MOONRAKER (1979) // James Bond Review and Whiskey Pairing
"Moonraker" Plot
Sir Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) wants to colonize space and destroy mankind on Earth with a plant.
Whiskey Lore Review
If you've seen Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me, you'll no doubt see the space theme of Moonraker echoed in that spoof. But in a way, this movie almost turns into a bad spoof of Star Wars. This is when the Bond franchise completely left reality.
That said, the first three quarters of this movie is actually pretty decent. The locations in France, Venice, and Rio are stunning; the humor hits some high notes, like when Bond is hanging from the gondola and Holly Goodhead says "Hang on James!" and he retorts, "the thought had occurred to me!" I especially like when Sir Hugo Drax has him peasant hunting and when Bond fires, Drax says with satisfaction "you missed" and Bond responds "did I?" - as the sniper falls from the tree.
But the scene in Venice with the boat on wheels and the entire space theme at the end go terribly wrong.
If you read one Ian Fleming novel, read Moonraker. I think it is hands down the best book Fleming wrote. As for the movie? Well, lets just say, its Roger Moore. Still, having grown up in the late 70s, there is something charming about this movie - at least until the Chuck Taylor Space Fleet (as my friend @whiskybling pointed out...look at their feet!) shows up.
Best of the movie: John Barry returns bringing another of his lush scores and ditches the disco during its prime. I'm not sure about a love song about a space shuttle, but if anyone can pull it off, it's Dame Shirley Bassey.
Memorable moment: When Holly Goodnight leads Bond into the centrifuge trainer and he has to use Q's wrist darts to have himself from dying in the spin cycle.
Where it goes wrong: Space along with the idea the US could shoot a space shuttle into space on a moment's notice. Also, the laser battle brings to mind Thunderball's hard to follow under water scenes. Also, I think Seiko's are great value watches, but the one in this film is a little sad.
Paired Whisky: Old GrandDad 114 Proof Straight Kentucky Bourbon
Bond drinks a decent amount of Old GrandDad in the books. It seemed the perfect pairing, since the high proof helped me through the end of this film.
Whiskey Lore Rank: #19 (Score 5.59) > Next Movie
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