SummaryJames Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed.
SummaryJames Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed.
A glitter sci-fi adventure fantasy that balances the indestructible James Bond with an indestructible cartoon adversary, Jaws (Richard Kiel), who is a great evil windup toy. This is the best of the Bonds starring the self-effacing Roger Moore.
Spy (1977) is undoubtedly the best 007 film from Moore. Featuring the first of two franchise appearances by the late Richard Kiel (7' 2") as the villainous killer Jaws. Nominated for a franchise-best three Oscars
James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed.
The tenth James Bond movie and many say it is the best of the Roger Moore era. While I do not agree completely it has a lot of great moments atop of an enjoyable story and one of my favorite villains with jaws. Most remarkable is that there is a female character who is not a damsel in distress, clumsy or plot device like so many characters in the franchise. After one of the most rememberable intros in the franchise that ends with one of the best James Bond moments the actual story starts. A British and a Soviet submarine vanish without traces and the USA and Soviets are suspicious of each other. A harsh conflict seems unavoidable if nothing is done. James Bond is send to investigate these incidents together with top Soviet spy Anya Amasova after both agency's negotiate a truce. The story is interesting and well written for the franchise standards. I see why many say it is the best script of the era and I will not disagree. It has the action, mystery and a great climax. Then there are the actors. Roger Moore delivers as he has become the James Bond version we like and cherish (I will again not participate in the Sean Connery or Roger Moore topic). With Barbara Bach as Anya Amasova (code name Triple X) we got a competent, dangerous and intelligent female spy. The portrait of women was not praiseworthy in the early franchise so I was impressed and thought it was a good decision. Then we get to the antagonist. I am in the minority here that likes Curt Jurgens as Karl Stromberg. He is not in my top villains list but I think he delivers. Jaws however is one of my favorite characters in the franchise and even outside of it. Richard Kiel was just amazing as his character becomes a fan favorite and I even think a spin off would have worked. He is intimidating, a force to be recognized as has an engaging smile;-). Also this is maybe the James Bond movie with the most gadgets and Q is just marvelous as are the bad guys manufactures. The sets look also pretty good for this time and there is a rumor that Stanley Kubrick was involved. The soundtrack is however a bit weak. Nobody does it better is my least favorite title song of the franchise. Overall this is an enjoyable Roger Moore James Bond movie. It has all you expect and want and I recommended it for fans. I give a bonus point for Jaws to get a 10/10 rating.
Triple X posed an ideal opportunity for the series to rectify its dismissive treatment of women until this point, putting a lady on equal footing with Bond. To its credit, the film does feature a bit of screwball badinage between the two (a clunky bit about female drivers, unfortunately), but it has yet to introduce a single female character who doesn’t want to sleep with our hero.
Gadgets abound, especially a Lotus sports car that transforms into a submarine. But the scene-stealer is 7'2" Richard Kiel as Jaws, a shark-eating man with steel teeth.
As the Bond series moves deeper into the 1970s, the emphasis moves away from the inventive scripts that made the best Sean Connery films fine examples of the spy genre and toward the kind of feats of daring and visual spectacle that abound in The Spy Who Loved Me.
A fantastic addition to the series! A serious improvement over the abysmal The Man With The Golden Gun. Great action scenes, a memorable henchman, a larger than life villain, great locations, a time period soundtrack that generally works, Roger Moore finslly found his stride in the role. There’s something for everyone here.
Jaws, who makes his movie debut in this one, is absolutely something. He is the epitome of a Bond villain; a freak of nature and human invention, his fangs are truly terrifying.
Anyhow, without Jaws, this movie would have been very dull, wouldn't it?
The Spy Who Loved Me was the third James Bond flick starring Roger Moore as the iconic MI6 spy 007 and is named after Ian Fleming's 1962 novel. The storyline involves a reclusive megalomaniac named Karl Stromberg, who plans to destroy the world with nuclear missiles and create a new civilization under the sea (which is sort of similar to Lex Luthor's plot in the original 1978 Superman). Bond teams up with a Soviet agent, Anya Amasova, or XXX, to stop the plans, all while being hunted by Stromberg’s powerful henchman, Jaws who is about 7 feet tall and possesses metallic teeth that can cut through steel. The movie has its fair share of action and chase scenes and some explosions, but also is stymied by tedious scenes that don't do much to move the plot along and some cheesy one-liners and gimmicks. There were also some cringeworthy dated politically incorrect aspects of the movie regarding Bond's interactions with the opposite sex which shouldn't be surprising. Overall it was decent, but not the greatest Bond film. It does feature one of my favorite Bond adversaries, Jaws, though.
Let's turn down the mushy-gushy romance a notch, it is a marathon of Moore era where this is the only piece of chocolate you are going to get addicted to.
The Spy Who Loved Me
Gilbert is back, after a while now. And with a promising premise and a polished version, he recreates the spark and puts the franchise back on the map with a hope that the magic isn't vanished yet and they still have few impressive tricks under the sleeve. And even though the structure of the script and the concept itself seems derivative, the tiny moments that it thrives upon gives little wins to us and to those characters that keeps us engaged in this familiar exotic vacation. Cornered in vigorously by the previous chapters, Lewis Gilbert, the director, has decided to embrace all the ingredients that made these characters so magnetic.
Hence, a quick tour in Q's lab, that makes the audience gasp and the fan boys to drool over something. This is more of a repaired version of the previous ones. And simplifying this formula made it so entertaining, all they had to do was not repeat the same mistakes they have been doing and the result is well, not satisfying but at least qualifying. The Bond girl gets a chunk of role to portray or should I say Roger Moore, the Bond, gets to support the lead actress.
Walking parallel-y with the Moore, Barbara Bach isn't completely social with the audience but has surely pulled off a remarkable persona on screen that dares trick, James Bond himself- that's going to catch up! Speaking of whom, with a more convincing dialogue delivery, Moore's humor is palpable and smooth compared to the previous installments. He still lacks the- if I may- sexiness that the character demands, but I would presume that's what the gadgets are for and not-so-likeable antagonist to contrast out the color and infuse an incredible love track between him and Bond, that is much more romantic than girl who reminisces, "The Spy Who Loved Me" gazing into the abyss.
The movie focuses more on romance than telling a compelling plot. The villain is instantly forgettable and the third act drags on terribly slow, which seems to be a common issue in a few Bond films, especially with Moore. I honestly can not recommend this one at all, It simply isn't worth watching.