Moonraker (1979)
60%RT Audience Score: 43%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
1 win & 6 nominations total
Featuring one of the series’ more ludicrous plots but outfitted with primo gadgets and spectacular sets, Moonraker is both silly and entertaining
Moonraker is like a space-themed carnival ride that you can’t help but enjoy. Sure, it’s a bit silly and over-the-top, but that’s what makes it so fun. The gadgets are cool, the stunts are impressive, and the sets are out of this world (literally). Plus, who doesn’t love a good Jaws appearance? It may not be the best Bond movie out there, but it’s definitely worth a watch for some lighthearted entertainment.
Production Company(ies)
Les Films, du Cru Film4 Orange Studio
Distributor
United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., CBS/Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Château de Guermantes, Seine-et- Marne, France
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1979
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 6m
-
Language(s):English, Italian, Portuguese
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 29, 1979 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2006
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel, Corinne Clery, Bernard Lee, directed by Lewis Gilbert, written by Ian Fleming, Christopher Wood, action, PG, James Bond, gadgets, space, CIA, industrialist, global genocide, hijacking, American space shuttle, life-or-death struggle, power-mad, spectacular sets, reviewed by Gary Arnold, Variety Staff, Frank Rich, Ian Nathan, Dave Kehr, Chris Auty, Tom Huhn, Matt Brunson, Alistair Lawrence, Jake Tropila, Mike Massie, Kelechi Ehenulo, PG-rated, spy adventure, sound mix, magnetic stereo 6 track, Dolby Stereo, surround, aspect ratio, scope (2.35:1), United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., CBS/Fox, produced by Albert R Broccoli
Worldwide gross: $210,308,099
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $914,569,597
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 113
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 99,734,961
US/Canada gross: $70,308,099
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $305,749,755
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 184
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,108,344
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $30,912,149
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 441
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $34,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $147,856,247
Production budget ranking: 224
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $79,620,589
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $687,092,760
ROI to date (est.): 302%
ROI ranking: 459
Lois Chiles – Dr. Holly Goodhead
Michaël Lonsdale – Hugo Drax
Richard Kiel – Jaws
Corinne Clery – Corinne Dufour
Bernard Lee – M
Director(s)
Lewis Gilbert
Writer(s)
Ian Fleming, Christopher Wood
Producer(s)
Albert R. Broccoli
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
1 win & 6 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (32) | Rotten (22)
Moonraker, the newest James Bond spectacle, is a cheerful, splashy entertainment. The curators of the Bond museum do not surpass themselves with this exhibition, the 11th in the series, but they haven’t fallen down on the job either.
October 6, 2015
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Christopher Wood’s script takes the characters exactly where they always go in a James Bond pic and the only question is whether the stunts and gadgets will live up to expectations. They do.
October 13, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Broccoli just keeps piling on the goodies: lush Ken Adam sets, gadgetry and gams galore, super stunts and effects.
October 13, 2008
Frank Rich
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Bond meets Star Wars in one of the series’ sillier outings.
October 13, 2008 | Rating: 2/5
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Lewis Gilbert directed, but the real auteur of the series is production designer Ken Adam, whose spectacular chrome and plastic sets define Bond’s world and technological ethic.
October 13, 2008
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The space-age plot is spread dangerously thin, the fights all tend to slapstick, and the wanton destruction has become rather too predictable. But it’s held together by likeable performances.
June 24, 2006
Chris Auty
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Moonraker has the same trappings as the earlier movies, but little of the spirit.
May 20, 2022
Tom Huhn
Washington Blade
Yes, the final half-hour is utterly ridiculous, but the earthbound portion has much to recommend it.
September 25, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Vintage Bond has violence, innuendo, sexism, and peril.
December 4, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Alistair Lawrence
Common Sense Media
Frequently entertaining and grandiloquent in equal measure, Moonraker’s overblown excess is a total joy.
October 3, 2020
Jake Tropila
Film Inquiry
For the majority of the time, Bond and Goodhead seem quite pleased with their skills – and face very little serious adversity, even when regularly cornered by Jaws.
August 30, 2020 | Rating: 4/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Bond in space – that is all.
July 16, 2020 | Rating: 2/5
Kelechi Ehenulo
Confessions From A Geek Mind…
Plot
James Bond is back for another mission and this time, he is blasting off into space. A spaceship travelling through space is mysteriously hijacked and Bond must work quickly to find out who was behind it all. He starts with the rockets creators, Drax Industries and the man behind the organization, Hugo Drax. On his journey he ends up meeting Dr. Holly Goodhead and encounters the metal-toothed Jaws once again.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Moonraker on Fresh Kernels.
Lewis-Gilbert.jpg
