Customer Reviews

double-'o' heaven in '77! - By: R. Smith, 13 Sep 2008
1974: Cubby Broccolli, with his taste for lavish finery & all the luxurious leisuresin life, pored uneasily over the less than earth-shattering returns on 'GOLDEN GUN': while far from a box-office flop, the monetary---and critical-----rewards were palein comparison with earlier, superior 007 entries.

The public clearly clamoured for spectacle, as the dynamics for cinema audiences was truly changing, especially with 'young guns ' on the block [SPIELBERG & LUCAS] snapping at BROCCOLLI'S heels, eating inroads into his once-profitable cinematic series.

Re-thinking his strategy with an almost militaristic precision, CUBBY spent much time & resources on this next BOND outing, neccessitating a 3-year gap between movie releases.

Opting to grab the audience by the scruff of the neck, & bludgeon them senseless thereon, 'BROCCERS' proceeded to do exactly that, with the exhillerating, goose-pimple inducing 'suicidal' ski-jump off a perilous cliff: this rates as THE definitive pre-title sequence, which segues successfully into the somewhat 'stuck -in-time' theme song, which nevertheless suits this particular film nicely.

MOORE'S interpretation here is still 'quipsville UK' but the dangers & glossy melodramas are treated with relative respect, the out-and-out flippancy [which angered many BOND purists] more a product of the 80s outings. MOORE has touted this extravaganza as his own personal favourite, & for sheer spectacle & cutting-edge [1977-style] action octane, remains a high water mark of the MOORE contributions, & of the series itself.

BARBARA BACH cuts a rigid dash as an initially-frosty, RUSSKIE ice-maiden, who eventually warms to BOND'S western quips, & emerges as a beautiful, memorable 007 heroine. RICHARD KIEL'S 'JAWS' character is a worthy, fitting adversory & BOND opponent, coming on as a TERMINATOR-like unstoppable killing-machine, & works very well within the format of this film. 'BLACK HEART' RUM beauty CAROLINE MUNROE also radiates brriefly, though her character is also 'terminated' all too quickly.

The 'underwater lotus' sequence impressed deeplyin summer 1977, & although it has been easily superceded by today's ever more polished special effects, still retains a splendid period charm, cementing the craft's status as one of the most memorable BOND vehicles ever. Excellent production designin baddie STROMBERG'S vast underwater fortress, 'ATLANTIS' , which rises from the sea with a 'WAR of the WORLDS' vigour. STROMBERG may not be among the most memorable BOND villian, but his outlandish ambitions yield the usually impressive mayhem so beloved of BROCCOLLI.

A climatic action sequence [with a nautical, submarine-docking backdrop] is choreographed almost like a symphonic ballet, with endless flying bodies, machine-gun casualties & bomb victims who keep their heads & limbs intact, without so much as a drop of blood spilled......goodness only knows what a veteran who experienced all-out WARin the real world would make of all this!

This enjoyable, lavish outing ends with BOND & BACH cavortingin a luxurious marine-craft which bobs boyountly on the vast Atlantic seas, & the credits roll as a rousing reprise of the theme song [belted out, Military-style] concluding a superior, nicely entertaining entryin the BOND stakes.


BROCCOLLI sat triumphantly as he viewed the finished, pre-view cut; he knew instinctively he had successfully rejuvenated the slipping franchize back to it's winning level........this was clearly the direction to adhere to, & his frequent visits to SAVILLE ROW tailors, & his craving for the high life he so aching desired, would remain a reasurringly long-term reality.

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One of Moore's best - By: Axey the Pax, 21 Apr 2008
Roger Moore's third one, at 50 years old, he was good! The script from Christopher Wood & Richard Maibaum is excellent, the directing from Lewis Gilbert finally proved that he was a good director because Moonraker & You Only Live Twice weren't very good. I own the Ultimate Edition 2-disc & it's superb for me. The film itself is wonderful & comesin second on my ranking of Roger Moore films. The one thing I found confusing was Stromberg himself. Curt Jurgens played him well, but his normal megalomaniacs' plot was different to that of SPECTRE & Ernst Stavro Blofeld. It was confusing, which is why I have deducted a star. Live And Let Die was better for the simple reason that it's plot was easier to understand. Not my favourite Bond film & not my favourite Moore one either, but it comes about seventhin my list.

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The Spy Who Loved Me - A Review - By: Brooky, 21 Nov 2007
Pretty much an epic greatest hits pack for Bond featuring everything you would expectin the Bond films. Roger Moore returns once again to cement his role as Bond who has to stop evil maniac, Karl Stromberg from destroying the world. Featuring the ever famous Jaws & one of the best Bond girls, pre-creds sequence, henchmen & finalein a Bond film. If you are to watch any one Bond filmin your life, make it this one.

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Moore finds his groove as Bond - By: Mr. Stephen Kennedy, 02 Oct 2007
By this 1977 movie, the Roger Moore era of movies had found their direction & formula. The same as Goldfinger represented the coming together of ingredients for Connery, here Moore is at his most relaxedin the role, but still young enough to get away with it, & the sets, the villain, the set pieces, all create the mood for the definitive Moore Bond movie.
Alas, the definitive Bond movie has aged badly, unless you are able to relish the campness of the massive (and still impressive) sets & the script apparently written by a three year old (GIRL: `James, I need you!'... BOND: `..so does England!'). It's a miracle that medical attention was not required to remove tongues from cheeks...
Clearly, the mood of the times was for escapism & fantasy - & this movie fit the mould well. Barbara Bach is one of the most beautiful Bond girls, & actually plays quite a strong role, even though her acting lessons seem to have been taken at a carpentry school instead of a drama school. The signature stunt at the beginning of the movie, where Bond skis off a cliff & after a few heartstopping moments the parachute bursts open to reveal the Union Jack, is sublime lunacy that raised cheersin the cinemain 1977. Curt Jurgens is inspired casting to lend a degree of gravitas to the megalomaniac Stromberg. An additional bonus is the first appearance of Jaws, played by Richard Kiel - you can't help feeling that the scenes where he keeps trying & failing to get 007 leave you rooting for Jaws more than Bond. It's obvious why they brought him backin the next movie. The music has shiftedin tone from John Barry's classic riffs & stringy feel, to an electronic mood, which again exaggerates the 70's feel of the movie... & let's not start on the ladies hairstyles... And the character of Bond is changing. More one liners than ever to be sure.. but compare Conneryin the very similar action scene at the end of You Only Live Twice (same director) - there, Connery moves gracefully throught the milieu almost like a dancer, dealing with the enemy only as & when he needs to to achieve his goal, leaving the fighting & blowing up to others. Here, Moore has to be at the centre of everything, & lead all the action scenes. It's a trend which takes the character into fantasy more than ever before.
The Ultimate Edition has the crystal clear picture & sound we have come to expect, & all the extras from the Special Edition, including the essential documentary Inside The Spy Who Loved Me, & the commentary of the movie - all excellent value. New features include a brand new commentary by Moore, & an abundance of minor period featurettes, such as the 007 sound stage dedication, opened by Harold Wilson, the ex -PM.
This is a movie much parodied, & obviously camp & dated, & yet that is its whole appeal - it was at the time entirely original (well, except the plot elements stolen from other Bond movies) & full of iconic items & moments - the Lotus Esprit, the Pyramids light show, the first movie appearance of a jetski, Jaws... It is a movie whichin no way tries to be timeless - it is very much of the time, & as such it's a small treasure.... as long as you know what you are letting yourselfin for.

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the BEST of the BONDS - By: Cragger, 28 Aug 2007
i bloody love this film, the extras on the DVD are alright but lets talk about the film itself. the restoration work on this edition to the series for the late seventies is quite impressive. the newly recorded commentary from Sir Roger Moore was also entertaining, listening to the stories from his career & of course filming The Spy Who Loved Me, which was his favourite of the Bond he did. can you blame him? even after thirty years, this film is the definitive Bond film & is on my list of all-time favourite films. if you only buy one Bond, get this one! JAWS ROCKS!