History YMMV / Moonraker

* NeverLiveItDown: The ''only'' film to date in which Bond ventures into outer space, and for good reason as it was a blatant effort to cash in on the science fiction craze launched by the release of ''Star Wars'' two years prior.[[note]]The previous film had even stated that next up was ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' in a big sign of just how much they rushed this one out.[[/note]] For many a Bond fan it provides for a fun and exciting ride, if an over-the-top and absurd one at that. For many others, though, it is the sheer absurdity of this premise that has made it impossible to take seriously.

*** Kudos to the film for dealing with artificial gravity in a realistic way, by spinning the station. The problem is, that only works on surfaces perpendicular to the center of rotation. The control center has floor surfaces parallel with the center of rotation— everybody would be stuck on the walls.

* TheScrappy: Holly Goodhead isn't as actively despised as [[Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun Mary Goodnight]], [[Film/AViewToAKill Stacey Sutton]] or [[Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough Christmas Jones]], but she's often considered one of the dullest and least interesting Bond Girl in the entire series. Many fans think her dynamic is just a less interesting copy of Bond's dynamic with Anya Amasova in ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe''. Another common criticism is that she has virtually no impact on the plot after her abduction in Rio, other than providing someone for Bond to exposit to and then have sex with at the end, whereas even the more widely hated Bond Girls at least did ''something'' in the climaxes of their respective films. Unless you count her piloting the airship that levels the humanity-destroying bombs during the last stretch, of course, but her bland personality is still a persistent issue for most. This is made worse by the fact that her book counterpart is Gala Brand, one of the few great women characters that Fleming wrote. RealLifeWritesThePlot here as Lois Chiles was pregnant during filming, so there wasn't that much she could do.

** The US military and Drax himself are able to launch fully-crewed and fully-fueled space shuttles into orbit in only a matter of hours. In truth, the space shuttle took an average six months of preparation before it could be launched, and even the most optimistic prospects for the program still called for several weeks of such work if multiple flights were to be worked into the span of a year.

* BrokenBase: The movie itself. For many fans and critics, the space sequences and the camp humor cements this as one of the most absurd Bond films in the series and is often looked upon with disdain. For many, however, it is either a guilty pleasure or a genuinely exciting movie. The latter camp is helped by the absolutely stunning and massive set pieces designed by Ken Adam and the excellent special effects to accompany them.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Hugo Drax]] is a cold, snobbish, understated [[CorruptCorporateExecutive executive]] who wishes to [[KillAllHumans exterminate the human race]], except for those he considers "[[MasterRace superior beings]]". To this end, Drax captures men and women whom he sees as physically perfect, planning to keep these people in his giant space station while he covers the earth in a [[DeadlyGas rare toxin]] that will kill every human being on Earth. When one of his Moonraker space shuttles is hijacked, Bond is sent to investigate. Fearing that Bond will discover his plans, Drax sends his assassins to kill him, not doing the job himself because he wants Bond's death to amuse him. When he discovers that his personal pilot, Corrine Dufour, helped Bond uncover his plan, he fires her, then [[FedToTheBeast sends his dogs out to rip her apart]]. After he tells Bond his plan, he traps him and one of his scientists, Dr. Holly Goodhead, under one of his rockets, planning on burning the both of them. When he discovers Bond and Goodhead on his space station, he threatens to [[ThrownOutTheAirlock shoot them both out the airlock]]. When Bond corners him after his plans are failing, Drax finds a gun and threatens to shoot him, knowing that he'll at least "have the pleasure of putting [Bond] out of my misery". Drax is a [[VileVillainSaccharineShow chilling, dark villain who stands out in such a campy, silly movie]].
* CriticProof: This movie is widely regarded as one of the worst Bond movies, but it was the highest grossing film in the franchise until ''Film/GoldenEye'' was released.

* AlasPoorVillain: You can't help but feel bad for the henchman that Bond steals a parachute from during the skydiving fight scene. The guy's scream when Bond kicks him away doesn't help either. And the last we see of him is him screaming and floating helplessly away, presumably to fall to his death.

* BrokenBase: The space sequences. For many fans and critics, it cements this as one of the most absurd Bond films in the series and is often looked upon with disdain. For many, however, it is either a guilty pleasure or a genuinely exciting segment that serves as the best part of an already bizarrely-plotted movie. The latter camp is helped by the absolutely stunning and massive set pieces designed by Ken Adam and the excellent special effects to accompany them.

** Jaws ''falling in love'' complete with [[StandardSnippet the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy]].
** The entire gondola scene, particularly the moment Bond drives it upon land through a gawking crowd of onlookers.
** Bond's miniature camera is emblazoned with "007" around the lenses.
** For some, "Dr. Goodhead" certainly qualifies.

** Chang showing up in a kendo outfit and swinging around a [[WoodenKatanasAreJustBetter bokken]] while [[{{Kiai}} screaming every time he attacks]], all the while acting more like [[PricelessMingVase a bull in a china shop]] than someone actually trying kill Bond. It's hard to take the fight scene seriously, as it looks more like a fight between [[Franchise/ThePinkPanther Inspector Clouseau and Cato]].

* NarmCharm: The entire concept of James Bond going into outer space, even if most agree it serves as one of the better parts of the film.

* TheScrappy: Holly Goodhead isn't as actively despised as some of the Bond Girls who would come after her, but she's often considered the dullest, least interesting Bond Girl in the entire series. A common criticism is that she has virtually no impact on the plot after her abduction in Rio, other than providing someone for Bond to exposit to and then have sex with at the end, whereas even the more widely hated Bond Girls at least did ''something'' in the climaxes of their respective films. Unless you count her piloting the airship that levels the humanity-destroying bombs during the last stretch, of course, but her bland personality is still a persistent issue for most. This is made worse by the fact that her book counterpart is Gala Brand, one of the few great women characters that Fleming wrote. RealLifeWritesThePlot here as Lois Chiles was pregnant during filming, so there wasn't that much she could do.
* {{Sequelitis}}: Many consider it one of the worst Bond films.
* SignatureScene: The pre-credit sequence, with Bond falling from a plane without a parachute and fighting in the air with a henchman.

** Don't forget the ''ludicrously'' fake snake Roger Moore wrestles.

** ''The doubletaking pigeon''. Also qualifies at StockFootageFailure.

** The opening sky-diving scene. Keep in mind that this was pre-CGI. It took some 70 jumps to accomplish, and it still looks great nearly forty years later.

* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: This movie's gotten a lot of criticism for essentially being a near beat for beat rehash of ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe''.

** In this film, the United States Armed Forces has a fully trained and fully armed Space Force ready to intercept foreign threats in orbit within a few hours notice, specifically Drax's space station. Fast forward to 2018 when President Donald Trump began pursuing the military to establish a space force as an entirely new branch to the US Armed Forces; whether these aspirations will be realized or not is yet to be seen.

** Chang showing up in a kendo outfit and swinging around a [[WoodenKatanasAreJustBetter bokken]] while [[{{Kiai}} screaming every time he attacks]], all the while acting more like [[PricelessMingVase a bull in a china shop]] than someone actually trying kill Bond. It's hard to take the fight scene seriously.

* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: This movie's gotten a lot of criticism for essentially being a rehash of ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe''.

* NeverLiveItDown: The ''only'' film to date in which Bond ventures into outer space, and for good reason as it was a blatant effort to cash in on the science fiction craze launched by the release of ''Star Wars'' two years prior.[[note]]The previous film had even stated that next up was ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' in a big sign of just how much they rushed this one out.[[/note]] For many a Bond fan it provides for a fun and exciting ride, if an over-the-top and absurd one at that. For many, though, it is the sheer absurdity of this premise that has made it impossible to take seriously.
* TheScrappy: Holly Goodhead isn't as actively despised as some of the Bond Girls who would come after her, but she's often considered the dullest, least interesting Bond Girl in the entire series. A common criticism is that she has virtually no impact on the plot after her abduction in Rio, other than providing someone for Bond to exposit to and then make out with at the end, whereas even the more widely hated Bond Girls at least did ''something'' in the climaxes of their respective films. Unless you count her piloting the airship that levels the humanity-destroying bombs during the last stretch, of course, but her bland personality is still a persistent issue for most. This is made worse by the fact that her book counterpart is Gala Brand, one of the few great women characters that Fleming wrote. RealLifeWritesThePlot here as Lois Chiles was pregnant during filming so there wasn't that much she could do.

* NeverLiveItDown: The ''only'' film to date in which Bond ventures into outer space, and for good reason as it was a blatant effort to cash in on the science fiction craze launched by the release of ''Star Wars'' two years prior. For many a Bond fan it provides for a fun and exciting ride, if an over-the-top and absurd one at that. For many, though, it is the sheer absurdity of this premise that has made it impossible to take seriously.

* AlasPoorVillain: You can't help but feel bad for the henchman that Bond steals a parachute from during the skydiving fight scene.
** The guy's scream when Bond kicks him away doesn't help either. And the last we see of him is him screaming and floating helplessly away, presumably to fall to his death.

%%* {{Sequelitis}}: Some consider it one of the worst Bond films, in which case it certainly qualifies.
%%* SignatureScene: The entire third act set in outer space certainly counts, for obvious reasons.

* HolywoodHomely: Dolly, the girl Jaws falls in love with, is almost a parody of the trope. Her pigtails and big glasses seem meant to make her look unattractive, but she's still clearly an impressively-proportioned blonde woman in a low-cut dress in a Bond film.

** Equally egregious is Drax deploying an entire space station, larger than anything to have existed in reality without attracting the attention of the world below. Such a feat would have required perhaps ''dozens'' of launches in seeing all the components eventually assembled, and the station's radar jamming system certainly would not have covered for these. Further compounding this absurd scenario is no apparent interference caused by the station's orbit to the world's expansive network of telecommunications or anybody with a telescope taking note of it, not to mention you could see it with the ''naked eye'' from the ground - true, it would only be a moving point of light, but visible nonetheless.

* IdiotPlot: In reality, Drax's plan to repopulate the world with his chosen ones, would simply not work-period. No matter how 'perfect'(attractive) his minions were, there were simply not near enough of them to rebuild or sustain any kind of civilization. His numbers alone, would have put humanity into a population bottleneck far more severe than that proposed by the Toba catastrophe theory, in which it is estimated the total number of humans on the entire Earth, at ~ 10,000, or less even. Far more than Drax's space station could ever hold. His entire harem, would be roughly equivalent to the population of a small village. His group would lack the skills, numbers, and resilience to survive in a de-populated world. A world that would be wracked by massive pollution from abandoned nuclear, industrial and chemical sites, amoung other threats and dangers. The end result of Drax's megalomania, should his plan have worked, would likely lead to the total extinction of the human race, not a rebirth. At best, his group might have a shelf-life of a few generations before expiring. Inbreeding, infighting, and deaths caused by accidents, pollution, or just plain despair would claim enough of them to render the entire undertaking a lost cause. If they were really fortunate, the (inbred) survivors might end up living an existence not dissimilar to some of the most isolated tribes in South America and Africa, if they survived at all that is.
* InferredHolocaust: See all those beautiful women on the poster? See the same beautiful women and handsome men exercising on Drax' estate and later romancing each other on the shuttle flight up to the station? Consider now that every one of them are likely slaughtered either by the good guys - the space soldiers - or in the destruction of the space station, as with the sole exception of Jaws' girlfriend (who was never one of their number anyway), the film gives zero indication of there being any survivors, casting a grim light on what is otherwise an exciting space battle. Of course, it can be argued that they all have AssholeVictim status given that they were totally cool with working with Drax the OmnicidalManiac.

** Jaws ''falling in love'' complete with [[StandardSnippet the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy.]]

* {{Asspull}}:

----
* IdiotPlot: In reality, Drax's plan to repopulate the world with his chosen ones, would simply not work-period. No matter how 'perfect'(attractive) his minions were, there were simply not near enough of them to rebuild or sustain any kind of civilization. His numbers alone, would have put humanity into a population bottleneck far more severe than that proposed by the Toba catastrophe theory, in which it is estimated the total number of humans on the entire Earth, at ~ 10,000, or less even. Far more than Drax's space station could ever hold. His entire harem, would be roughly equivalent to the population of a small village. His group would lack the skills, numbers, and resilience to survive in a de-populated world. A world that would be wracked by massive pollution from abandoned nuclear, industrial and chemical sites, amoung other threats and dangers. The end result of Drax's megalomania, should his plan have worked, would likely lead to the total extinction of the human race, not a rebirth. At best, his group might have a shelf-life of a few generations before expiring. Inbreeding, infighting, and deaths caused by accidents, pollution, or just plain despair would claim enough of them to render the entire undertaking a lost cause. If they were really fortunate, the (inbred) survivors might end up living an existence not dissimilar to some of the most isolated tribes in South America and Africa, if they survived at all that is.

* IdiotPlot: In reality, Drax's plan to repopulate the world with his chosen ones, would simply not work-period. No matter how 'perfect'(attractive) his minions were, there were simply not near enough of them to rebuild any kind of civilization. His numbers alone, would have put humanity into a population bottleneck far worse than that proposed by the Toba catastrophe theory, in which it is estimated the total number of humans on the entire Earth, at ~ 10,000, less even. Far more than Drax's space station could ever hold. Drax's total harem, would be roughly equivalent to the population of a small village. His group would lack the skills, numbers, and resilience to survive in a de-populated world. A world that would be wracked by massive pollution from abandoned nuclear, industrial and chemical sites, amoung other threats and dangers. The end result of Drax's meglomania, should his plan have worked, would likely lead to the total extinction of the human race, not a rebirth. At best, his group might have a shelf-life of a few generations at most. Inbreeding, infighting, and deaths caused by accident, pollution, or just plain despair would doom most of them. If they were really lucky, they might end up living an existence not dissimilar to some of the most isolated tribes in South America and Africa, if they survived at all. Best case.

* TheIdiotPlot: In reality, Drax's plan to repopulate the world with his chosen ones, would simply not work-period. No matter how 'perfect'(attractive) his minions were, there were simply not near enough of them to rebuild any kind of civilization. His numbers alone, would have put humanity into a population bottleneck far worse than that proposed by the Toba catastrophe theory, in which it is estimated the total number of humans on the entire Earth, at ~ 10,000, less even. Far more than Drax's space station could ever hold. Drax's total harem, would be roughly equivalent to the population of a small village. His group would lack the skills, numbers, and resilience to survive in a de-populated world. A world that would be wracked by massive pollution from abandoned nuclear, industrial and chemical sites, amoung other threats and dangers. The end result of Drax's meglomania, should his plan have worked, would likely lead to the total extinction of the human race, not a rebirth. At best, his group might have a shelf-life of a few generations at most. Inbreeding, infighting, and deaths caused by accident, pollution, or just plain despair would doom most of them. If they were really lucky, they might end up living an existence not dissimilar to some of the most isolated tribes in South America and Africa, if they survived at all. Best case.

----

* BrokenBase: The space sequences. For many fans and critics, it cements this as one of the most absurd Bond films in the series and is often looked upon with disdain. For many, however, it is either a guilty pleasure or a genuinely exciting segment that serves as the best part of an already bizarrely-plotted movie. The latter camp is helped by the absolutely stunning and massive set pieces designed by Ken Adams and the excellent special effects to accompany them.

* CriticalResearchFailure: Bond is placed in a centrifuge that can test the durability of potential astronauts against a g-force of up to twenty gs, which Dr. Goodhead remarks would be fatal. In actuality, Air Force Colonel John Stapp had set the record for a human's sustainability against g-forces of up to 46 gs in ''1954'', twenty-five years before ''Moonraker'' was released.