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Rating:  -
Maybe not the biggest Bond movie in terms of overall enjoyment, but certainly it has the feel of a huge movie - especially after coming off the very timid "The Man with the Golden Gun". The large increase in movie budget was one of the factors that made The Spy Who Loved Me so big, with plenty of large sets and huge action scenes, and a variety of locales from Egypt to underwater that accompany large portions of the plot. Take some great characters and villains and interesting humor, and you've got a film that actually pleases to the majority of audience.
While the plot is indeed interesting and entertaining in itself, I couldn't help but feel like it was a re-use of some of the older Bond plots, specifically involving SPECTRE and Blofeld's attempts at world domination through the use of nuclear weapons. our lead villain in Spy Who Loved Me, Carl Stromberg, plays a similar role - attempting to start WWIII to destoy the planet's surface and begin a new era of life under the ocean. Stromberg actually interested me more than some villains, but probably deserved a little more time to flesh out his character some more. His underwater dome known as "Atlantis" is a magnificant locale, and very original, which can also raise itself above water. His love of sharks keeps his staff on their toes, for if someone betrays him, they quickly become fish bait. Even more enjoyable as a villain than Stromberg is Jaws, a giant with a mouth of steel that Stromberg hires to take out Bond. Jaws and Bond have many one on one fights throughout the film, all very entertaining and unique.
The overall action in The Spy Who Loved Me was easily satisfying. In addition to the fights between Jaws and Bond, there is lots of underwater action, and big explosions and shootouts both inside Stromberg's massive tanker and his Atlantis lair. One of the most memorable scenes is a fantastic car chase between one of the coolest Bond vehicles to date - the Lotus Esprit - and a helicopter, all which is very well shot and ends with the Esprit jumping into the sea and changing into an underwater sub.
Exotic locales are always a pleasing sight in Bond movies, and there are some nice locales in Spy Who Loved Me. Egypt looks rather nice, as we get to see plenty of pyramids and city architecture in Cairo. There are some scenes in Italy as well, though mostly around water's edge. Again, though nothing more than sets, the interior of both Stromberg's liner and Atlantis are beautiful in their own ways too.
Last but not least, one of the best Bond moments occurs in this film before the opening credits and song, and that is a spectacular ski jump that is must see. From start to finish, this movie pleases in every way imaginable. Even though the story doesn't feel too original, it is still well written and interesting. Riger Moore has finally reached one of his finest moments as Bond. Keep an eye out for "For Your Eyes Only", which in my opinion, is the other exceptional Roger Moore Bond film.
Acting - 4.5
Action - 4.5
Characters - 4.5
Story - 4
Overall - 4.5
Rating: -
There are six reasons to own this film:
1. Barbara Bach
2. The opening sequence chase scene and parachute jump.
3. Ken Adam's sets.
4. Richard Kiel as Jaws
5. "Nobody Does it Better," title song by Carly Simon.
6. A Lotus that doubles as a submarine.
7. Barbara Bach. Well, she is worth mentioning twice.
Rating:  -
The third Roger Moore outing as Bond has some terific moments in it, that rank with some of the best in all the Bond films. The start in particular is fabulous. Bond leaves a mountain lodge and starts skiing down the mountain and is then pursued by 4 or 5 Russian agents. Bonds escape is breathtaking and was done for real (no CGI in 1977). Check the credits for the stunt-man who gets a special mention. There are other great moments as well, such as the Lotus Esprit and the first appearance by Richard Kiel as Jaws.
This film repeats various elements from previous Bond films such as the fight on the train from 'From Russia with Love', the Lotus Esprite
is effectively the Aston from 'Goldfinger' etc. For me though the main reason it isn't worthy of 4 or more stars is the less serious nature of the film. Roger Moore uses that irratating smile a few too many times, and the film maintains a jokey attitude throughout. To be fair its better than most of the Roger Moore Bond films that followed, where this jokey attitude got worse and worse (and Roger Moore becane too old for the part as well).
However, the script is pretty good, and the sets are very impressive so overall this IS an entertaining Bond film, but not one you can take seriously.
Rating:  -
Roger Moore did more official James Bond films as secret agent 007 than any other actor. He started the role in 1973 when he was 45 years old and ended his 7-film run at the age of 57 in 1985. His fourth film was THE SPY WHO LOVED ME released in 1977. I used to believe this was the best film of his stint, but after seeing all the Moore pictures recently I no longer feel this way. THE SPY WHO LOVES ME certainly has some aspects that are as good or better than any of the other films in Moore's stint, but it also has a couple of weak elements that make it one of the worst. Allow me to explain as I point out the films strengths and weaknesses:
THE PLOT: James Bond teams up with female Russian agent XXX (yeah right) to prevent world-hating Karl Stromberg from starting World War III by stealing nuclear subs. Stromberg doesn't care if the world kills itself because he lives as a mad recluse on a crab-like submersible dream home called "Atlantis." The giant steel-toothed Jaws assists Stromberg along with the beautiful raven-haired Naomi.
WHAT WORKS: The top item I demand in any Bond flick is exciting globe-trotting and, consequently, great locations. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME delivers in spades! Heck, the opening teaser starts with a thrilling ski chase that culminates in a spectacular jump from Baffin Island's Mt. Asgard (Canada). The DVD is worth owning for this incredible stunt alone!
From there we get the Sahara desert, Cairo, the Nile River and the great pyramids of Giza, as well as the Italian Mediterranean island of Sardinia, Scotland and the Bahamas. These are all fabulous locations to say the least.
Richard Kiel as the giant Jaws is both intimidating and amusing. The on-going joke is that NOTHING can stop or kill him.
Barbara Bach is good as Agent XXX and certainly possesses an exotic beauty, but watch her get utterly blown out of the water by the gorgeous Caroline Munro when she is introduced as Naomi. Many cite Ursula Andress' coming out of the water in a white bikini in DR. NO as the ultimate Bond-babe moment but Caroline's introduction here is a serious rival; it's, at least, the second best Bond-babe moment (and, please, don't EVEN mention Halle Berry in DIE ANOTHER DAY). The only problem with Caroline's role is that it is way too brief. Check her out in THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1974) to see her in a more prominent role.
Some editions of the DVD include an over-40-minute documentary on THE SPY WHO LOVED ME that includes a fairly recent interview with Ms. Munro. Believe it or not, she's almost as beautiful today as she was back in 1977, not to mention she has a vibrant, pleasant and humble personality.
Another great aspect of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is that its fun globe-trotting sequences give it an undeniable Indiana Jones feel, even though it was made four years before the first Indiana Jones flick. WATCH OUT for the great sequence wherein Bond's car turns into a submarine as he attempts to flee Naomi in a helicopter.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Many compositions in Bond films are timeless, like FOR YOUR EYES ONLY from 1981, but the disco score to THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is horribly dated. Still, it doesn't personally bug me that much. I can live with it. Others can't.
The main problem with THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is that Stromberg and his mad scheme fail to sustain the viewer's interest. Every time I seen this film I run out of interest by the 90-minute mark (with a full 35 minutes to go). Don't get me wrong, the many globe-trotting sequences are fun and exciting, certainly some of the best in the entire series, but the story as a whole runs out of steam about an hour and a half into it. The last 30 minutes contain numerous fight/action scenes but they're boring; the viewer simply doesn't care about the outcome. By contrast, the other six Moore films in the series retain the viewer's interest from beginning to end with no problem, yes, even THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, MOONRAKER and A VIEW TO A KILL.
So THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is in some ways the best film of the Moore era, but in others the worst. Regardless, it's a mandatory purchase or rental if you're in the mood for a mindless, high-energy Bond flick.
As for Roger Moore's take on Bond. I guess you either like him or you don't. Regardless of his age Moore always looked great and perfectly convincing as 007 throughout his run.
Back in 2003 I saw most of the Bond films (the ones I didn't see I was already well familiar, like GOLDFINGER) and concluded that Roger Moore's seven films are the most consistently entertaining. Yes, Sean Connery is great and his stint is generally more serious, but who can deny the color and vibrancy of the Moore films? All of his pictures are incredibly entertaining and were hugely successful at the box office. Even the heavily maligned MOONRAKER and A VIEW TO A KILL are great. They may have more goofy or amusing elements, which are actually funny by the way, but they remain essentially serious stories; they never go overboard into the rut of parody or camp (although they come darn close at times!). Seriously, I get sick of hearing all the complaints about Moore's stint in the series. All of his films are great Bond adventures. There's not a dud in the bunch; I don't care what any one says. They certainly blow away any of the Brosnan/Dalton films.
Rating: -
What a nice surprise this was, a change for me since re-viewing some of these old Bond movies. With the exception of "Goldfinger," I've been disappointed in the rest....but not this one. This film seemed far better than I had remembered, one of the best James Bond movies I've seen. My first look in over 30 years at this stunned me. I couldn't believe how entertaining and fun it was to watch! Having a new DVD transfer and extras doesn't hurt, either!
It's enjoyable right from the start and features my all-time favorite "Bond song" - "Nobody Does It Better," By Carly Simon. It's sung or palyed throughout the movie.
This was Roger Moore's third attempt at playing James Bond and he really hit his stride with this, being a natural as the suave spy. The action is plentiful but never seems too much or gets boring with an excess. It never quite crosses that line, although it comes close a few times.
Curt Jurgens is very low-key as the villain "Karl Stromberg." His role really isn't all that big. You don't see much of him until the end. Who you DO see is the seven-foot, two-inch giant "Jaws" (Richard Kiel) the main with the iron teeth. He is fun to watch, and is almost indestructible, like the evil cyborg in "Terminator 2." Jaws just keeps coming back no matter what you do to him.
The cinematography in here, too, is above-average. There are very nicely-filmed scenes with interesting camera-work. Good work, all-around!
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