It’s been 50 years since Roger Moore debuted in the role of James Bond, so it’s the perfect time to look back on what his movies got right about the 007 mythos – and what they got wrong. From Live and Let Die to A View to a Kill, Moore starred in a total of seven Bond movies, more than any other 007 actor. Whereas Sean Connery’s Bond movies received near-universal praise from critics, the Moore movies were met with a more mixed reception. Some of them were highly acclaimed, like The Spy Who Loved Me, while others were widely panned, like Moonraker and Octopussy.
Moore had the suaveness and charisma to pull off the role of 007, but his Bond movies were a mixed bag. Things like Moore's humor and some of the films' experimentation with other genres worked wonders for the era's reputation, but not all the new genres were hits, and the use of cheap gags and parody fell woefully short. There was a lot about Moore’s tenure in the role of Bond that worked spectacularly, but there was also plenty that didn’t.
10 Right: James Bond's Wry, Tongue-In-Cheek Humor
The Moore era leaned into the tongue-in-cheek humor that was introduced by the Bond producers in Sean Connery’s last official outing, Diamonds Are Forever. By the time Moore took over the role, the 007 movie tropes were well-established, and Moore played with the audience’s familiarity with a winking, self-aware sense of humor. Moore had some of the best one-liners of any Bond actor; when he had a gun aimed at Lazar’s groin, he quipped, “Speak or forever hold your piece.” Despite other pitfalls, Moore’s Bond films were nothing if not fun.
9 Wrong: Roger Moore's Bond Devolved Into Self-Parody
While the lighthearted, comedic tone of the Moore movies was refreshing at first, this incarnation of Bond gradually devolved into self-parody. A cover of the Beach Boys’ “California Girls” plays over a snowboard chase in A View to a Kill. 007 disguised himself as a clown in Octopussy, which unwittingly offered the perfect visual metaphor for what Moore’s tenure did to Bond as a character. After Moore's movies ended up spoofing themselves, Timothy Dalton had to swoop in with the darkest, grittiest possible take on 007 in order to course-correct the franchise.
8 Right: Bringing New Genres To James Bond Movies
When Moore took over the role of 007, the Bond movie formula was familiar and well-worn. The Moore movies shook up that formula by incorporating elements of other genres that were popular at the time. Whereas the previous Bond movies were standard spy thrillers, the Moore films explored different genre frameworks. Live and Let Die brought in elements of blaxploitation with pimpmobiles and a drug trafficking storyline. By contrast, The Man with the Golden Gun incorporated nods to classic martial arts movies, featuring the Muay Thai boxing style in its fight scenes.
7 Wrong: Going To Space In Moonraker
Following the unexpected blockbuster success of Star Wars, every studio scrambled to make its own space movie to cash in on the trend, from Alien to Flash Gordon to The Last Starfighter. The Bond franchise got in on this fad with Moonraker, which sent 007 into outer space. As much fun as it was to explore genres like blaxploitation and martial arts movies, taking Bond into sci-fi territory was a step too far. The Bond films have always been far-fetched, but a laser gun shootout in space required the audience to suspend their disbelief to a ridiculous degree.
6 Right: Re-Grounding The Series After Moonraker
To their credit, Moore and the Bond producers responded to complaints about how far-fetched Moonraker got by bringing the series back to its grounded roots with For Your Eyes Only. For Your Eyes Only is a gritty revenge thriller and Moore’s most faithful portrayal of 007, with such brutal moments as Bond kicking a car full of people over a cliff. Melina Havelock’s (Carole Bouquet) quest to avenge her parents’ murders goes beyond a standard revenge-o-matic, and Bond’s attempts to talk her down offer a more contemplative study of the futility of vengeance.
5 Wrong: Undoing James Bond's Cold-Bloodedness
In Ian Fleming’s source material, Bond is a cold-blooded killer. Actors like Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton have nailed this aspect of the character, but Moore’s 007 was relatively soft in comparison. Moore brought some of Bond’s signature cold-bloodedness to his performance in For Your Eyes Only, but for the most part, he wasn’t the ice-cold killing machine depicted on the page. Moore’s Bond also never really seemed to be in any danger as he breezed his way through life-threatening scenarios.
4 Right: Breathtaking James Bond Stunts
One of the main appeals of the James Bond franchise is the ability to watch mind-blowing stunts projected onto a huge screen. Arriving just before CGI took over, at the peak of the practical effects age, Moore’s tenure gave way to some of the most impressive stunts in the entire series. There’s a corkscrew car jump in The Man with the Golden Gun, a fight on the wing of a plane in Octopussy (which goes a long way towards salvaging the movie), and, of course, the iconic Union Jack parachute jump from the cold open of The Spy Who Loved Me.
3 Wrong: Roger Moore's Slapstick Humor
A lot of the Moore-era humor landed, but the slapstick elements usually fell flat. The slapstick comedy of the Moore years was introduced right off the bat in Live and Let Die when Bond ran across the backs of crocodiles and killed Dr. Kananga by absurdly inflating him with a gas pellet. When Bond is trapped in a space flight simulator in Moonraker, the tension of the sequence is deflated by turning the extreme G-force into a sight gag. Likewise, the corkscrew car jump in The Man with the Golden Gun, one of the most thrilling stunts ever captured on film, is ruined by a goofy slide whistle sound effect.
2 Right: Iconic James Bond Movie Villains
Moore’s Bond movies introduced some of the most iconic villains in the franchise’s history, like the towering, oddly lovable henchman Jaws (Richard Kiel). The Spy Who Loved Me’s Karl Stromberg (Curd Jürgens) is a quintessential megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur, Live and Let Die’s Dr. Kananga (Yaphet Kotto) leads an intriguing double life as a Harlem drug lord and Caribbean dictator, and The Man with the Golden Gun’s Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) is styled as the anti-Bond, played with menace and charisma. Even some of the weaker Moore films have likable James Bond villains, like Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) from A View to a Kill.
1 Wrong: Roger Moore Outstayed His Welcome In The Role
Moore was 57 years old when he retired from the role of James Bond, and many reviews of A View to a Kill pointed out that Moore’s visible age made the action scenes and the romantic scenes unconvincing. If Moore had bowed out after For Your Eyes Only, his Bond tenure would have gone out on a high note. Ever since Moore let his stint as 007 go on a couple of movies too long, subsequent Bond actors like Daniel Craig have been careful not to outstay their welcome in the role.
