The Kubrickian James Bond movie (film analysis) - MOONRAKER & 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

Misinterpreted as a Star Wars rip off, MOONRAKER drew its inspiration from the works of Stanley Kubrick, particularly 2001: A Space Odyssey and Dr Strangelove. This film analysis explores the shared themes between Moonraker and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Written, edited and narrated by Rob Ager.
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[@collativelearning]

For those who assume that because the ending of the Spy Who Loved Me said the next Bond movie would be For Your Eyes Only ... that this "proves" that they were following a Star Wars path ... here's some production info I didn't include in the video. The Bond film makers met and worked with Kubrick on Spy Who Loved Me. Kubrick spent a day lighting their submarine set and his daughter was a prop designer on SWLM. She even designed Jaws' steel teeth. The Bond team then used Kubrick's strategy of getting space race funding for their film, unlike Star Wars. So it can be theorized with equal plausibility that Kubrick's involvement with SWLM pushed the Bond team in the direction they went with Moonraker. The end result is a movie full of Dr Strangelove and 2001 related themes and details, but not Star Wars related. Kubrick kept his involvement with SWLM quiet, even requesting that most of the Bond crew be removed from the set while he worked to keep a lid on it. This info surfaced in one of the 1999 biographies on Kubrick (it was either Baxter or Lobrutto). Kubrick clearly was the much greater influence on Moonraker.

[@sethflix]

Sorry, but this explanation doesn't mean we're wrong about this. You are defending a moot point.

[@collativelearning]

@@sethflix Yes it does. And by "we" you mean yourself, you're one person. The dismissal of Moonraker as a "Star Wars rip off" (which you ranted about in another comment here) ignores the production history connections between the Bond film makers and Kubrick. It also ignores the content of the movie, which is nothing like Star Wars. It has a space scene and was released two years after Star Wars. By that same logic Alien should be called a Star Wars rip off. I get that you hate the movie and that's ok. You have all the rest of the Bond franchise to watch.

[@jluna9582]

The painting appears in this video by Anton Halldin kzbin.info/www/bejne/foaapqVtYsh5gZY The notes to that video include a link to a large pdf analyzing 2001 and it mentions you, Rob, in the very beginning. The notes also include another video that's specific about the paintings. I tried to comment this before but my comment was deleted, perhaps because I included a link to the pdf. I found this thanks to commenter Luk Mat.

[@johnweber4577]

I think it’s kinda both. Moonraker like Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Black Hole seems to be the case that the studio clearly got it going on the basis Star Wars had just been massively successful but the creative people involved themselves seem to have decided to look just as much if not more towards 2001 for their inspiration.

[@advancearts3777]

​@@collativelearning Although it was not a Star Wars rip off, there's no getting away from the fact that Moonraker benefited from the increased interest from film goers and film studios in sci-fi and space films at the time. Dan O’Bannon famously said that once Star Wars came out studios were looking around for any film scripts that had space and sci-fi as subject matter. It’s likely that rather than being a rip off, the objective of Moonraker was to cash in on the Star Wars phenomenon.

[@steveskipper6473]

"take a giant step for mankind" as he pushes out a suffocating Drax from an airlock is the funniest Bond "death" quote of the franchise in my opinion.

[@Viking_Luchador]

three from Goldfinger: 1) [assassin in the cold open killed via electric lamp in the bathtub] "Shocking. Positively shocking." 2) [after electrocuting Oddjob] Felix: Where's your butler friend? Bond: Oh, he blew a fuse. 3) [after Goldfinger is sucked out a plane window] Pussy: Where's Goldfinger?! Bond: Playing his golden harp.

[@hyacinthlynch843]

I think one of funniest Bond quotes, although not a death quote, was from "The Man with a Golden Gun." Bond is in a gunsmith's shop, and he threatens the man by pointing a rifle at his crotch and then says, "Speak now...or forever hold your piece."

[@Viking_Luchador]

[right before killing Drax] Drax: Desolated, Mr. Bond? (Bond shoots a poison dart from his wrist to Drax's body) Bond: Heartbroken, Mr. Drax. [and right after] Goodhead: Where's Drax? Bond: Oh, he had to fly.

[@tomlock5484]

But it's wrong. The actual Neil Armstrong quote is of a small step for a man and a giant leap for mankind. Not a giant step.

[@donweatherwax9318]

​​​​​​​​​​@@Viking_Luchador Moore _nailed_ the delivery of "Oh, he had to fly!" I've watched _Moonraker_ twice with an audience (the first time in 1979) and both times, that dumb throwaway line got the biggest laugh in the picture.

[@jewelcitizen2567]

I met Roger Moore back in 1998, he was a consummate gent. It was particularly hot that evening and he even had his dressing room door propped open by a Champagne bucket. Absolute Chad *RIP*

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

I really like him now. I went through a Daniel Craig fanboy phase, but now I appreciate the true British gentleman version. Moonraker is a cool movie.

[@jewelcitizen2567]

@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 He used to go on holidays to Vineyards in the South of France, driving a Winnebago with Michael Caine, the absolute madman 👌🏻

[@mr.coolmug3181]

Tell Ken I liked his map.

[@jewelcitizen2567]

@@thotslayer9914 *_Diamonds Are Forever_*

[@atilax6452]

Get out of here!! Thats awesome. Im guessing a lot of u, like me, grew up with Bond. My favorite memories: It's the end of a weekend. Sunday night. School is tomorrow. Kind of depressing. Surprise!! Bango!! There is a James Bond movie at 9:00 pm and Im allowed to stay up a little late and watch it with my dad. That was always cool. Helped get me ready for the week. We need our heroes.

[@jamiewilliams8452]

My favorite scene in this movie is when bond enters the atmosphere in a space ships whilst having sex in the spaceship, as the queen of England (and everybody in MI6) watches on live TV. And then Q says “I think he’s attempting re-entry”

[@davidlean1060]

It is made funnier by the fact a comedian is doing a p*ss taking impression of the Queen. I think they do a similar lampoon of Maggy Thatcher in one Bond film also.

[@madhatter9027]

Hahaha, that's totally bought the entire scene back into my mind, even Roger Moore's classic eyebrow lift and look at the camera as if to say "you dirty blighters are actually watching? Not today old boy, wait for Betamax box set"

[@sneakyking]

"This ape level interpretation " I am stealing this

[@benrush7090]

Rob is incorrect

[@sneakyking]

@@benrush7090 that's a "ape level interpretation"

[@celebalert5616]

And we must use the screen-monolith to transcend from ape level...

[@subdefine]

@@benrush7090 Good argument, thanks for sharing.

[@benrush7090]

@@subdefine I have debated Rob directly on another comment.

[@JayStein777]

I just want to say that "Cashing In" and "Ripping-off" are two entirely different things. Moonraker is definitely NOT a Star Wars rip-off. Aside from Laser Bolts, there are no similarities. The business people at EON wisely decided to cash in on the "Space Craze". They ALWAYS do it. EON has always pandered to the audience literally changing Bonds format due to fan response and marketing info. Robs analysis is once again spot on.

[@collativelearning]

I suppose we could say all movies are cash in if they get decent box office. Regardless of which term is used, the problem is when such labels stop people from looking beyond the end of their nose and seeing the great qualities a film has to offer.

[@Viking_Luchador]

The newer adaptation of Stephen King's IT was changed to make it more like Stranger Things

[@horrorfanandy4647]

⁠@@Viking_LuchadorA little too much I thought. I know it’s flawed in its own right, but I much prefer the original miniseries, much creepier and more low-key, in spite of (and also because of) the TV budget and censorship limitations. If I want the book experience, I read the book. The new films did not do It (pun intended) for me at all.

[@kiers1970]

My first bond film at the cinema. And still one of my favourites.

[@trekkiedave7910]

@Shoenheim No you are! It’s the first Bind film I also saw in the theatre as a 10 year old and it’s still my favourite It’s thebest Moore Bond film and the quintessential Bond experiu my opinion

[@archibaldsalyards926]

Same. And later in life I would put my months old son to sleep litening to Shirley Baseys beautiful voice!

[@SydNixon]

Me as well!

[@damonappel]

Same here! I remember when my uncle took me to see this. I liked it a lot then, and have enjoyed it through the years, and appreciate it even more in these last few years. Moonraker and Spy Who Love Me are the best Moore Bond films, and IMHO are both far better than all of the Craig films except for Quantum of Solace.

[@georgekaplan4884]

Just love it when Drax delivers the line: "Look after Mr Bond. See that some harm comes to him.​"

[@robertbusek30]

I love this one: “Mr. Bond, you defy all my attempts to plan an amusing death for you.”

[@horrorfanandy4647]

@@robertbusek30 “You're hardly a sportsman, so why did you break off the encounter with my pet python?” “I discovered she had a crush on me.” When it came to funny one liners, nobody did it better than Roger!

[@user-ik4kh9lt6d]

Ken Adams wasn't available to do the sets for 2001: A Space Odyssey because he was busy making the sets for You Only Live Twice (1967), another Bond film.

[@davidjames579]

Also with space sequences and space vehicle launch sites.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Ken *Adam

[@kirk09100]

Wow. I am really impressed about the painting. You really have an eagle eye!!

[@johnlenz420]

we need to find what tht painting is and what itmeans

[@WyrdNet]

It might be a prop in the Pinewood studios

[@kirk09100]

@@WyrdNet I agree. Recycling of props.

[@jonathancarlson6127]

I want to say the floating pen was used again in DePalma’s “Mission to Mars”. An underrated film, IMO.

[@mk-ultramags1107]

I agree. While I'm not a huge fan of the ending, the journey itself is very well made. For all the negative reviews it got in the US, I know that in France it was listed as a Top 10 film of the year.

[@paulklee5790]

Totaly agree... I would also point out that Mission to Mars has an outstandingly haunting sound design and music.

[@robertfaulkner1824]

It doesn’t happen in Apollo 13 too?

[@leslauner5062]

@@robertfaulkner1824 Yes, but in Apollo 13, they actually used zero G to achieve the shots, not special effects.

[@glenkamo]

It is done in 2010 when Roy Scheider is describing the escape using the 2 ships.

[@tph2010]

I've never seen anyone argue that Moonraker is a "ripoff" of Star Wars, but production of the movie was moved up in response to the enthusiasm for spaced-themed movies following Star Wars.

[@therealmacgyver5470]

the jo blo guys say that in their james bond revisited videos :-/ i like them but nobody is perfect. mr. ager maybe is ^^

[@CowboyRobot2000]

At the end of The Spy Who Loved Me, the end tag line says "James Bond Will Retun in For Your Eyes Only." Well, the next film was 'Moonraker.' They used FYEO to bring Bond 'back to Earth,' as it were. in a more grounded (pun inteded) and grown-up Bond story.

[@martoto77]

They certainly weren’t “cashing in” on 2001 when they decided to make Moonraker in the wake of Star Wars success.

[@trekkiedave7910]

@@martoto77 Exactly!

[@trekkiedave7910]

Hmmm 🤔 Literally EVERYONE says that - EVERYONE?.?. I think somehow you’re fundamentally misunderstanding what Rob’s saying here somehow? But he’s right that’s what has always been said about this film - ALWAYS! ???

[@Green_Phos]

"Professional" movie critics: Getting it wrong for over 40 years

[@plasticweapon]

much longer than that.

[@oldmanbob417]

Thanks for all the free content lately. Thanks for this one in particular. I watched Moonraker at my grandparents house countless times as a child, until the vcr “ate” the tape. It’s been over 25 years since I’ve seen it and I couldn’t have named it until the clips in your video reminded me. I just ordered the Blu-ray on eBay. I’m so excited to see it again. I’ve lived in the former home of said vcr for about a year and can watch it in the same room, on a much larger and nicer tv to boot. Made my week dude. Holy smokes, thank you!

[@shophet125]

15:12 I would have gone with "Sucks to be you." (shoots target out of airlock)

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

That wasn't in the lexicon yet, but good one.

[@MrHEC381991]

*pushes up glasses* Errrm actuallyyyy you get BLOWN out into space, not SUCKED out so technicallyyyy your pun makes no sense. Get your facts straight! (in case you didn't know, I'm being sarcastic.)

[@therealmacgyver5470]

@@MrHEC381991 hello mr data ^^

[@GOTTshua]

Takes me back to autumn 1988.

[@davidlean1060]

In fact, rename the film and call it The Spy Who Shoved Me (out of the airlock)!

[@valerielhw]

I must say, I have NEVER thought of these two movies as being similar until I saw this.

[@chuckwilliams3003]

Nobody said that Moonraker was copying Star Wars cinematically.

[@martoto77]

Yeah I was confused by this video until I realised that “cashing in” was being mistakenly equated to copying that film.

[@bigbaddms]

Vandenberg was never used to launch the Shuttle. They did build a launch complex to do so, but it was never used, due to the Challenger disaster.

[@collativelearning]

Thanks for the correction. Of course ... when making the film Vandenberg was the plan :)

[@bigbaddms]

@@collativelearning My pleasure. I fortunately got to see the Shuttle land at Edwards and also launch at the Cape. Also the 'retirement' flyover and the final move of the Endeavor through the streets of L.A. Love your work!

[@frazzle515]

Well done Rob, my favourite Bond film and my love of Jaws and Richard Kiel will live forever. I've watched this hundreds of time, I will watch it hundreds of times more!

[@collativelearning]

It's my fave of the series too. Planning another vid to that effect as well.

[@jewelcitizen2567]

@frazzle515 Kiel was a very bright and amusing fellow. He once asked a member of the public who was staring at him in disbelief, *_”What’s the matter? You never seen a man with a gap in his teeth before?”_* lmao

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

@@collativelearning Dax is a great villain too. Keeps a straight face each time Bond reappears, and then comes up with a new double entendre for their new escapable death trap. Pure awesomeness.

[@mroctober3657]

Richard Kiel was originally cast as the Hulk, you can find a pic online from his first week of filming.

[@davidlean1060]

I love the moment he clinks champagne glasses with the pig tailed blonde girl and says in the softest voice imaginable, 'here's to us'. No one was expecting Jaws to sound that gentle and , let's admit it, kind!

[@fransaacs]

Harry Lange. Production designer and art director. He is your connection between all three films, he worked in advertising, for the US military and then at NASA prior to designing for 2001: A Space Odyssey and Moonraker, and while uncredited for A New Hope he went on to be Oscar nominated for his art direction on The Empire Strikes Back. That paneling in black, grey or primer red, the grids of arbitrary flashing lights, the asymmetric printed circuit lines over every surface - once you know what to look for, that aesthetic, the same visual fingers run through every set and prop he worked on in each of those movies. A design hero.

[@AnnoyingMoose]

15:15 Launching a space shuttle from inside a building like this would destroy most of the building! NASA even discovered a problem after the first shuttle launch Apr. 12, 1981 when the new solid rocket booster exhaust mixed with the steam from the main engines to produce an acid rain cloud. After the launch many of the employees found that the paint on their cars had been stripped off so the parking lot was moved further away from the launch pad.

[@therealmacgyver5470]

i woder if they got reimbursed XD i feel sad for those cars

[@davidjames579]

Yeah glass rooms in a Shuttle Launch Bay wouldn't last long.

[@CaminoAir]

[Clearly I should have read your own comment above first, but I still can't agree with you on the basis of the very considerable increase in budget over the previous expensive Bond film] The change in the announced next entry in the Bond series had never occurred before. Not only was 'Moonraker' a response to 'Star Wars' and 'CE3K', but the film was meant to coincide with the first launch of NASA Space Shuttle. The Shuttle was obviously delayed by a couple of years, but the movie had to release on schedule, especially given the very large budget. The Bond franchise had previously ridden the wave of 'Blacksploitation', 'Kung Fu' movies and had even recycled 'You Only Live Twice' with 'TSWLM'. So the series jumping on a bandwagon had at least two precedents, even if the Bond franchise itself can't be considered the 3rd example.

[@CyrusB1]

It's interesting Moonraker and Star Wars have a hidden base set in a Mayan temple (in Star Wars, it would be the Yavin IV base) I mean, what are the odds? This may be a response to the popularity of Van Daniken's Chariots of the Gods. In Moonraker, their base is tied to the orchid that grows there, but, in Star Wars, that base could have been set anywhere...

[@collativelearning]

That is an interesting point. Good guys use it in Star Wars, but bad guys in Moonraker.

[@fredrikcarlstedt393]

In the original novel from 1955, Hugo Drax, was instead Sir Hugo Drax ( ex- Nazi Hugo Graf von der Drache ) . His father was a Pussian Count and his mother was English. Sort of cross between Kaiser Wilhelm and Adolf Hitler. He planned to nuke London with his Moonraker rocket as a revenge for the defeat of the Third Reich . These plot details can be seen in Goldeneye and Die Another Day .

[@dirtyths]

I always thought Moonraker was underevaluated, thanks for that.

[@renato.pastor]

Another reference to 2001 can be spotted on the scene where Drax is hunting pheasants. When Bond arrives in a car, a guy blows a horn and you can hear the first three notes from 'Also Sprach Zarathustra'.

[@RobinMarks1313]

Oh I found the painter. François Boucher. He was a 18th Century French painter . However, I can't find the actual painting. He painted lots of works and weirdly, the painting shown in 2001 and Moonraker isn't one of his more famous works. But, if you look at his works, you can see big trees filling the center of his landscapes. had to edit. The hunt for the painting is proving harder than I thought. And, here's another weirdness about the paintings at the end of 2001, one of the paintings is in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much". I'm sure it's in the style of Rococo, and it looks just like a Boucher. So.... All these paintings are modern knock offs. A movie studio painter recreated the style of Boucher but did not copy an actual work. This is why movies are sharing the paintings. There must be a big room with these knock off paintings to use for props. It's not like the movie got access to the real masterpieces if that's what they are. So, they would be copies anyways because the original is in a collection or a museum. This would also explain why I can't find any work like this on any site I've checked. If this were a Rococo masterpiece, it would have shown up almost immediately. But these paintings are nowhere to be found and I'm not the only one who's tried. The reddit threads all come up empty. So, we have the three films that have shared paintings. And what is common about these three movies? They were all filmed in part, at Pinewood Studios in England. So, these paintings are almost assuredly a creation of an on staff artist at Pinewood Studios.

[@RobinMarks1313]

@Stellvia Hoenheim I'm so honoured that you, Rich Evans, aka, Dick the Birthday Boy, have taken the time to comment on my comment. Red Letter Media is my fav. However, it's not true that nobody cares. Now you may call me a nobody, but I'm not a no one. Also, Rob Ager was the one who was curious, so he may care. Also, also, while I was searching and finding others who were searching, I realized a bunch of nobodies cared. Please send me some pizza rolls, hope your diabetes gets better.

[@davidjames579]

@@RobinMarks1313 He's just trolling most comments on here with I Don't Like What You Said. I cared about your comment and I liked it. Great research!

[@truefilm6991]

Excellent points! Seen Moonraker in the movie theater when it came out. Loved it. It's very well made on all levels. the comedy elements may be a bit silly in places, but those were the Roger Moore Bond movies. This movie takes you to a lot of exciting places and I loved the return of Richard Kiel as Jaws. The space sequences were only the icing of the cake. Of course I got the Close Encounters and 2001 references back then. Yes, space themed movies were fashionable in the late 1970s, but even if that was part of the decision to make Monnraker, it was very well done.

[@nilkilnilkil]

Moonraker has some awesome music ...

[@Cre80s]

Had it on 8-track! LOL

[@UFO_computers]

Second only to You Only Live Twice and shares the 2nd spot w/Man w/the Golden Gun in my view.

[@Cre80s]

@@UFO_computers Barring popstar opening intro songs (Duran Duran’s the best by far), the best action sequence soundtracks were “Bond 77“ (the ski chase) in Spy Who Loved Me and “A Drive in the Country” in For Your Eyes Only are hard to beat.

[@stefanpp1155]

That piece that plays when they approach the space station might be among Barry's finest works.

[@moviearchaeologist9655]

Moonraker and Spy who Loved Me have my fav Bond soundtracks :)

[@JayStein777]

@@moviearchaeologist9655 Goldfinger is also awesome.

[@davidlean1060]

My favorite Barry piece is after that, as Bond and Goodnight chase down the remaining poison filled capsules.

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

@@moviearchaeologist9655 Those a great but I probably prefer the scores to "You Only Live Twice" and "OHMSS".

[@chrispalmer9838]

With the exception of Marvin Hamlisch's score for The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond was never really the same without John Barry...

[@diederikschip6190]

Great, now I'm going to see the movie with a fresh pair of eyes!

[@waynegoddard4065]

That's called the Rob Ager effect.

[@tangibleblockofwisdom6386]

Make sure to return them to your victim after muahah! I’ll get my coat..

[@sadistikjustice8258]

As always, I'm over the moon to see you've made another video, and you didn't dissapoint! 😁

[@DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader]

Thank you for making a positive video about Moonraker and the number of interesting parallels with 2001. I’ve always felt it gives an idea of what a Ken Adam designed 2001 would have looked like, the yellow spacesuits were directly modeled after the 2001 suits and that John Barry’s score could easily match sequences from 2001.

[@davidthomas3826]

Moonraker and 2001 are the two opposite extremes of space movies but both films make startlingly similar points. The main point being that space travel is seen as promising a better future for humanity. In fact, 2001 and Moonraker explore the idea that space travel will enable humanity to start again and build a better world

[@paulbirkbeck1790]

Moonraker is the BOMB absolute class escapist enjoyment.👌

[@anthonydratnal1870]

I never thought that it was a Star Wars rip-off, but surely the success of Star Wars and Close Encounters helped to convince the producers at EON that it was time to take Bond into space?

[@1060michaelg]

The painting from Boorman's transformation scenes popping up in a Bond film sealed it for me. Great work.

[@omundointerno]

Great video Rob! Very interesting (as all of your videos are). Thank you. Looking forward to watch Moonraker again.

[@frankenjstein9371]

Moonraker was my first Bond. Shirly Bassey's theme is awesome. One of my favorites.

[@jeffw8218]

Moonraker is one of my favorite Bond films. Only gripe I have is that the ending with the space stuff was too short. It would've been awesome if that was about 20-minutes longer, and other parts of the film were cut.

[@PhilWare1]

By saying a "Star Wars" rip off, I always understood this to mean the generally "setting the film in Space. At the end of "The Spy who Loved Me" in the end-credit sequence, they stated that "James Bond will return in For Your Eyes Only", so the switch to Moonraker was obviously a deviation away from the original plan. Without the success of Starwars I doubt this switch would have been made.

[@collativelearning]

I disagree that it's "obvious". It's an assumption. The bond film makers met and worked with Kubrick on Spy Who Loved Me. Kubrick lit their submarine set and his daughter even designed Jaws' steel teeth. They then used Kubrick's strategy of getting space race funding for their film, unlike Star Wars. So it can be theorized with equal plausibility that Kubrick's involvement with SWLM pushed the Bond team in that direction. The end result is a movie full of Dr Strangelove and 2001 related themes and details, but not Star Wars

[@BenCol]

@@collativelearning It’s more than just an assumption: they state in the making-of documentary in the Moonraker Special Features that the resurgent popularity of sci-fi was the reason Cubby Broccoli changed course from doing FYEO to doing Moonraker after TSWLM.

[@LukeMM95]

Let's not forget that Diamonds Are Forever had a scene where Connery's Bond found himself on the set of the moon landing.

[@juevosrantsyoutube]

love when you go into bond movies! great video keep up the great work!

[@rexremedy1733]

Fun fact that the guy in the movie „Falling Down“ worked at Rockwell. And he was fired when the company shut down its missile development. It’s a small world.

[@80Jay71]

The floating pen is also in 2010: Theyear we make contact

[@trekkiedave7910]

This is such an underrated film I just love Moonraker - best Bond film in my opinion

[@MarleneBlackwinter]

Excellent video!! I'm an sci-fi author, and I enjoyed this vid and you make some great points of observation I'll be keeping in mind and employing when writing!

[@heyitsmemg7494]

Hey Rob I just got finished watching your hour long video on the opening first aft of Superman: The Movie and wondered do you plan to do a similar in-depth analysis of the rest of the film.

[@user-gi2mj3cw7z]

Another great job! Have you ever thought of doing a film analysis on any of The madmen TV series.

[@kennyraicherter1264]

One of the best bond movies they need to get back to over the top bonds

[@collativelearning]

Certainly, but I don't think it will happen. That would involve having "fun" and fun is not a valued commodity these days.

[@arklowrockz]

@@collativelearning Nope, the days of Bond being fun are long gone...

[@Kainlarsen]

Always glad to see your analyses, Rob!

[@aaronwood8012]

This is the most charitable review of moo taker I’ve ever seen

[@collativelearning]

As stated in the video, the film has been overlooked for dumb reasons.

[@aaronwood8012]

It’s the first Bond movie I saw - on tv at the time. I have a nostalgic fondness for it

[@collativelearning]

@@aaronwood8012 I might be making another video on it in the future. Lots more to day.

[@andrewmccormick7277]

This movie was beautifully shot and directed. Overlooked by most Bond fans but it is one of my favorites.

[@tcaudiobooks737]

The most visually stunning film of the series, with a glorious soundtrack.

[@archibaldsalyards926]

R.I.P. John Barry.. thank you for a wonderful soundtrack! And of course Shirley Bassey!

[@ShowRyuKen]

Top work, Rob! Great stuff, lots of food for thought here.

[@elliotagain7731]

Anybody know what the painting is?

[@richarddeese1991]

Thanks. Here is a perfect example of why I watch film critique / analysis content - particularly yours. I can honestly say that I would never have made these overt connections in my own mind, however subconsciously they might work on me. Bringing such unconscious things to the fore is a pleasure to experience! The subconscious mind is a trickster magician; an expert in illusion and conjuring. Anyone who wishes to be their own master must learn how the tricks are done. Film is an excellent petri dish for just this sort of exploration. tavi.

[@tommyzDad]

I still love the space battle in Moonraker!

[@bobrew461]

The Moonraker in the original book was a rocket supposedly aimed at London. After the success of Star Wars, Cubby Broccolli and EON decided to film that book to cash in on the sci-fi movie boom of the late '70s started by Star Wars. But Cubby thought the idea of a "piddly" rocket to be not much of a threat to a major city, so the writers came up with the story involving the shuttles, and Drax's attempt at creating a master race in space. The production company even asked one of ILM's effects people to bid for the VFX work, but he reportedly wanted $1,000,000 fee, plus a percentage of the profits. EON baulked at this of course, but in the end Derrick Meddings and his great team produced some excellent miniature effects which used techniques pioneered by George Melies. By no means is Moonraker a Star Wars rip-off, but it's clearly a cash in on the genre which Lucas' movie revived. Don't believe me, just watch the documentary on the Moonraker DVD.

[@renekauts8323]

Star Wars: "A New Hope"(Episode 4) 1977 is a very good science-fiction adverture film of course. But not the absolute 10/10 in my opinion. Maybe 7/10 points? I like "The Empire Strikes Back"(1980) and "Return of the Jedi"(1983) much more! ***** Now, I love-love-love "Moonraker"(1979)!!! I don't understand why so many people are against it??? It is so nice that there is at least one sci-fi(or "science fact"?) movie in Bond franchise! And as you said, all the space stuff is so beautiful and majestic! Just like in "2001"(1968)! Both movies are gorgeous! ***** I think Roger Moore was at his best in TSWLM(1977) and Moonraker(1979)! R.I.P. my hero, Roger Moore: the fantastic man and actor, the one and only true ENGLISH gentleman agent James Bond!!!

[@charlieevergreen3514]

Rob, even when you might be reaching to make a point, I feel that your observations are legitimate, given the nature of creative minds to work partly from the subconscious. Even if the creator themselves doesn’t consciously notice the parallels, the fact that one film has become an influence on them can lead them to make design choices on their current work that reflect that previous influence, consciously or not. I like your notes about these possibly dubious connections, and respect your acknowledgement that they are merely informed speculation. It comes across as a dignified balance of confidence and humility, which is refreshing.

[@verybutton]

I expect somebody else will have mentioned this in the hundreds of comments I haven't read, but The Last Jedi has a notable silent space explosion.

[@scottsanburn204]

Interesting - my father Larry Sanburn actually worked for Rockwell International on the space shuttle's programming in the early 1980s, he worked in their building in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, he took me there once. He was working for General Motors (GM) as a systems analyst until he was laid off in 81 and then went to Pittsburgh but my Mom and sister and me stayed in Flushing a suburb of Flint. I didn't know much about what else they did but it was neat my Dad was part of that. I need to watch Moonraker again. 😁

[@kevinmaloney2391]

Ken Adam hired Harry Lange to be one of the art directors on Moonraker. Lange was also one of the art directors on 2001. So a lot of the designs look similar especially the pod ejection port you noted in your video. Also the space suits look similar to 2001's especilly the helmets. And if you look closely at the main column in the space station control you will notice a HAL 9000 eye panel on the wall. I think Lange slipped that in there as a nod to Kubrick. Kubrick approached Derek Meddings to do the VFX miniatures for 2001 but Gerry Anderson would not release him to do it because he was doing Thunderbirds at the time. A lot of interesting connections between the two films. Great video enjoyed it very much.

[@davidjames579]

Interestingly Anderson was then hired by Eon to write a treatment for Moonraker in 1969.

[@wurm4676]

The title song's vocal melody I heard in this fun extreme metal band who threw it in on a clean vocal line. After watching the movie long after listening to that song I was mind blown it had been lifted from this movie. ALSO, the villain is in my opinion the most vicious. Good stuff.

[@80Jay71]

Just a thought... Didn't Sir A. C. Clarke estimate the gravity on the spinning station to slightly above 3G? I just have some memory of that..

[@toddblackwood129]

Excellent video, thank you! :) a few things I’d like to add: I believe it needs to be said that Roger Moore’s Bond films were far more important than they’re given credit for, in other words they were the right films with the right guy at the right time. If Live & Let Die had failed, would there still be a Bond franchise? Likewise, as a eight year old seeing this in the theater, it was the perfect introduction that led to a lifelong 007 obsession. And as OHMSS is now arguably my favorite of the series, if that had been my introduction I might still be wondering what all the fuss was about. Moonraker is as close to a children’s Bond film as the series should ever get (and I’m also a firm believer that children are out of place in a Bond film in general and it’s a bad idea) and on top of all that if indeed it is an attempt to ride the coattails of Star Wars, it’s a darned classy one. Speaking of classy, while the soundtrack to Moonraker is one of my favorites of the 007 series, it’s my belief that it the isn’t the original score and was re-scored by request from the producers by John Barry, and the original score intended for Moonraker was given instead to The Black Hole. Go listen to that film and tell me that’s not Moonraker by way of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Why would they do that? It’s my belief that John Barry decided to make the original theme song an instrumental like Star Wars, only they wanted someone to sing words to it and his first contribution didn’t quite work for them that way. Just a guess, but I recently rewatched The Black Hole and I immediately couldn’t help but notice how striking and familiar the soundtrack sounded and it wasn’t until later I realized the timing and the composer and put two and two together.

[@dongblak7048]

15:34 - Those patterns on the walkway look like HAL's eye.

[@tangibleblockofwisdom6386]

Remarkably fair call!

[@walterevans2118]

As well as Ken Adam being suggested for 2001 set design didn't Stanley Kubrick consider Gerry Anderson to do some of the model work for 2001 ?

[@Ass_Burgers_Syndrome]

That last point about the same painting being used in both films was fascinating. How anyone ever even noticed that is beyond me!

[@rexremedy1733]

I am always split when I imagine myself being exposed to zero gravity. On the one hand, I am not sure if it would make me sick very quickly. On the other hand the idea of just floating with no weight is just awesome. And my pain would also fade away in zero gravity, I am pretty sure of that. Pity it’s so expensive to try it out. I mean for an hour or a day…

[@Thespeedrap]

Hi Rob can you do a video about how all the space movies are similar but differently made other than creativity.

[@akarshpandey5397]

You had mentioned in one of your podcasts that you can make upto 4+hrs worth of content on lolita. When can we expect them to be released? Will it be a freebie or a purchase product?

[@collativelearning]

It certainly wouldn't be a freebie if I did it all in one go. Too much work not to be paid for. Likely it'll be broken up into segments. In fact I might do a straight book review on its own first, but not sure when.

[@arlobrubaker]

Kubrick gave lighting advice for the submarine hangar in "The Spy Who Loved Me" but wanted no credit (mentioned years later on DVD feature) so anyone thinking this is too far out needs to slow down and think for a moment.

[@gigteevee6118]

It's so obvious when you compare the two....nice work! Although I'd add Star Trek 1 into that mix.

[@johnphamlore8073]

Rocket launching from inside a base that seems to be linked to some sort of apocalyptic event? Patrick Mcgoohan's Episode 17 finale to the Prisoner, Fall Out.

[@UFO_computers]

Great work, Rob! Interesting to note another space genre film released that year was Meteor, starring of all people Sean Connery. Obviously Moore won this particular contest.

[@UFO_computers]

Come 1983 Connery knocks out Moore in the dreadful Octopussy with Never Say Never Again taking back the crown leaving Moore Never to recover it as far as real time film releases.

[@Xsploor]

@@UFO_computers What are you talking about? Octopussy was made for a budget of only $25.7 million, and raked in $187 million at the box office. Never Say Never Again cost $36 million to make, and only took in $160 million. So please explain how Moore besting Connery head-to-head with a net revenue advantage of $32.3 million is an "unrecoverable knockout" of Connery over Moore. If your personal preference is Connery over, great, just say so, but don't make ludicrous claims that are easily disproven with 2 seconds of Googling. It just makes you look foolish, and discredits any valid arguments you may have for defending your preference of Connery.

[@BrotherJP333SP]

An old Bollinger bottle is my one Bond relic. It has more importance to me than than any disk, poster, or plastic figure.

[@Vlad65WFPReviews]

I totally join the chorus of those who differentiate between the making of Moonraker, as analyzed by Rob here - and its promotion for audiences of the day which did focus on "Star Wars" style laser battles in space in posters and trailers. Also, as a devoted Connery fan from childhood, this was the first Bond I skipped in the cinema as the drift to campy comedy with the Jaws character meant the series had totally lost the edge of the Red Grant days.

[@collativelearning]

Recently I watched The Moore Bond films with my daughter then we watched the Connery ones and the Lazenby one. The campness and silliness was there from the very first Bond movie Dr No. Connery came out with just as many jokey one-liners. and the plots were equally absurd and unrealistic. The Moore era continued what was already there, but I think the hate for Moore is largely based on the fact that in interviews he didn't take the films seriously ... and why should he, the movies are pure fantasy.

[@Vlad65WFPReviews]

@@collativelearning As I'm sure you know, the decision to do quips in the earliest Bonds was a calculated decision to get the extreme violence (for the day) past the censors. By the time Goldfinger hit and the series skyrocketed, that pattern was well established. Two things here: 1. Connery was a more physical and menacing Bond than Moore, especially in the earlier films. Those titles were adventure films, albeit with increasingly far-fetched elements, that had a tinge of comic relief to lighten the violence. Also, Connery was adept at tossing aside the needed one-liners, compared to Dalton who couldn't quite pull them off as well. 2. Moore stepped into the role when the series had veered into a greater period of self-parody. Also, Moore always had a "you and I can't take this too seriously" approach that he used to good effect in The Persuaders and The Saint - and he naturally brought that greater tongue-in-cheek style to Bond. For early series fans like me, the total shrugging off of any suspenseful danger put me off. Of course, there are many fans who preferred Moore's approach and they are welcome to do so.

[@robertbusek30]

@@collativelearningI’ve often thought that “For Your Eyes Only” would have worked much better for Timothy Dalton’s interpretation of Bond. It’s a very different approach from the rest of the Moore Bond films.

Very interesting and careful take as usual. Great work.

[@paulklee5790]

I’m no astrophysics expert but in the clip from 2001 (and throughout the film in general) doesn’t the direction of the sunlight hitting the Earth, change direction randomly?

[@collativelearning]

Yes there are continuity errors galore, but that's another subject.

[@dexterlee569]

Next episode. The Room & Clockwork Orange - The Wiseauian movie.

[@collativelearning]

I'd prefer to do Silence of the Lambs with the Matrix - Murder by numbers ;)

[@MrHEC381991]

13:20 First thing that came to my mind was K'inich Janaab Pakal. The Mayan astronaut. Also about the triangle symbolism. Maybe an arrowhead pointing to the stars?

[@stephenwalker2924]

Good call. Nazca Lines. Chariots of the Gods, my friend. They practically own South America...

[@TA-wx1fc]

Actually just watched 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984), the sequel to 2001 with Scheider. Doesn't have Kubrick's scope or technic but a very a decent sequel with a different vision that respects the original source material.

[@moviearchaeologist9655]

It is a pretty good movie and was worth a watch.

[@davidlean1060]

Peter Hyams had made Outlands before that. It wasn't up there with Alien, but that was also a more than decent sci fi movie.

[@hansdossche795]

I liked 2010 also, but can't seem to find a copy on DVD or blu-ray

[@stephenwalker2924]

@@davidlean1060 Great shout out for Outland. Does it take place in the same universe as Alien? Or even Blade Runner? Maybe. It's definitely a remake of High Noon. I think it's one of Sean Connery's best late period movies. Great cast, top effects. An SF movies for adults...when they still made movies for adults!

[@davidlean1060]

@@stephenwalker2924 The movie universe is not the same, but it's similarly gritty. The workers are all crammed in together, working themselves to death while a malevolent corporation watches over them. I watched it not too long ago actually.

[@revolverocelotbobbys]

Welp, guess I need to watch Moonraker now...

[@markalliksaar1605]

While not velcro-grip shoes, The Expanse has electromagnetic boots that serve the same function.

[@steelrad6363]

I have often wondered if there was a connection between this and the Blackhole Film, particularly the Cygnus control room screens.

[@collativelearning]

Very similar scores, both by the amazing John Barry.

[@steelrad6363]

@@collativelearning I remember they played the main theme before the film started. And cartoons too.

[@roadhog5384]

Excellent find with the picture mate, excellent! Moonraker great film… What do you think happened to Dollys braces?

[@Solsys2007]

Actually she doesn't have braces, it's a Mandela effect : mandelaeffect.fandom.com/wiki/Dolly%27s_Braces

[@roadhog5384]

@@Solsys2007 Thanks… that’s a trip. My father & I used to watch a VHS Bond flick every weekend in the 80’s, Moonraker was our favorite. Albert Broccoli stated he did go to the CIA’s school of “murder & mayhem”. Her braces are burned in my head just as much as “Luke, I am your father”. Someone with something is definitely playing shenanigans with hidden tech, or it was all some form of mass MK Ultra on the public. All Mandelas are connected to shady corporations, no little stuff. Hollywood casting spells 10-4!

[@CopiousDoinksLLC]

I don't think 'Star Wars rip-off' is a good way to describe Moonraker. Sure, it was probably trying to cash in on the whole space craze that was running hot at the time, but I also don't think you can honestly say that it was directly influenced by Star Wars, either. I think the bigger question to be asked here is: where does inspiration truly come from? Could one story be said to be 'plagiarized' if it simply contains elements of another story? Are any of our ideas truly our own or are we all just regurgitating concepts and ideas that we've digested in the past from others? For me, I'm personally quite comfortable with 'rip-offs' existing if they bring something unique and original to the table, and I'm pretty sure Moonraker did just that

[@stephenwalker2924]

Ecclesiastes 1:9: 'What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.' Good call, my son!

[@robertthain4330]

Terrific stuff Rob - to note that painting in 2001 is one thing to but to see it in A View to a Kill - wow. My broad take on the Bond films is that they are covertly setting out that the battle with Nazism was (is?) still ongoing after WW2 and that the remnants of the Nazis, such as the Gehlen Organisation, had been fully integrated within Corporate Capitalism. Jay Dyer has touched on these themes in his books but it needs someone to really flesh it out properly.

[@atilax6452]

Very, very, very cool video!! Smart, fun, thought provoking. Good stuff. Ty.

[@therealmacgyver5470]

i love the fact that you love the movie like i do. unlike many people like jo blo videos who constantly mention how its one of the silliest bond films. btw my ape level coment on film: draxes ladies in the jungle base are are face melting beautiful.

[@celebalert5616]

How high/low someone rates Moonraker is a good pretentiousness test ... by every metric an excellent Bond movie except for being "too silly" in some peoples eyes.

[@collativelearning]

It definitely has some OTT silly scenes, clearly for the kids ... but it's got so many great scenes as well that more than make up for it.

[@justincrane8825]

It’s easily my second favorite Roger Moore film.

[@chrispalmer9838]

@@collativelearning Look past the silly jokes for the kiddies and you are actually left with something horrifyingly plausible...

[@Welsh_Dragon756]

I must be pretentious then as I think it's much closer to an Austin Powers movie than a real bond film 🤣 I still think all bond films are good even the ones that I would put lower in my ranking, but this one is a bit too silly for me. As I said its still enjoyable though.

[@chrispalmer9838]

@@Welsh_Dragon756 If you've enjoyed yourself, then the film has served it's purpose. Just because the fun is dumb, doesn't mean the person enjoying it is as well...

[@fistyann8434]

How did I miss this?! Fantastic!

[@MarkFoster321789]

I always said that if Sir Ken Adam had worked on 2001, it would look like what you see on Moonraker. Even Dr Strangelove feels like a Bond film with his artistic contributions and the character himself exhibits all the virtues as seen in the meglomaniac villains in the franchise. The Moonraker space station and EVA suits were designed by Harry Lange who was responsible for what you see in 2001, so the visual influences were carried off from Kubrick's masterpiece. Lange is seen with 2001 scientific advisor Frederick Ordway at the beginning of this excellent analysis: both men had worked for Dr. Wherner von Braun at NASA in it's early years, and knew Arthur C. Clarke during this period leading to their collaboration with Kubrick.

[@Manta665]

isn't the painting (17:50) by Francois Boucher?

[@Thespeedrap]

What's with the Close encounters of the third kind music that was in Moonraker?

[@robertbusek30]

It was a homage to another space-based blockbuster (though of course very different from Star Wars).

[@zimmerbrau]

Great notes on the parallels, but just realized the film's reference of Vandenberg Air Force Base, California (noted at 7:15 in the video) as a Space Shuttle launch site was not correct. Being stationed there in the early 2000s we learned it was always a hope but the Challenger disaster derailed the first planned mission and any hope of missions in the future from the West Coast. All the launch missions went out of Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida.

[@daviddevries8242]

It is a good video but all those references do not prove that the decision to go in a sci-fi direction for this movie was not primary inspired by the success of Star Wars. Before any of these creative decisions were made, there might very well have been a suit saying "look at all the money Star Wars brings in. Let's get some of that for our next Bond Movie. You see it a lot in the business. A suit deciding to go in a certain direction because of a trend and the actual creative team just making the best of it.

[@collativelearning]

If all they were trying to do was imitate Star Wars, why fill their movie with Kubrickian stuff relating to Dr Strangelove and 2001? They clearly were not thinking about Star Wars in terms of how the film was scripted and made.

[@daviddevries8242]

@@collativelearning I was trying to make clear that there is a distinction between the creative and the executive part of the production. Yes, the creative people clearly got a lot of their inspiration from other sources, most notably 2001. I am just saying that the decision to go in a sci-fi direction, with space battles in the first place could very well be because of the success of Star Wars.

[@F_ckAllTrumpVoters]

It's wild to think about sometimes, Kubrick was such a man of his time and place, he seems light-years ahead of his time for his profession. It's taken decades of film making for other really strong Directors to catch up to where he was in the 1960's. His movie are now a part of the lexicon of images in modern societal psyche. His images are influential to people who havent even seen his films. That's amazing really.