the company of a few gorgeous women, including the bikini-clad Ursula Andress. This is Bond at his purest, kicking off a series of movies that shows no sign of slowing down. --Jeff Shannon

You Only Live Twice: The film boasts the best of the Bond title songs (this one sung on a dreamy track by Nancy Sinatra), but the movie itself is one of the weaker ones of the Sean Connery phase of the 007 franchise. The story concerns an effort by the evil organization SPECTRE to start a world war, but the not-so-super villain behind the plot is the awfully civilized Donald Pleasence. The thin script is by Roald Dahl (shouldn't we have expected a better Bond nemesis from the creator of mad genius Willy Wonka?), and direction is by British veteran Lewis Gilbert (Alfie). But the movie can't hold a candle to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, or Goldfinger. --Tom Keogh

Octopussy: Roger Moore was nearing the end of his reign as James Bond when he made Octopussy, and he looks a little worn out. But the movie itself infuses some new blood into the old franchise, with a frisky pace and a pair of sturdy villains. Maud Adams--who'd also been in the Bond outing The Man with the Golden Gun--plays the improbably named Octopussy, while old smoothie Louis Jourdan is her crafty partner in crime. Two Bond films were actually released in 1983 within a few months of each other, as Octopussy was followed by Sean Connery's comeback in Never Say Never Again. The success of both pictures proved that there was still plenty of mileage left in the old license to kill, though Moore had one more workout--A View to a Kill--before hanging it up. And that title? The franchise had already used up the titles to Ian Fleming's novels, so Octopussy was taken from a lesser-known Fleming short story. -- Robert Horton

Tomorrow Never Dies: Pierce Brosnan returns for his second stint as James Bond (after GoldenEye), and he's doing it in high style with an invigorating cast of costars. It's only appropriate that a Bond film from 1997 would find Agent 007 pitted against a media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who's going to start a global war (beginning with stolen nuclear missiles aimed at China) to create attention-grabbing headlines for his latest multimedia news channel. It's the information age run amok, and Bond must team up with a lovely and lethal agent from the Chinese External Security Force (played by Honk Kong action star Michelle Yeoh) to foil the madman's plot of global domination. Luckily for Bond, the villain's wife (Teri Hatcher) is one of his former lovers and 007 finds ample opportunity to exploit the connection. Armed with the usual array of gadgets (including a remote-controlled BMW), Brosnan settles into his role with acceptable flair, and the dynamic Yeoh provides a perfect balance to the sexism that once threatened to turn Bond into a politically incorrect anachronism. He's still Bond, to be sure, but he's saving the world with a bit more sophisticated finesse. --Jeff Shannon

Moonraker: This was the first James Bond adventure produced after the success of Star Wars, so it jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon by combining the suave appeal of Agent 007 (once again played by Roger Moore) with enough high-tech hardware and special effects to make Luke Skywalker want to join Her Majesty's Secret Service. This time Bond is up against a criminal industrialist named Drax (Michel Lonsdale) who wants to control the world from his orbiting space station. Bond thwarts this maniacal Neo-Hitler's scheme with the help of a beautiful, sleek-figured scientist (played by Lois Chiles with all the vitality of a department-store mannequin). Despite Moore's passive performance (which Pauline Kael described as "like an office manager who is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension"), Moonraker had no problem attracting an appreciative audience, and there are even a few renegade Bond-philes who consider it one of their favorites. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Bond is the Ultimate.......2007-06-27

If you love James Bond movies, wait, even if you just plain like Bond movies, get this collection. The movies look great and it is fabulous to watch how the character of Bond and the movies themselves evolve. Great for a film class or just someone who wants a lot of fun action adventure movies around. Plus at Amazon prices, you can't go wrong.

5 out of 5 stars wonderfully restored movies!.......2007-06-27

We bought this set after reading a lot of reviews that said how nice the movies looked (restored). We were pleasantly surprised that the restored movies exceeded our expectation. The movies are very clean and there are absolutely tons of extras on each DVD.

There are only 2 annoying things. 1) they don't come in chronological order. We just rearranged them, but then you can't quite see the entire title from inside the box. 2) the slim cases were cheaply made. For the price it seems like they should be a little more sturdy.

Because of the slim cases, they don't take up very much room (for 20 DVD's plus extras). We are very happy with the set.

5 out of 5 stars 007- Bond, James.......2007-06-26

Simply..........Amazing! I am glad I waited to collect the series...They are Bigger & Better than the original in all facets.....My only complaint if I were to have one, is that they are not in order. Besides that one flaw I am Super Happy with this Awesome James Bond Collection.......

Michael from Minneapolis

5 out of 5 stars Picked up whole collection in one pack - great deal.......2007-06-14

Really good deal for the big time Bond fan.

5 out of 5 stars The Ultimate For The 007 Fan.......2007-06-09

Anyone who grew up with or loves James Bond Movies will enjoy this fine collection of films. If you are a fan and you don't have all the movies but want them, this is the collection to purchase. The Box Set and Art Work on the case's is quality along with every single disk.
James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 4 (Dr. No / You Only Live Twice / Octopussy / Tomorrow Never Dies / Moonraker)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The best bond vol. of all times
  • Picked up whole collection in one pack - great deal
  • Offbeat Collection of Bond Titles, Superbly Remastered...
  • Best Purchase Ever
  • Finally, box sets that do the Bond legacy justice
James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 4 (Dr. No / You Only Live Twice / Octopussy / Tomorrow Never Dies / Moonraker)
Starring: Bernard Lee , Joseph Wiseman , Anthony Dawson , Jack Lord , and Zena Marshall
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
All TitlesAll Titles | James Bond | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
( J )( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Ultimate EditionsUltimate Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
All MGM TitlesAll MGM Titles | MGM Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
Action & AdventureAction & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:
  1. James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 3 (GoldenEye / Live and Let Die / For Your Eyes Only / From Russia With Love / On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
  2. James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 2 (A View to a Kill / Thunderball / Die Another Day / The Spy Who Loved Me / Licence to Kill)
  3. James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 1 (The Man with the Golden Gun / Goldfinger / The World Is Not Enough / Diamonds Are Forever / The Living Daylights)
  4. Casino Royale (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
  5. Never Say Never Again

ASIN: B000ICM5VC
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Amazon.com

Dr. No: Released in 1962, this first James Bond movie remains one of the best, and serves as an entertaining reminder that the Bond series began (in keeping with Ian Fleming's novels) with a surprising lack of gadgetry and big-budget fireworks. Sean Connery was just 32 years old when he won the role of Agent 007. In his first adventure James Bond is called to Jamaica where a colleague and secretary have been mysteriously killed. With an American CIA agent (Jack Lord, pre-Hawaii Five-O), they discover that the nefarious Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) is scheming to blackmail the U.S. government with a device capable of deflecting and destroying U.S. rockets launched from Cape Canaveral. Of course, Bond takes time off from his exploits to enjoy the company of a few gorgeous women, including the bikini-clad Ursula Andress. She gloriously kicks off the long-standing tradition of Bond women who know how to please their favorite secret agent. A sexist anachronism? Maybe, but this is Bond at his purest, kicking off a series of movies that shows no sign of slowing down. --Jeff Shannon

You Only Live Twice: The film boasts the best of the Bond title songs (this one sung on a dreamy track by Nancy Sinatra), but the movie itself is one of the weaker ones of the Sean Connery phase of the 007 franchise. The story concerns an effort by the evil organization SPECTRE to start a world war, but the not-so-super villain behind the plot is the awfully civilized Donald Pleasence. The thin script is by Roald Dahl (shouldn't we have expected a better Bond nemesis from the creator of mad genius Willy Wonka?), and direction is by British veteran Lewis Gilbert (Alfie). But the movie can't hold a candle to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, or Goldfinger. --Tom Keogh

Octopussy: Roger Moore was nearing the end of his reign as James Bond when he made Octopussy, and he looks a little worn out. But the movie itself infuses some new blood into the old franchise, with a frisky pace and a pair of sturdy villains. Maud Adams--who'd also been in the Bond outing The Man with the Golden Gun--plays the improbably named Octopussy, while old smoothie Louis Jourdan is her crafty partner in crime. There's an island populated only by women, plus a fantastic sequence with a hand-to-hand fight that happens on a plane--and on top of a plane. The film even has an extra emotional punch, since this time out 007 is not only following the orders of Her Majesty's Secret Service, but he is also exacting a personal revenge: a fellow double-0 agent has been killed. Two Bond films were actually released in 1983 within a few months of each other, as Octopussy was followed by Sean Connery's comeback in Never Say Never Again. The success of both pictures proved that there was still plenty of mileage left in the old license to kill, though Moore had one more workout--A View to a Kill--before hanging it up. And that title? The franchise had already used up the titles to Ian Fleming's novels, so Octopussy was taken from a lesser-known Fleming short story. -- Robert Horton

Tomorrow Never Dies: Pierce Brosnan returns for his second stint as James Bond (after GoldenEye), and he's doing it in high style with an invigorating cast of costars. It's only appropriate that a Bond film from 1997 would find Agent 007 pitted against a media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who's going to start a global war (beginning with stolen nuclear missiles aimed at China) to create attention-grabbing headlines for his latest multimedia news channel. It's the information age run amok, and Bond must team up with a lovely and lethal agent from the Chinese External Security Force (played by Honk Kong action star Michelle Yeoh) to foil the madman's plot of global domination. Luckily for Bond, the villain's wife (Teri Hatcher) is one of his former lovers, and at the behest of his superior M (Judi Dench), 007 finds ample opportunity to exploit the connection. Armed with the usual array of gadgets (including a remote-controlled BMW), Brosnan settles into his role with acceptable flair, and the dynamic Yeoh provides a perfect balance to the sexism that once threatened to turn Bond into a politically incorrect anachronism. He's still Bond, to be sure, but he's saving the world with a bit more sophisticated finesse. --Jeff Shannon

Moonraker: This was the first James Bond adventure produced after the success of Star Wars, so it jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon by combining the suave appeal of Agent 007 (once again played by Roger Moore) with enough high-tech hardware and special effects to make Luke Skywalker want to join Her Majesty's Secret Service. After the razzle-dazzle of The Spy Who Loved Me, this attempt to latch onto a trend proved to be a case of overkill, even though it brought back the steel-toothed villain Jaws (Richard Kiel) and scored a major hit at the box office. This time Bond is up against a criminal industrialist named Drax (Michel Lonsdale) who wants to control the world from his orbiting space station. In keeping with his well-groomed style, Bond thwarts this maniacal Neo-Hitler's scheme with the help of a beautiful, sleek-figured scientist (played by Lois Chiles with all the vitality of a department-store mannequin). Despite Moore's passive performance (which Pauline Kael described as "like an office manager who is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension"), Moonraker had no problem attracting an appreciative audience, and there are even a few renegade Bond-philes who consider it one of their favorites. --Sean Axmaker

Beyond James Bond Ultimate Collection - Vol. 4

James Bond Ultimate Collection - Vol. 1

James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 2

James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 3
Stills from James Bond Ultimate Collection - Vol. 4 (click for larger image)







Description

*Dr. No Disc #1 -Movie with DTS 5.1 Surround and original mono/stereo -Language selections -Audio Commentary Featuring Director Terence Young and Members of the Cast and Crew

Disc #2 -TOP LEVEL ACCESS 007: License to Restore - Featurette Detailing the BOND Ultimate Edition Film Restoration Process -DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT The Guns of James Bond -Premiere Bond -007 MISSION CONTROL Interactive Guide Into the World of Dr. No -THE COMPLETE SPECIAL FEATURES LIBRARY: MISSION DOSSIER -Inside Dr. No -Terence Young: Bond Vivant -Dr. No 1963 Featurette -MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA Original Trailers, TV Spots, Photo Gallery & Radio Communications

*You Only Live Twice Disc #1 -Movie with DTS 5.1 Surround and original mono/stereo -Language selections -Audio Commentary Featuring Director Lewis Gilbert and Members of the Cast and Crew

Disc #2 -DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond Whicker's World - Highlights From 1967 BBC Documentary On Location With Ken Adam -007 MISSION CONTROL Interactive Guide Into the World of You Only Live Twice -THE COMPLETE SPECIAL FEATURES LIBRARY: MISSION DOSSIER -Inside You Only Live Twice -Silhouettes: The James Bond Titles -Plane Crash: Animated Storyboard Sequence -MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA Original Trailers, Photo Gallery, TV Spot & Radio Communications

*Moonraker Disc #1 *Movie with DTS 5.1 Surround and original mono/stereo *Language selections *Newly Recorded Audio Commentary Featuring Sir Roger Moore *Audio Commentary Featuring Director Lewis Gilbert and Members of the Cast and Crew

Disc #2 *DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT 007 in Rio - Original 1979 Production *Featurette *Ken Adam's Production Films *Bond '79 Learning to Freefall *Skydiving Test Footage *Skydiving Storyboards *Circus Footage *Cable Car Alternative Storyboards *007 MISSION CONTROL Interactive Guide Into the World of Moonraker -THE COMPLETE SPECIAL FEATURES LIBRARY: MISSION DOSSIER -Inside Moonraker -The Men Behind the Mayhem - Special Effects Documentary -MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA Original Trailer & Photo Gallery

*Octopussy Disc #1 -Newly Recorded Audio Commentary Featuring Sir Roger Moore -Movie with DTS 5.1 Surround and original mono/stereo -Language selections -Newly Recorded Audio Commentary Featuring Sir Roger Moore -Audio Commentary Featuring Director John Glen

Disc #2: -DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT Shooting Stunts: Crashing Jeeps & The Airplane Crash -Ken Burns On-Set Movie -On Location with Peter Lamont -Testing the Limits - The Aerial Team -James Brolin Original Screentests -James Bond in India - Original 1983 Featurette -007 MISSION CONTROL Interactive Guide Into the World of Octopussy -THE COMPLETE SPECIAL FEATURES LIBRARY: MISSION DOSSIER -Inside Octopussy -Designing Bond - Peter Lamont -Rita Coolidge 'All Time High' Music Video -Storyboard Sequences -MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA Original Trailers & Photo Gallery

*Tomorrow Never Dies Disc #1: -Movie with DTS 5.1 Surround and original mono/stereo -Language selections -Audio Commentary Featuring Vic Armstrong and Michael G. Wilson -Audio Commentary Featuring Roger Spottiswoode and Dan Petrie Jr.

Disc #2" -DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT Deleted and Extended Scenes Introduced by Director Roger Spottiswoode -Expanded Angles Introduced by Director Roger Spottiswoode -Highly Classified: The World of 007 -"The James Bond Theme" (Moby's Remix) -007 MISSION CONTROL Interactive Guide Into the World of Tomorrow Never Dies -THE COMPLETE SPECIAL FEATURES LIBRARY: MISSION DOSSIER -The Secrets of 007 -Storyboard Presentation -Gadgets -Sheryl Crow 'Tomorrow Never Dies' Music Video -MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA Original Trailers & Photo Gallery

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The best bond vol. of all times.......2007-06-27

Yes I loved the movies plus the documentaries were just fasinating.

It got me into watching the movies more ,and more. And the quality of the picture, and sound that it made them like seeing them for the frist time in years.. I cannot wait to buy the other volumes ..

5 out of 5 stars Picked up whole collection in one pack - great deal.......2007-06-14

Great deal for the hardcore Bond fan.

4 out of 5 stars Offbeat Collection of Bond Titles, Superbly Remastered..........2007-06-09

The brilliantly remastered library of James Bond films continues with "James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 4", a collection of titles that may have you scratching your head about the choices, but will dazzle with their pristine beauty, nonetheless!

"Dr. No" (1962), was, of course, the first 007 film, and a huge gamble for both Broccoli/Saltzman's Eon Productions, and United Artists. With a tiny budget, a little-known leading man (Sean Connery), and a daring concept for a more conservative era (missions of a ruthless hero whose job was murder, and hobby, copious amounts of sex), the film succeeded because of tongue-in-cheek humor, explosive action, breathtaking women (personified by Ursula Andress), and Connery's charismatic presence. Until Daniel Craig's debut, this was as close to author Ian Fleming's vision of Bond as you could find, and what the film lacks in polish, it makes up for in intensity. (4 stars out of 5)

"You Only Live Twice" (1967), has, over time, earned the ire of many Bond fans as the film Broccoli decided to do as Connery's first swan song, instead of the vastly superior "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (Japan offered a very lucrative production deal). As worldwide Bond mania subsided, this strange entry has a bored Connery machine-gunned, resurrected, piloting a toy helicopter, pretending to be Japanese, and often playing second-fiddle to Ninjas, while facing his LEAST threatening villain, Donald Pleasence. Even a beautiful theme song and breathtaking volcano finale can't save this entry. (2 stars out of 5)

"Octopussy" (1983), is best-known as Roger Moore's entry in the year of competing Bond films (as Sean Connery's "Never Say Never Again" was also released). While both actors were 'long-in-the-tooth' as 007 (Moore was 55, Connery, 53), the Moore film offered Eon's customary opulence, a leading lady who could act (Maud Adams), and the unintentional humor of villain Louis Jourdan lisping "Octopussy". Great action scenes and beautiful locations (much of the story is set in India) were marred by the campiness that was, sadly, a trademark of the Moore films. (2 1/2 stars out of 5).

"Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997), Pierce Brosnan's second outing as 007, finds him far more at ease and mature in the role than in "GoldenEye", and offers one of the best Bond leading ladies, Michelle Yeoh, as his Chinese counterpart. Jonathan Pryce, as a nerdy 'Ted Turner'-type media mogul, provides a wry spin on the traditional Bond villain. On the down side, Teri Hatcher's performance as a Bond ex-lover is amateurish, and the derivativeness that would plague all of Brosnan's films gives it a "been there, done that" feel. (3 1/2 stars out of 5)

"Moonraker" (1979), one of the dumbest ideas for a 007 film, ever ("James Bond in Space!"), is, basically, a reworking of the vastly superior "The Spy Who Loved Me", moving the venue from the sea to Earth orbit. Silliness abounds, from Jaws and his blond nymphet girlfriend, to a gondola on wheels cruising the streets of Venice, to the ray-gun space battle climax. Michael Lonsdale looks more bored than villainous, and even a fabulous free-fall opening sequence can't save this Roger Moore entry. (1 1/2 stars out of 5)

While only "Dr. No" qualifies as a Bond 'classic', these remastered films are all still worth a new viewing, if you haven't seen them, lately; the loving restoration work makes each look as fresh as the day they were released!

5 out of 5 stars Best Purchase Ever.......2007-05-12

I own all 4 volumes, and this is the ultimate collection for Bond Fans and a must have collection. This collection is chock full of extra goodies. The only movie missing is "Never Say Never Again" with Sean Connery and Kim Basinger as this was not part of the " official" Bond series and was put out by a different studio, the same year as " Octopussy". Each Volume contains 5 movies in their own individual case.(2 DVDs each 1 with the movie and one with extras). Each movie also has a little booklet with information on the actors and the filming of the movie, with makes for some interesting reading. These are high quality DVDs in both video and sound and for the advertised price for all four volumes, is a steal in my opinion. I have always been satisfied with Criterion releases for their quality and the extras and this series has definately not disappointed me. This was money well spent. Charlie S.

5 out of 5 stars Finally, box sets that do the Bond legacy justice.......2007-03-31

James Bond Ultimate Collection.

INTRODUCTION:
When it comes to film franchises, very few measure up to Ian Fleming's legendary secret agent, James Bond. For decades this series has never failed to entertain. With girls, guns, gadgets, and everything in between, the series rarely fails to please. The franchise has been through many highs and lows in its several-decade history, and numerous collections of the films have been released over the years. In 2006, MGM released four Ultimate Collections.

OVERVIEW:
The James Bond Ultimate Collection consists of four box sets, each including ten discs - five films and a bonus disc for each. The boxes' content are as follows:
-Volume One (Gold): Goldfinger (1963), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), The World Is Not Enough (1999)
-Volume Two (Blue): Thunderball (1965), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), A View To A Kill (1985), Licence To Kill (1989), Die Another Day (2002)
-Volume Three (Red): From Russia With Love (1963), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Live and Let Die (1973), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Goldeneye (1995)
-Volume Four (Silver): Dr. No (1962), You Only Live Twice (1967), Moonraker (1979), Octopussy (1983), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Note that these are sets of the official EON productions films. As such, non-EON productions such as the David Niven/Peter Sellers version of Casino Royale and Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again are not included.

REVIEW:
I'm not going to go through and review each individual film (that's what the movies' individual Amazon pages are for), I'm just gonna focus on the box sets and their execution here. Here is a list of the pros and cons for every set.

-THE GOOD-
-ALL TWENTY FILMS READILY AVAILABLE ON DVD AGAIN. It's been a long time since we've been able to get the movies on DVD, and it's about time they got reissued. Finally, this shortage has reached its end.
-A QUICK AND EASY WAY TO COMPLETE YOUR BOND COLLECTION. You could hunt down each individual film, and spend a lot more money and do a lot more searching. Or you could just get these four sets. Much quicker and easier.
-A BONUS DISC OF MATERIAL FOR EVERY MOVIE! If you're a Bond fanatic, you're going to get a kick out of all the extra material MGM gives you in these sets. Deleted scenes, trailers, interviews with cast and crew, these bonus discs are pure gold for you if you're a Bond die hard like me.
-REMASTERED. VERY WELL. Normally I don't mention remastering of movies in my reviews, as it's usually a rather shoddy job that does little to improve the picture quality. NOT THIS TIME. MGM has given us the films with FRAME BY FRAME RESTORATION. If you thought earlier issues of Bond films on DVD had crappy picture quality, MGM redeems themselves here. This is, hands down, THE GREATEST FILM REMASTERING JOB I HAVE EVER SEEN. Even Dr. No, the first Bond film, has stunningly beautiful picture quality! My hat goes off to MGM here. This is reason alone to buy the sets, even if you own the older boxes.
-SUPERIOR TO THE OLD DVD BOXES OF THE SERIES. Everything they did, these sets do better. Picture, extras, you name it, this set does it better.

-THE BAD-
-STILL NOT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. This has been under hot debate from Bond fans as long as boxes of the films have been on the market. MGM clearly wants to make a few bucks. Let's face it, if all of the Connery films were in one set, everyone would buy that set and no others. Rather than getting the films in chronological order, we get uneven and scattershot mixes. For instance, the fourth box set features Dr. No and You Only Live Twice, two of the masterpieces of the series. But the set is dragged down by two of the major stinkers in the series, Moonraker and Octopussy. With every set it's this same "balancing act" phenomenon, with great films and weak ones alike. I must admit, a rather ingenious marketing strategy on MGM's part, but not what fans want (of course, you can do like I did and buy all the sets and make your own box and put them in order.) Fortunately, this is the ONLY major flaw of these sets.

OVERALL:
When it comes to the Bond films on DVD, "Nobody Does It Better" than MGM with these box sets. Beautiful picture and sound, extras galore, and all twenty films readily available again, there's no reason not to own these if you're a Bond fan. Even if you already have a few films on DVD or some of the older sets, these are still worth getting for the picture quality and bonus features alone.

EDITION NOTES:
These sets are all readily available. Any major DVD retailer should have them available.
Moonraker
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • For Your Nostalgia Only...
  • A High Budget Parody?
  • What was I thinking?
  • Roger Moore's Best Outing and a Top-notch Bond Adventure
  • Slapstick, sci-fi, spy guy.
Moonraker
Starring: Alfie Bass , Georges Beller , Irka Bochenko , Emily Bolton , and Jean-Pierre Castaldi
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:
  1. The Man With The Golden Gun
  2. The Spy Who Loved Me
  3. For Your Eyes Only
  4. Live and Let Die
  5. Thunderball

ASIN: B000NIBURG
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

This was the first James Bond adventure produced after the success of Star Wars, so it jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon by combining the suave appeal of Agent 007 (once again played by Roger Moore) with enough high-tech hardware and special effects to make Luke Skywalker want to join Her Majesty's Secret Service. After the razzle-dazzle of The Spy Who Loved Me, this attempt to latch onto a trend proved to be a case of overkill, even though it brought back the steel-toothed villain Jaws (Richard Kiel) and scored a major hit at the box office. This time Bond is up against a criminal industrialist named Drax (Michel Lonsdale) who wants to control the world from his orbiting space station. In keeping with his well-groomed style, Bond thwarts this maniacal Neo-Hitler's scheme with the help of a beautiful, sleek-figured scientist (played by Lois Chiles with all the vitality of a department-store mannequin). There's a grand-scale climax involving space shuttles and ray guns, but despite the film's popular success, this is one Bond adventure that never quite gets off the launching pad. It's as if the caretakers of the James Bond franchise had forgotten that it's Bond--and not a barrage of gizmos and gadgets (including a land-worthy Venetian gondola)--that fuels the series' success. Despite Moore's passive performance (which Pauline Kael described as "like an office manager who is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension"), Moonraker had no problem attracting an appreciative audience, and there are even a few renegade Bond-philes who consider it one of their favorites. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars For Your Nostalgia Only..........2007-06-18

Moonraker was the very first Bond film I saw. I saw it in the theater when I was 8 years old and thought it was one of the coolest movies ever.



Today, watching through adult eyes, I see that it's campy, silly, and downright unrealistic.



HOWEVER, this film introduced me to a life-long love of the James Bond franchise. I've seen every Bond film at the theater since Moonraker and had the joy of watching the older ones on video (then later on DVD).



I have started my James Bond DVD collection with Casino Royale (the 2006 version) and I'm working my way backwards. I am now down to Moonraker which prompted me to write this review.



Yes, there are MUCH better Bond films out there, but I still bought this one because it reminded me of when the world of Bond was something fresh and new (to me, at least) and reminds me of what it was like to be a kid again.



This film can be fun, if you're willing to overlook the campiness.

The music (by the legendary John Barry) is absolutely beautiful and the title theme sung by Shirley Bassey (her third and final theme) is one of the franchise's best.





2 out of 5 stars A High Budget Parody?.......2007-06-18

I rank Moonraker 19th out of the 21 Bond movies. I'm not going waste a lot of time here. Dumb plot. Blank faced Bondbabe. Smarmy Moore. Dumbed down Jaws. This one is played for laughs as the script is basically one dreadful pun after another and practically every scene has a sight gag. The acting is pretty much mailed in by all parties. The scenery in Rio, the Amazon and Venice is beautiful and some of the stunts are pretty eye popping. Hence the two stars. Even a bad Bond has its moments. The space scenes simply have to be seen to be believed for the shody special effects and ugly mustard jump suits.

3 out of 5 stars What was I thinking?.......2007-06-14

I remember seeing this when it was in the theaters (yes, I'm old), and I really liked it then. Watching it now..... ick

4 out of 5 stars Roger Moore's Best Outing and a Top-notch Bond Adventure.......2007-04-30

Since I first saw this Bond waaaay back in '79 I have loved it. I've probably seen it dozens of times since then and I still enjoy it immensely.

The story is tight and exciting, the subplots and twists many, the characters, even the "Bond girls," intriguing and well fleshed out (no pun intended), the villian perhaps one of the most obviously intelligent and understatedly menacing of any other, the humor subtle and witty, and the over-all story together with its climactic conclusion are well written and quite satisfying.

All too often critics of this Bond film attempt to slough it off as derivative of Star Wars. It's not. There's nothing "Star Wars" about it except for the fact that the latter part of the film does happen to take place in Earth orbit. Of course, if this is all it takes to be parasitic of George Lucas' space adventure then so also would be any other film involving space locales. Unlike the focus of Star Wars, here there are no space aliens and no fantastical science-fiction flights of fancy, just great adventure taking place primarily here on the Earth, though finally venturing above the Earth just as other Bond adventures have ventured below its surface (e.g., Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only). It's a greatly believable (even for Bond) international adventure visiting numerous exotic locales worldwide while furthering an intriguing and suspenseful storyline chock full of exciting twists and turns you will want to watch over and over again.

Among the more memorable scenes, and far better than the most memorable of almost all other Bonds, were the opening sequence as Bond is thrown out of an airplane without a parachute and expertly "flies" - without special effects - to intercept the bad guy and wrestle from him his parachute (arguably the single most exciting opening of any of the Bond films, bar none), the initial meeting and opening exchange with Drax (such a refreshing departure from the charicatured, over-the-top, "mad scientist"-type villians antagonizing Bond in almost all other 007 outings; this time a true villian, finally), the drama of the centrifuge incident that almost killed Bond, the refreshing intelligence of Dr. Goodhead (despite the cheesy name), the hunting-"accident" killing of Drax's would-be assassin followed by the utter ruthlessness of Drax in "sic"-ing the dogs on his defenseless female employee (a very well-directed sequence that was horrifyingly beautiful to watch), the nerve gas factory scene and the "Andromeda Strain" atmosphere created when its full destructive power is accidently released, then Drax' cool appearance the following morning at the same location now magically transformed to truly magnificent King Louis XVIII splendor, his regal calm mirroring flawlessly the opulent palacial surroundings, the Rio de Janeiro sequences from the Drax warehouse, where Jaws reappears, to their re-match during the cable-car high-wire confrontation, then finally on to the exciting speedboat chase sequence, the space port, and then on to the space station, itself.

Once aboard the space station, Bond subtlely makes Jaws aware of the fact that he, too, will be killed by Drax and enters into an unspoken alliance with Bond to defeat Drax, who is finally and very satisfyingly dispatched at last through an airlock to Bond's pithy rejoiner "Take a giant leap for mankind." Shortly therafter we are treated to an uncharacteristically touching moment as Jaws reveals his tender side as he toasts his newfound love while the space station is blowing up around them, entreating her with the only words he was ever granted in any of the Bond films: "Here's to us."

And finally, I found very satisfyingly suspenseful the final sequence as Bond and Dr. Goodhead race in a space shuttle to hunt down the nerve-gas satellites, destroying them as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere while trying to keep from burning up themselves. From beginning to end I found the plot very well thought out and developed, highly engaging and exciting, and concluded in highly dramatic and wonderfully satisfying fashion.

Those who discount this superior Bond film simply for having dared to exit Earth's atmosphere at some point in the storyline reveal not any flaw inherent to the movie or its setting, but instead their own inability to appreciate a great Bond film simply for having dared to premiere so soon after Lucas' insipidly simplistic sci-fi movie.

Okay... let the rants begin! ;)

3 out of 5 stars Slapstick, sci-fi, spy guy........2007-04-17

"Moonraker" is the James Bond movie that reached the nadir of cartoon antics that had plagued the world of 007 throughout the bell-bottomed seventies. It's a low point for many die-hard fans; a point where the series veered without shame from Hitchcock-like thrills to Max Sennett-like madness. For me, it's the guiltiest of pleasures. Read on.

As been observed by many, producer Albert R. Broccoli reeling from the world-wide success of "The Spy Who Loved Me" (James Bond's campy but self-assured comeback) took only the title and villain (Hugo Drax), from one of Ian Fleming strongest books to build what could have lazily been titled "The Spy Who Loved Me II." Replace the previous movie's sea world motif with outer space and you have essentially the same movie- Bond aided by equally adept female spy goes after megalomaniac bent on world destruction. Bond blows up megalomaniac's operation. Bond sleeps with female spy (this was also the exact template used for "Tomorrow Never Dies," but that's another review). That said, through nearly half of "Moonraker," returning screenwriter Christopher Wood does set up an intriguing mystery angle with our intrepid hero following nonsensical clues from what seems like the entire western hemisphere (A document in California, vials of poison in Venice, etc. etc...) But when the action starts, the filmmakers can't seem to reign themselves in and go for the cheap laugh time and time again.

I agree for those who like their Bond films shaken, not stirred, that there is a lot here to cause a spewed martini. For one, there is Roger Moore. The very name is a scourge to those who prefer Sean Connery or Daniel Craig's bad boy Bonds. After displaying a slight hard edge in the last half of "The Spy Who Loved Me," Moore gallivants through "Moonraker" like, well, Roger Moore- a likable, but flippant, jet setting, celebrity. Moore's Bond just sails too effortlessly throughout this adventure. Even some of the gorgeous (of course) Bond girls like Corrine Clery and Emily Bolton seem to robotically sleep with Bond as if they were programmed to do so. And then there's Jaws...As fiendishly good as Richard Kiel's Frankenstein Monster-of-a-hit-man was in TSWLM, bringing him back for a second outing in "Moonraker" and making him the "Coyote" to Moore's "Road Runner" leads to some the most draw-dropping, "jumping-the-shark" moments in the series history.

Still there is a lot that surprisingly dazzles here. Whatever you may feel about the movie's school boy humor, Moonraker is a slick, gorgeously photographed (the great Jean Tournier), action-packed package that moves along more zip than the oddball "Man With The Golden Gun" or the insanely plotted, (and the most debated among Bond fans) "Die Another Day." Lois Chiles is appealing as the Lauren Bacall-esque "Holly Goodhead" (wink, wink) and Michael Lonsdale is, oddly enough, a deadly series Bond villain giving off such lines as "Mr. Bond, you return with the inevitability of an unloved season" with such oily ease. "Moonraker" also has one of composer John Barry's more evocative scores that stubbornly soldiers on as if the movie was a true epic, not a lark. However, the true star of this entry is legendary art director Ken Adams. A master whose low-slung, futuristic set pieces marked the series' visual style beginning with "Dr. No," Adams, in his last Bond film to date, gives us a near orgy of complex walk ways and shimmering steel.



The James Bond Collection, Vol. 2 (Special Edition)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Good Set, but Wow $$$$
  • 3 Repeats in This Series!!!
  • A great mix of Bond movies
  • Holy be-jesus...
  • JB Ultimate Edit... mi6.co.uk
The James Bond Collection, Vol. 2 (Special Edition)
Starring: Sean Connery
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:
  1. The James Bond Collection, Vol. 3 (Special Edition)
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  5. Casino Royale

ASIN: B0000BYRO7
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Amazon.com

Sean Connery casts a long shadow over the James Bond legacy. He created the movie persona and starred in six of the first seven features, all but establishing the cool cold warrior as the world's most suave secret agent. The second Bond collection celebrates the Connery Bond with three of his classics, including From Russia with Love, 007's second and perhaps finest outing. A blond, buff Robert Shaw plays Bond's most ruthless nemesis, and Lotte Lenya and the great Pedro Armindáriz costar in this sleek, high-energy trip through the Iron Curtain. Connery travels to the Far East in You Only Live Twice, which introduces the international criminal conspiracy SPECTRE and its cat-loving mastermind, Blofeld (Donald Pleasence). After a brief retirement, Connery returned for Diamonds Are Forever, his final "official" appearance in the Bond series (15 years later he played Bond for a rival studio's Never Say Never Again). This more tongue-in-cheek adventure takes 007 to Las Vegas, where he battles Blofeld (this time played by Charles Gray) and his minions--namely, a pair of fey, sardonic henchmen and a team of bikini-clad karate killers.

Roger Moore took over the role and his fourth effort was Moonraker, a misguided sci-fi entry that takes Bond to space for a physically impressive but dramatically lackluster adventure with Richard Kiel's steel-dentured Jaws. After that brief digression, For Your Eyes Only returned Bond to globetrotting high adventure and teamed him with his most endearing ally (Topol as a gregarious smuggler). The torch was passed to Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights, an attempt to clear away the camp elements of Moore's portrayal and return to a lean, hard-edged spy thriller for the post-cold war era. It lacks the larger-than-life characters and spectacle of previous Bond pictures, but Dalton was a tough, ruthless 007 and a worthy inheritor of the legacy, which was then passed on to Pierce Brosnan. In The World Is Not Enough, Bond takes on post-Soviet geopolitics, with Robert Carlyle as the villainous Renard and Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards as love objects.

Description

Includes From Russia with Love, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, and The World Is Not Enough.

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars Good Set, but Wow $$$$.......2006-11-29

Let me start off by saying that this collection has some good points. Those good points are From Russia with Love, a great Sean Connery movie, For Your Eyes Only which a pretty good Roger Moore film, and (many may disagree with me on this one) my favorite Brosnan Bond, The World is Not Enough. The other films in this collection are ok, but I don't think there is any film in the Bond series that I really dislike. Now that being said, DON'T PURCHASE THIS SET. I don't know who the people are that are reviewing this with 5 stars and saying great low price, but I wonder if they are the ones trying to sell them. My problems with this set is the picture and sound quality. They are what you would expect on a movie from the era each film was produced. The older Connery Bond movies look like your watching them on 1960's film. The other problem I have with these sets are the prices. To purchase this set used will cost you about $170, the price new is over $200. There is no reason to pay that much for this set. I would recommend if you are looking for the Bond collection to purchase the Ultimate Editions (UEs). The movies have been restored so picture quality is great. The UEs are also set in 5.1 surround sound, and the special features are great. Also the price of the UE compared to this set is a lot better, when you consider that you can purchase all 4 of the UE for about the same price this Vol 2 will cost you. In sort if you want the Bond movies, buy the Ultimate Editions.

3 out of 5 stars 3 Repeats in This Series!!!.......2006-09-04

I just bought James Bond Collection, Vol. 2 for my brother and much to my surprise found that THREE of the titles were also in Vol. 1 of the series (which he has). What a rip-off! Paid over $100.00 for 3 new discs. Very disappointing.

5 out of 5 stars A great mix of Bond movies.......2006-08-19

This is my favorite of the 3 Special Edition boxsets. For one thing, it's got 3 great Connery movies: "From Russia With Love" (007 tries to get a Russian decoding machine while surviving a SPECTRE trap); "You Only Live Twice" (007 in Japan must take on SPECTRE, which has been kidnapping spaceships to start war between the USSR and the USA); and "Diamonds Are Forever" (classic Connery 007, in Las Vegas tracking a diamond smuggling trail that leads to Blofeld). I find all those Connery ones entertaining, and YOLT and DAF are two of my personnal favorites, both very entertaining and with great settings. Next, there are two Roger Moore flicks: "Moonraker" (007 goes onto a space station to stop a madman from destroying the world); and "For Your Eyes Only" (007 must recover a stolen piece of technology). "Moonraker" is a bit silly, but I'll admit I find it to be entertaining and I enjoy it more than most Moore films. And "FYEO" is my favorite Moore film, the most hard edged and realistic. There's also a Timothy Dalton film, "The Living Daylights" (007 must stop a group of Soviet renegades from smuggling heroin). It's Dalton's first film, and he's my second favorite, next to Connery. Dalton's Bond is more dark and serious, yet "TLD" is still a good thriller. Finally, there's Pierce Brosnan's third outing, "The World Is Not Enough" (007 tries to stop a nuclear sub exploding and destroying much of the world's oil supply). "TWINE" is one of Brosnan's best, certainly better than his first two. Overall this boxset contains some of the lightest Bond movies, and some of the darkest, offering a good variety of styles and a good variety of Bonds.

1 out of 5 stars Holy be-jesus..........2005-11-19

For all the positive reviews, am I the only one who noticed that the cheapest you can get one of this box set for amounts to over $25 a movie? Maybe its just because it the holiday season and due to the amount of shopping impressed upon me at this time of year, but it occurs to me that this is rather outrageous.

5 out of 5 stars JB Ultimate Edit... mi6.co.uk.......2005-09-21

For any James Bond fan. If this superb collection of James Bond DVDs weren't enough for you; there is good news coming your way. SONY and MGM are planning to re-release all twenty(20) of the James Bond Movies to DVD in (what they're calling) The James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD Collection. Straight official article from mi6.co.uk Here is the link:

http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/dvd_ultimate_editions.php3?=&s=

These new Ultimate Edition DVDS are due in Q32006 coinciding with the release of Casino Royale (21st James Bond Film). These DVD releases are gonna be one of the top DVD projects of 2006!

Picture Quality? They are using Imagica Machines; which are ultra-sophisticated digital film-scanners. One frame every four seconds, which is how long it takes Imagica to scan across the frame 4,000 times. The Imagica they are using creates digital replicas of the frame consisting 4,000 horizontal lines of data. The process is called 4K scanning. It's gonna look sharper than ever; believe it.

Sound Quality? The Company Mi Casa has chosen the brand new Bryston SP 1.7 multichannel preamplifirer/processors for to use in the James Bond remastering project. Although you'll be able to switch back to the original traditional mono sound track if you desire.

Extra special features? Brand New Documentaries and new special bonus material; plus cast and crew intervies from the past 42 years. Including rare and previously seen footage from the productions. Also newly added, Roger Moore has just recorded his commentary tracks for his seven bond films.

I just can't wait. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan (my favorite Bond) coming back to DVD in the best action spy adventures; the best collection yet.

So they're out next year in 2006. Probably October, with the release of Casino Royale who'll once again being directed by Martin Campbell (GoldenEye). Theatrical Release Date October 19th, 2006.
Moonraker
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • For Your Nostalgia Only...
  • A High Budget Parody?
  • What was I thinking?
  • Roger Moore's Best Outing and a Top-notch Bond Adventure
  • Slapstick, sci-fi, spy guy.
Moonraker
Starring: Irka Bochenko , Emily Bolton , Jean-Pierre Castaldi , Lois Chiles , and Corinne Clery
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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  1. The Man With The Golden Gun
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ASIN: B00004RG64
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Amazon.com

This was the first James Bond adventure produced after the success of Star Wars, so it jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon by combining the suave appeal of Agent 007 (once again played by Roger Moore) with enough high-tech hardware and special effects to make Luke Skywalker want to join Her Majesty's Secret Service. After the razzle-dazzle of The Spy Who Loved Me, this attempt to latch onto a trend proved to be a case of overkill, even though it brought back the steel-toothed villain Jaws (Richard Kiel) and scored a major hit at the box office. This time Bond is up against a criminal industrialist named Drax (Michel Lonsdale) who wants to control the world from his orbiting space station. In keeping with his well-groomed style, Bond thwarts this maniacal Neo-Hitler's scheme with the help of a beautiful, sleek-figured scientist (played by Lois Chiles with all the vitality of a department-store mannequin). There's a grand-scale climax involving space shuttles and ray guns, but despite the film's popular success, this is one Bond adventure that never quite gets off the launching pad. It's as if the caretakers of the James Bond franchise had forgotten that it's Bond--and not a barrage of gizmos and gadgets (including a land-worthy Venetian gondola)--that fuels the series' success. Despite Moore's passive performance (which Pauline Kael described as "like an office manager who is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension"), Moonraker had no problem attracting an appreciative audience, and there are even a few renegade Bond-philes who consider it one of their favorites. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars For Your Nostalgia Only..........2007-06-18

Moonraker was the very first Bond film I saw. I saw it in the theater when I was 8 years old and thought it was one of the coolest movies ever.



Today, watching through adult eyes, I see that it's campy, silly, and downright unrealistic.



HOWEVER, this film introduced me to a life-long love of the James Bond franchise. I've seen every Bond film at the theater since Moonraker and had the joy of watching the older ones on video (then later on DVD).



I have started my James Bond DVD collection with Casino Royale (the 2006 version) and I'm working my way backwards. I am now down to Moonraker which prompted me to write this review.



Yes, there are MUCH better Bond films out there, but I still bought this one because it reminded me of when the world of Bond was something fresh and new (to me, at least) and reminds me of what it was like to be a kid again.



This film can be fun, if you're willing to overlook the campiness.

The music (by the legendary John Barry) is absolutely beautiful and the title theme sung by Shirley Bassey (her third and final theme) is one of the franchise's best.





2 out of 5 stars A High Budget Parody?.......2007-06-18

I rank Moonraker 19th out of the 21 Bond movies. I'm not going waste a lot of time here. Dumb plot. Blank faced Bondbabe. Smarmy Moore. Dumbed down Jaws. This one is played for laughs as the script is basically one dreadful pun after another and practically every scene has a sight gag. The acting is pretty much mailed in by all parties. The scenery in Rio, the Amazon and Venice is beautiful and some of the stunts are pretty eye popping. Hence the two stars. Even a bad Bond has its moments. The space scenes simply have to be seen to be believed for the shody special effects and ugly mustard jump suits.

3 out of 5 stars What was I thinking?.......2007-06-14

I remember seeing this when it was in the theaters (yes, I'm old), and I really liked it then. Watching it now..... ick

4 out of 5 stars Roger Moore's Best Outing and a Top-notch Bond Adventure.......2007-04-30

Since I first saw this Bond waaaay back in '79 I have loved it. I've probably seen it dozens of times since then and I still enjoy it immensely.

The story is tight and exciting, the subplots and twists many, the characters, even the "Bond girls," intriguing and well fleshed out (no pun intended), the villian perhaps one of the most obviously intelligent and understatedly menacing of any other, the humor subtle and witty, and the over-all story together with its climactic conclusion are well written and quite satisfying.

All too often critics of this Bond film attempt to slough it off as derivative of Star Wars. It's not. There's nothing "Star Wars" about it except for the fact that the latter part of the film does happen to take place in Earth orbit. Of course, if this is all it takes to be parasitic of George Lucas' space adventure then so also would be any other film involving space locales. Unlike the focus of Star Wars, here there are no space aliens and no fantastical science-fiction flights of fancy, just great adventure taking place primarily here on the Earth, though finally venturing above the Earth just as other Bond adventures have ventured below its surface (e.g., Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only). It's a greatly believable (even for Bond) international adventure visiting numerous exotic locales worldwide while furthering an intriguing and suspenseful storyline chock full of exciting twists and turns you will want to watch over and over again.

Among the more memorable scenes, and far better than the most memorable of almost all other Bonds, were the opening sequence as Bond is thrown out of an airplane without a parachute and expertly "flies" - without special effects - to intercept the bad guy and wrestle from him his parachute (arguably the single most exciting opening of any of the Bond films, bar none), the initial meeting and opening exchange with Drax (such a refreshing departure from the charicatured, over-the-top, "mad scientist"-type villians antagonizing Bond in almost all other 007 outings; this time a true villian, finally), the drama of the centrifuge incident that almost killed Bond, the refreshing intelligence of Dr. Goodhead (despite the cheesy name), the hunting-"accident" killing of Drax's would-be assassin followed by the utter ruthlessness of Drax in "sic"-ing the dogs on his defenseless female employee (a very well-directed sequence that was horrifyingly beautiful to watch), the nerve gas factory scene and the "Andromeda Strain" atmosphere created when its full destructive power is accidently released, then Drax' cool appearance the following morning at the same location now magically transformed to truly magnificent King Louis XVIII splendor, his regal calm mirroring flawlessly the opulent palacial surroundings, the Rio de Janeiro sequences from the Drax warehouse, where Jaws reappears, to their re-match during the cable-car high-wire confrontation, then finally on to the exciting speedboat chase sequence, the space port, and then on to the space station, itself.

Once aboard the space station, Bond subtlely makes Jaws aware of the fact that he, too, will be killed by Drax and enters into an unspoken alliance with Bond to defeat Drax, who is finally and very satisfyingly dispatched at last through an airlock to Bond's pithy rejoiner "Take a giant leap for mankind." Shortly therafter we are treated to an uncharacteristically touching moment as Jaws reveals his tender side as he toasts his newfound love while the space station is blowing up around them, entreating her with the only words he was ever granted in any of the Bond films: "Here's to us."

And finally, I found very satisfyingly suspenseful the final sequence as Bond and Dr. Goodhead race in a space shuttle to hunt down the nerve-gas satellites, destroying them as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere while trying to keep from burning up themselves. From beginning to end I found the plot very well thought out and developed, highly engaging and exciting, and concluded in highly dramatic and wonderfully satisfying fashion.

Those who discount this superior Bond film simply for having dared to exit Earth's atmosphere at some point in the storyline reveal not any flaw inherent to the movie or its setting, but instead their own inability to appreciate a great Bond film simply for having dared to premiere so soon after Lucas' insipidly simplistic sci-fi movie.

Okay... let the rants begin! ;)

3 out of 5 stars Slapstick, sci-fi, spy guy........2007-04-17

"Moonraker" is the James Bond movie that reached the nadir of cartoon antics that had plagued the world of 007 throughout the bell-bottomed seventies. It's a low point for many die-hard fans; a point where the series veered without shame from Hitchcock-like thrills to Max Sennett-like madness. For me, it's the guiltiest of pleasures. Read on.

As been observed by many, producer Albert R. Broccoli reeling from the world-wide success of "The Spy Who Loved Me" (James Bond's campy but self-assured comeback) took only the title and villain (Hugo Drax), from one of Ian Fleming strongest books to build what could have lazily been titled "The Spy Who Loved Me II." Replace the previous movie's sea world motif with outer space and you have essentially the same movie- Bond aided by equally adept female spy goes after megalomaniac bent on world destruction. Bond blows up megalomaniac's operation. Bond sleeps with female spy (this was also the exact template used for "Tomorrow Never Dies," but that's another review). That said, through nearly half of "Moonraker," returning screenwriter Christopher Wood does set up an intriguing mystery angle with our intrepid hero following nonsensical clues from what seems like the entire western hemisphere (A document in California, vials of poison in Venice, etc. etc...) But when the action starts, the filmmakers can't seem to reign themselves in and go for the cheap laugh time and time again.

I agree for those who like their Bond films shaken, not stirred, that there is a lot here to cause a spewed martini. For one, there is Roger Moore. The very name is a scourge to those who prefer Sean Connery or Daniel Craig's bad boy Bonds. After displaying a slight hard edge in the last half of "The Spy Who Loved Me," Moore gallivants through "Moonraker" like, well, Roger Moore- a likable, but flippant, jet setting, celebrity. Moore's Bond just sails too effortlessly throughout this adventure. Even some of the gorgeous (of course) Bond girls like Corrine Clery and Emily Bolton seem to robotically sleep with Bond as if they were programmed to do so. And then there's Jaws...As fiendishly good as Richard Kiel's Frankenstein Monster-of-a-hit-man was in TSWLM, bringing him back for a second outing in "Moonraker" and making him the "Coyote" to Moore's "Road Runner" leads to some the most draw-dropping, "jumping-the-shark" moments in the series history.

Still there is a lot that surprisingly dazzles here. Whatever you may feel about the movie's school boy humor, Moonraker is a slick, gorgeously photographed (the great Jean Tournier), action-packed package that moves along more zip than the oddball "Man With The Golden Gun" or the insanely plotted, (and the most debated among Bond fans) "Die Another Day." Lois Chiles is appealing as the Lauren Bacall-esque "Holly Goodhead" (wink, wink) and Michael Lonsdale is, oddly enough, a deadly series Bond villain giving off such lines as "Mr. Bond, you return with the inevitability of an unloved season" with such oily ease. "Moonraker" also has one of composer John Barry's more evocative scores that stubbornly soldiers on as if the movie was a true epic, not a lark. However, the true star of this entry is legendary art director Ken Adams. A master whose low-slung, futuristic set pieces marked the series' visual style beginning with "Dr. No," Adams, in his last Bond film to date, gives us a near orgy of complex walk ways and shimmering steel.



Moonraker THX Edition
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Not too shabby for a Roger Moore Bond flick
  • MOONRAKER Remains a Bond for All Seasons
Moonraker THX Edition

ProductGroup: DVD
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  1. Moonraker
  2. You Only Live Twice
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  4. Diamonds are Forever
  5. The Living Daylights

ASIN: B000IMO26I

Product Description

Movie Description In the 11th installment of the 007 series, director Lewis Gilbert delivers a visually thrilling progression in filmmaking. Roger Moore returns as dashing secret service agent James Bond. This time around Bond must investigate the theft of a space shuttle with help from beautiful CIA agent Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) and sexy Euro supermodel Corrine (Corrine Clery). Agent 007 discovers that genocidal maniac-millionaire Hugo Drax (Michel Lonsdale) plans to poison all of humanity from outer space and repopulate earth with only the most perfectly bred humans. A variety of traps and villains awaits Bond, including the recurring character Jaws (Richard Kiel, also featured in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME). Filmed in such exotic locations as Southern California, Venice, and the Amazon, Gilbert delivers the formula Bond packet of girls, gadgets, and guns. However, he also goes further, sending Agent 007 into space. MOONRAKER takes great risks in blending the spy and science fiction genres. In spite of such an unruly coupling, the film rewards viewers with its finale of climactic plot twists and stellar special effects. Film Notes DVD Features: Region 1 Encoding Keep Case Theatrical release: June 1979. Format: DVD Jan 1998 Rated PG Recording Mode: (unknown) 128 min. Color UPC: 027616699626

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Not too shabby for a Roger Moore Bond flick.......2007-05-05

For me, Sean Connery will always be the one and only James Bond, 007. However, I must say I really like this Roger Moore Bond flick but its the only one of his I truly enjoy. The villain Drax, well played with icy quiet menace by Michael Lonsdale, is the only Bond bad guy that can compare to my favorite, Aurick Goldfinger. There are certain symphonic musical passages in the film that are absolutely gorgeous to listen to such as the music heard during Bond's discovery of the orchids growing place in the Amazon while several stunning women appear. Bond's CIA counterpart, Dr. Holly Goodhead, played by Lois Chiles is for me the sexiest woman in all the Bond films. Wow. The storyline and script are among the best of the Bond films and hold the whole thing together nicely.

There is a style and coolness in this one that you only get in the Connery Bond films.

If you are one of those hardcore Sean Connery Bond fans that won't even watch a Roger Moore Bond flick, I highly recommend you give this one a chance. Its a shame that none of the other Moore Bond movies can compare with this one. God knows they had enough attempts at it.

5 out of 5 stars MOONRAKER Remains a Bond for All Seasons .......2006-11-22

When I first saw this film I remember that it really broke my heart. I grew up in the 60s on James Bond and Sean Connery amongst others things. James Bond was high there on my list. The first 45 minutes of MOONRAKER was the closest that the Roger Moore Bonds had ever come to the look and feel of the James Bond films of the 60s. It was really incredible. Equally incredible was how the film did a flip-flop into slapstick when Bond is floating down that canal in Venice. As the film progressed the level of slapstick escalated. It was just plain out ridicules. The film was very annoying.

I thought Roger Moore had finally combined his best qualities as a personality and an actor to represent James Bond in this film. His scene in the centrifuge showed his ability to bring depth to the character in a very credible way. This one scene is a standout because it equals any performance given by any of the actors that have portrayed James Bond in this series. Christopher Wood, given sole screenplay credit this time, delivered a script full of witty dialogue. The free-fall pre-credit sequence with John Barry's background score, incredible stunt work and cinematography was excellent. With so many fine elements at their peak of perfection it was a shame that the film unraveled in so many different directions.

When I saw this film on opening day I remembered how the whole lobby was crammed with people. As I sat during the film I remember a little boy who was sitting in front of me turn around and look at his father. "Daddy I really like this movie." I never forgot that. It took me about 10 years to understand what this film was really all about. The Bond films have been around for almost 45 years now. I suppose with each decade another generation of Bond fans is born. Each generation takes with them the fond memories of their introduction to James Bond. Each generation savors the moment and no matter what I or anyone else says is going to erase those memories. The magic of MOONRAKER is that it contains the best to the worst, or the worst to the best, of all the elements found in the series. For me I somehow think there is something in MOONRAKER for everyone.

One thing about this THX edition that I like is that it is presented in both Widescreen and Full-Frame formats. Like many things, you just don't get to have it both ways anymore.
The Spy Who Loved Me THX Edition
Average customer rating: Not rated
    The Spy Who Loved Me THX Edition

    ProductGroup: DVD
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    1. Goldfinger
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    ASIN: B000IMPVUY

    Product Description

    Movie Description THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, the 10th film in the James Bond series, ventures not only into the depths of the ocean but into the deep topic of betrayal and morality as well, placing it among the boldest of the 007 films. James Bond (Roger Moore) is coupled with Russian agent Anya "Triple-X" Amasova (Barbara Bach) to recover stolen Soviet submarines from evil oceanographer Carl Stromberg (Curt Jurgens) and his gigantic lackey, Jaws (Richard Kiel). When Triple-X learns that Bond killed her husband on a mission in the Alps, she must overcome her selfish notions of revenge and work with 007 for the good of the world. In addition to the Bond staple of girls and gadgetry, the film features beautifully shot footage of the Austrian Alps, Venice, and the Egyptian pyramids. Furthermore, director Lewis Gilbert uses the film to push the cinematic envelope with stunning underwater action sequences, that leave the viewer gasping for air and a vodka martini--shaken, not stirred. Credits Cast: Roger Moore Director: Lewis Gilbert Producer: Albert R. Broccoli Synopsis This rousing thriller features Agent 007 teaming up with a seductive Russian agent in an attempt to stop a madman's plot for world destruction. Standing in Bond's way is a giant named Jaws. Film Notes DVD Features: Region 1 Encoding Keep Case Theatrical release: August 1977. Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, under total secrecy, helped light the supertanker scene, since cinematographer Claude Renoir's vision was failing. The supertanker set was built on the largest soundstage in the world, which cost $1 million to construct. Villain Jaws (Richard Kiel) was originally intended to die at the end of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, but producer Albert R. Broccoli, sensing the character's appeal, changed the ending. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is the only Bond film in which M's real name is revealed--it's "Miles."
    Moonraker [Region 2]
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • For Your Nostalgia Only...
    • A High Budget Parody?
    • What was I thinking?
    • Roger Moore's Best Outing and a Top-notch Bond Adventure
    • Slapstick, sci-fi, spy guy.
    Moonraker [Region 2]

    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

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    2. The Spy Who Loved Me
    3. For Your Eyes Only
    4. Live and Let Die
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    ASIN: B00004SH4V

    Amazon.com

    This was the first James Bond adventure produced after the success of Star Wars, so it jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon by combining the suave appeal of Agent 007 (once again played by Roger Moore) with enough high-tech hardware and special effects to make Luke Skywalker want to join Her Majesty's Secret Service. After the razzle-dazzle of The Spy Who Loved Me, this attempt to latch onto a trend proved to be a case of overkill, even though it brought back the steel-toothed villain Jaws (Richard Kiel) and scored a major hit at the box office. This time Bond is up against a criminal industrialist named Drax (Michel Lonsdale) who wants to control the world from his orbiting space station. In keeping with his well-groomed style, Bond thwarts this maniacal Neo-Hitler's scheme with the help of a beautiful, sleek-figured scientist (played by Lois Chiles with all the vitality of a department-store mannequin). There's a grand-scale climax involving space shuttles and ray guns, but despite the film's popular success, this is one Bond adventure that never quite gets off the launching pad. It's as if the caretakers of the James Bond franchise had forgotten that it's Bond--and not a barrage of gizmos and gadgets (including a land-worthy Venetian gondola)--that fuels the series' success. Despite Moore's passive performance (which Pauline Kael described as "like an office manager who is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension"), Moonraker had no problem attracting an appreciative audience, and there are even a few renegade Bond-philes who consider it one of their favorites. --Jeff Shannon

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars For Your Nostalgia Only..........2007-06-18

    Moonraker was the very first Bond film I saw. I saw it in the theater when I was 8 years old and thought it was one of the coolest movies ever.



    Today, watching through adult eyes, I see that it's campy, silly, and downright unrealistic.



    HOWEVER, this film introduced me to a life-long love of the James Bond franchise. I've seen every Bond film at the theater since Moonraker and had the joy of watching the older ones on video (then later on DVD).



    I have started my James Bond DVD collection with Casino Royale (the 2006 version) and I'm working my way backwards. I am now down to Moonraker which prompted me to write this review.



    Yes, there are MUCH better Bond films out there, but I still bought this one because it reminded me of when the world of Bond was something fresh and new (to me, at least) and reminds me of what it was like to be a kid again.



    This film can be fun, if you're willing to overlook the campiness.

    The music (by the legendary John Barry) is absolutely beautiful and the title theme sung by Shirley Bassey (her third and final theme) is one of the franchise's best.





    2 out of 5 stars A High Budget Parody?.......2007-06-18

    I rank Moonraker 19th out of the 21 Bond movies. I'm not going waste a lot of time here. Dumb plot. Blank faced Bondbabe. Smarmy Moore. Dumbed down Jaws. This one is played for laughs as the script is basically one dreadful pun after another and practically every scene has a sight gag. The acting is pretty much mailed in by all parties. The scenery in Rio, the Amazon and Venice is beautiful and some of the stunts are pretty eye popping. Hence the two stars. Even a bad Bond has its moments. The space scenes simply have to be seen to be believed for the shody special effects and ugly mustard jump suits.

    3 out of 5 stars What was I thinking?.......2007-06-14

    I remember seeing this when it was in the theaters (yes, I'm old), and I really liked it then. Watching it now..... ick

    4 out of 5 stars Roger Moore's Best Outing and a Top-notch Bond Adventure.......2007-04-30

    Since I first saw this Bond waaaay back in '79 I have loved it. I've probably seen it dozens of times since then and I still enjoy it immensely.

    The story is tight and exciting, the subplots and twists many, the characters, even the "Bond girls," intriguing and well fleshed out (no pun intended), the villian perhaps one of the most obviously intelligent and understatedly menacing of any other, the humor subtle and witty, and the over-all story together with its climactic conclusion are well written and quite satisfying.

    All too often critics of this Bond film attempt to slough it off as derivative of Star Wars. It's not. There's nothing "Star Wars" about it except for the fact that the latter part of the film does happen to take place in Earth orbit. Of course, if this is all it takes to be parasitic of George Lucas' space adventure then so also would be any other film involving space locales. Unlike the focus of Star Wars, here there are no space aliens and no fantastical science-fiction flights of fancy, just great adventure taking place primarily here on the Earth, though finally venturing above the Earth just as other Bond adventures have ventured below its surface (e.g., Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only). It's a greatly believable (even for Bond) international adventure visiting numerous exotic locales worldwide while furthering an intriguing and suspenseful storyline chock full of exciting twists and turns you will want to watch over and over again.

    Among the more memorable scenes, and far better than the most memorable of almost all other Bonds, were the opening sequence as Bond is thrown out of an airplane without a parachute and expertly "flies" - without special effects - to intercept the bad guy and wrestle from him his parachute (arguably the single most exciting opening of any of the Bond films, bar none), the initial meeting and opening exchange with Drax (such a refreshing departure from the charicatured, over-the-top, "mad scientist"-type villians antagonizing Bond in almost all other 007 outings; this time a true villian, finally), the drama of the centrifuge incident that almost killed Bond, the refreshing intelligence of Dr. Goodhead (despite the cheesy name), the hunting-"accident" killing of Drax's would-be assassin followed by the utter ruthlessness of Drax in "sic"-ing the dogs on his defenseless female employee (a very well-directed sequence that was horrifyingly beautiful to watch), the nerve gas factory scene and the "Andromeda Strain" atmosphere created when its full destructive power is accidently released, then Drax' cool appearance the following morning at the same location now magically transformed to truly magnificent King Louis XVIII splendor, his regal calm mirroring flawlessly the opulent palacial surroundings, the Rio de Janeiro sequences from the Drax warehouse, where Jaws reappears, to their re-match during the cable-car high-wire confrontation, then finally on to the exciting speedboat chase sequence, the space port, and then on to the space station, itself.

    Once aboard the space station, Bond subtlely makes Jaws aware of the fact that he, too, will be killed by Drax and enters into an unspoken alliance with Bond to defeat Drax, who is finally and very satisfyingly dispatched at last through an airlock to Bond's pithy rejoiner "Take a giant leap for mankind." Shortly therafter we are treated to an uncharacteristically touching moment as Jaws reveals his tender side as he toasts his newfound love while the space station is blowing up around them, entreating her with the only words he was ever granted in any of the Bond films: "Here's to us."

    And finally, I found very satisfyingly suspenseful the final sequence as Bond and Dr. Goodhead race in a space shuttle to hunt down the nerve-gas satellites, destroying them as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere while trying to keep from burning up themselves. From beginning to end I found the plot very well thought out and developed, highly engaging and exciting, and concluded in highly dramatic and wonderfully satisfying fashion.

    Those who discount this superior Bond film simply for having dared to exit Earth's atmosphere at some point in the storyline reveal not any flaw inherent to the movie or its setting, but instead their own inability to appreciate a great Bond film simply for having dared to premiere so soon after Lucas' insipidly simplistic sci-fi movie.

    Okay... let the rants begin! ;)

    3 out of 5 stars Slapstick, sci-fi, spy guy........2007-04-17

    "Moonraker" is the James Bond movie that reached the nadir of cartoon antics that had plagued the world of 007 throughout the bell-bottomed seventies. It's a low point for many die-hard fans; a point where the series veered without shame from Hitchcock-like thrills to Max Sennett-like madness. For me, it's the guiltiest of pleasures. Read on.

    As been observed by many, producer Albert R. Broccoli reeling from the world-wide success of "The Spy Who Loved Me" (James Bond's campy but self-assured comeback) took only the title and villain (Hugo Drax), from one of Ian Fleming strongest books to build what could have lazily been titled "The Spy Who Loved Me II." Replace the previous movie's sea world motif with outer space and you have essentially the same movie- Bond aided by equally adept female spy goes after megalomaniac bent on world destruction. Bond blows up megalomaniac's operation. Bond sleeps with female spy (this was also the exact template used for "Tomorrow Never Dies," but that's another review). That said, through nearly half of "Moonraker," returning screenwriter Christopher Wood does set up an intriguing mystery angle with our intrepid hero following nonsensical clues from what seems like the entire western hemisphere (A document in California, vials of poison in Venice, etc. etc...) But when the action starts, the filmmakers can't seem to reign themselves in and go for the cheap laugh time and time again.

    I agree for those who like their Bond films shaken, not stirred, that there is a lot here to cause a spewed martini. For one, there is Roger Moore. The very name is a scourge to those who prefer Sean Connery or