Film

Moonraker

Name: Moonraker
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller, Science Fiction
Released: 1979
Cast: Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel, Corinne Cléry

Roger Moore's Bond goes to space in this gleefully unhinged adventure that abandons espionage for spectacular spectacle. Drax wants to purify humanity from orbit; Bond must stop him across Venice, Rio, and a literal space station. It's silly, gorgeous, and committed to its own absurdity—a film that knows exactly what it is and doesn't apologize.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a gloriously silly Bond outing where gadgets, lavish set pieces and cheerful innuendo matter more than tight plotting, and a little space-age daftness delights you.

Skip it if you want grounded espionage or a sharper, more serious Bond; the jokes often land flat and the story wanders across continents without much urgency.

What it asks of you: Two hours of patience for a broad, sunny romp that swings from sleek interiors to outer space, so settle in and let the spectacle carry it.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Spy Who Loved Me1977

Moore's first Bond, equally playful and bonkers, with a ski chase that redefined action cinema and a villain so camp he becomes genuinely menacing. The template for what made Moonraker possible.

But The pacing meanders; it takes forever to get to the actual plot, and some of the early comedy dates harder than the later stuff.

Octopussy1983

Moore at his peak, balancing genuine danger with humor. A circus cover, an exiled Afghan prince, and a climax involving a nuclear bomb disguised as a fabergé egg. Bonkers but tighter than Moonraker.

But The title is juvenile, and the film doesn't quite earn the darker tone it occasionally reaches for.

Live and Let Die1973

Moore's predecessor Connery made Bond mythic; Moore made him fun. This one's got voodoo, a tarot-reading villainess, and a crocodile farm. Pure 70s adventure at full throttle.

But It hasn't aged as gracefully as the Moore films that came after. Some elements feel dated in ways that aren't charming.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Moonraker

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Superman1978

Both are supreme expressions of 1970s/80s faith in cinema technology to make the impossible look inevitable. Superman invented the template for flying on screen; Moonraker took that lesson and applied it to space stations and gravity-defying action.

Richard Donner's film shares Moonraker's absolute conviction that you can make an impossible spectacle real through scale and money. Both films are about belief: if the filmmakers believe hard enough, you will too.

But It's nearly two and a half hours of Christopher Reeve being noble and sincere, which requires patience if you're expecting action beats every five minutes.

Goldfinger1964

The definitive Bond template: a scheme so audacious it requires the hero to infiltrate the villain's headquarters, an Aston Martin loaded with gadgets, a henchman who's more interesting than he should be. Everything clicks.

But It's slower than modern action films, and Connery's misogyny plays differently now than it did then.

For Your Eyes Only1981

Moore pivots toward genuine tension without losing charm. A missing submarine, Greek locations, and a plot that actually makes sense. Less camp than Moonraker, more grounded.

But Grounded can mean less fun. Some fans find it the dullest Moore entry because it tries too hard to be serious.

You Only Live Twice1967

Connery in Japan, inside a volcano lair the size of an aircraft hangar, fighting SPECTRE at their most ambitious. Big, bombastic, invented half the Bond clichés you love.

But The pacing is glacial by modern standards, and the dialogue occasionally clunks.

The Man with the Golden Gun1974

Moore's second outing, with Christopher Lee as a two-gun assassin and a spinning-car stunt that still holds up. Lean, fun, confident in its own silliness.

But It's the shortest Moore Bond and feels occasionally rushed, wrapping up plot threads without much ceremony.

Casino Royale2006

Daniel Craig's first Bond is genuinely thrilling—brutal, smart, and willing to let the character be vulnerable. A masterclass in how to reboot something without nostalgia.

But It's deadly serious and over two hours long. If you wanted another Roger Moore, this will feel like ice water.

Diamonds Are Forever1971

Connery's last official outing: Vegas, diamonds, a villain who wants to hold the world ransom with a space laser. Camp disguised as suavity, and it mostly works.

But Connery looks tired, the plot is thin, and it can't quite decide if it's funny or serious.

The Thief of Bagdad1940

Both prioritize visual wonder and impossible set pieces over plot logic. Moonraker is what happens when you give a spy film the fantasy-adventure budget and sensibility of magical realism.

A fantasy adventure about a rogue who uses gadgets and guile to outthink authority, shot in Technicolor so vivid it looks like watching a dream. The DNA of Bond is here: spectacle as substance.

But It moves at a different pace entirely—no shootouts, no car chases. If you need modern action rhythm, this will feel glacial.

Barbarella1968

Both understand that space adventure doesn't need gravity (literal or tonal). They're both unashamed of spectacle for spectacle's sake, and both made at moments when sci-fi budgets allowed filmmakers to be completely unhinged.

Jane Fonda in a campy space adventure that's utterly committed to its own ridiculousness. Fur-lined ships, a planet made of darkness, a one-string instrument that causes orgasms. It's lurid, silly, and genuinely inventive.

But It's camper than Moonraker, slower, and requires you to actually care about its weird sexual politics. The humor might read as creepy rather than fun.