Moonraker (1979)
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James Bond must investigate the disappearance of a space shuttle and confront a villain with a plan to repopulate Earth with a master race.
The story
After a Space Shuttle orbiter is hijacked and its carrier destroyed, MI6 agent James Bond is assigned to investigate the disappearance. The trail leads him to Hugo Drax, the owner of the manufacturing firm in California. Alongside astronaut Dr. Holly Goodhead, Bond follows the mystery across various international locations, including Venice and Rio de Janeiro. As the investigation deepens, Bond must navigate dangerous obstacles and hidden conspiracies to uncover Drax's true intentions before his plot can be executed.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a Space Shuttle orbiter is hijacked, James Bond is assigned to investigate. He meets astronaut Dr. Holly Goodhead and discovers that the owner of the manufacturing firm, Hugo Drax, is involved in a conspiracy. Bond travels from California to Venice, where he discovers a secret laboratory producing nerve gas. The trail leads to Rio de Janeiro, where Bond faces off against the henchman Jaws. The investigation eventually takes Bond and Goodhead into outer space. They discover Drax's plan to destroy the current human population with nerve gas and repopulate Earth with a 'master race' of genetically perfect individuals. Bond manages to turn Jaws against Drax, leading to a space battle where the station is destroyed and Drax is ejected into space. Bond and Goodhead then destroy the gas-filled globes before returning to Earth.
- First release year
- 1979
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States; France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Lewis Gilbert
- Writers
- Christopher Wood · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Roger Moore · Commander James Bond "007"; Lois Chiles · Holly Goodhead; Michael Lonsdale · Hugo Drax; Richard Kiel · Jaws; Corinne Cléry · Corinne Dufour; Emily Bolton · Manuela; Toshiro Suga · Chang; Irka Bochenko · Blonde Beauty
- Genres
- spy-fi; science fiction; action; thriller
- Themes
- eco-terrorism; bioterrorism
- Tone and mood
- action; adventure
- Premise and plot tags
- space exploration; espionage; high-stakes
- Source material / true-story basis
- Ian Fleming's novel Moonraker
- Franchise connections
- James Bond
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, though its visual effects and scale were praised.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 59% · scale: percentage · review count: 57; Metacritic · score: 66% · scale: percentage · review count: 13
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was shot primarily in France due to high taxation in Britain.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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