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James Bond Ultimate Roger Moore - Live And Let Die/The Man With The Golden Gun/The Spy Who Loved Me/Moonraker/For Your Eyes Only/Octopussy/A View To A Kill


RRP: £49.99
Our Price: £35.97 (subject to change)

You have a nasty habit of surviving
Review date: 2008-08-30 Rating: 8 out of 10

Collecting the seven movies featuring `official' Bond number three, Roger Moore:

Live And Let Die: Roger Moore's debut in the role of James Bond is a pleasingly dated blaxploitation pastiche, which, though it has not aged well, still endures as an oddball 1970s' crime thriller. Yaphet Kotto's villain is well-played, Jane Seymour is gorgeous as Solitaire, and the alligator farm sequence and resulting speedboat chase are two of the series' most famous scenes. Also, Paul McCartney's theme song is possibly the series' all time best.

The Man With The Golden Gun: Moore's second film in the series is possibly the series all-time worst; like Diamonds Are Forever, it forsakes plot logic and any attempts at realism for low-brow comedy, daft homage to other movies (in this case, dire 1970s Kung-Fu flicks), and pointless travelogue. Christopher Lee is a good villain (though his performance here as the triple-nippled assassin of the title is far from a stretch for him) and Lulu's theme song is an underrated piece of 1970s' funk, but overall this is a silly and pointless film, that deservedly failed to set the box office on fire.

The Spy Who Loved Me: Far and away Moore's best Bond film, this one went out of its way to be a `big' event movie, and in most respects it succeeded. Carly Simon's iconic theme song sets the tone for a slick `greatest hits' package, including the stunning Barbara Bach as Anya Amasova, Richard Kiel's ludicrous but still impressive Jaws, some great stunt work, impressive set design, and a suitably grand, end-of-the-world-threatening plot.

Moonraker: In the wake of The Spy Who Loved Me, and following the box office success of Star Wars, Eon sent James Bond into space for another misjudged mess. Moore again hammers home the comedy, the plot is basically the same as the previous film, we get a silly encore from Jaws, and Lois Chiles is completely without charm as the female lead. Michael Lonsdale has some fun as the villain, but his turn is nothing when compared to his sensitive performances in The Day of The Jackal and Munich. Bearing no resemblance to the Fleming original (this was the last Bond movie billed as an adaptation of one of his books), with Moore here about as far away from the literary Bond as it is possible to get, this isn't one for purists.

For Your Eyes Only: Roger Moore gives possibly his most impressive movie performance as a by-now getting-on-a-bit Bond in this involving caper, an attempt to bring the series back down to earth after the overblown Moonraker. Countering Moore's natural urbanity and preference for comedy with plenty of scenes in which he has to flex his acting muscles (I love the scene in which he kicks Michael Gothard's car off the cliff), this isn't a particularly exciting or important Bond film, but it is still well above average for the series.

Octopussy: Moore's penultimate effort in the series, and by this point the rot was well and truly starting to set in. Though it has a strong mid-section and well-played villains from Steven Berkoff and Louis Jourdan, this is a particularly travelogue-obsessed effort in the Bond canon, the first half of it set in a picture-perfect Delhi straight out of colonial fiction. Maud Adams is the least appealing Bond `girl' of the series, clearly getting on a bit herself and obviously cast opposite the by-now fifty-five year-old Moore to make their romantic scenes a bit more believable. This silly film really should have been Moore's last in the role, and is only really memorable for inspiring Homer Simpson's immortal line, 'You know what's great about you English? Octopussy. I must have seen that movie... twice.'

A View To A Kill: The James Bond series has seen its ups and downs over the years, with bad movies following good ones as a matter of course, and the series repeatedly re-inventing itself to come back from the brink of extinction. However, the one film that should never have happened in the series must be Roger Moore's final effort in the role, in which his age (fifty-seven in 1985), is plainly, and ridiculously, apparent. This is the film in which suspension of disbelief is impossible, with Moore cast opposite the (relatively) young Christopher Walken (villain) and Tanya Roberts (love interest), he looks incongruous, ancient, and exhausted; more like a shagged-out old playboy on his final jaunt around the world than a smooth secret agent out to save it. Patrick Macnee was obviously cast in the film in an attempt to make Moore look younger and fitter by comparison, but the attempt fails, and when Grace Jones clambers into the sack with Moore and pins him to the bed, you wonder if James Bond is finally going to be killed... by a heart attack.

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Reviews


The best Bond films
Review date: 2007-08-20 Rating: 10 out of 10

At last! A Roger Moore boxset! They are my favourite Bond films and this will sure save a bit of time and money collecting them individually. Before this collection, I considered buying the complete Bond collection but in all honesty, I don't think other Bonds have been as good. In my opinion, Sean Connery's have dated a lot since they were made in the 60s, Timothy Dalton was dull, and Pierce Brosnan's became too scientific and OTT. Roger Moore Bond films were everything that the Bond films should be - fast cars, beautiful women, good stunts, action and effects (even by today's standards), and good humour thrown in for light relief. Who can forget the deadly yet comical henchman Jaws! I also think Rog had the best music and the best musical scores, especially from John Barry in Moonraker. I really don't understand why Roger Moore Bond is often overlooked and criticised for being too humourous. As well as all the action and drama that these films certainly deliver, Bond films need a bit of humour to lighten things up. I think Daniel Craig's tough and brutal Bond should've taken note of this. Highly recommended boxset. I hope this review has been helpful.

About time too!
Review date: 2007-05-24 Rating: 8 out of 10

For years I have complained about VHS and DVD box sets professing to be 'complete' James Bond. As they are continuing to make 007 films, these expensive boxed sets are only going to be 'complete' until the next one comes out. I have been praying for Sean Connery and Roger Moore 007 DVD boxed sets for some time, not being a fan of Dalton or Brosnan, so this latest release suits me down to the ground - my favourite Bonds in boxed sets that won't be obselete in twelve months' time. One thing though - even when you have all the boxed sets, you still won't have all the films, you'd still have to buy George Lazenby's On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Sean Connery's 'unofficial' Never Say Never Again separately. Here's hoping they release a Daniel Craig boxed set to match the collection when he eventually retires from the role.

5 Stars - No Question
Review date: 2007-05-16 Rating: 10 out of 10

I am a big James Bond fan, in particular the movies starring Roger Moore. I was slightly miffed after shelling out on the original DVDs to find these 'new, improved' versions arrive last year. That said, the remastering has been done meticulously on both the image and audio fronts (although the commentaries from Rog all seem to be very self depracating and charming, but after 10 minutes or so become tiresome).
I would also like to point out that all the criticism Rog receives for the so-called over the top humour etc. is very much misplaced. Real fans of the series will realise that the overt humour actually began in Connery's last outing as Bond, the disappointing Diamonds Are Forever. In fact, Moore's charisma managed to sustain the series for two decades.

Buy with assuredness.

Fun escapism!
Review date: 2007-02-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

After the seriousness of the Sean Connery BONDS, along came Roger Moore. Still the oldest actor to have portrayed BOND, Moore was a rather mature 46 when he appeared in his first Bond film LIVE AND LET DIE in 1973 and 58 in his last outing, A VIEW TO A KILL in 1985. Age was never a factor however. While Moores BONDS are these days considered to be the worst of all, this had more to do with the scripts and the belief that Moore was simply not right for the part, too "suave". MOONRAKER was fun but silly, FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, boring and OCTOPUSSY, weak scripted. That said his first 3 efforts and last 1, despite not being classics were huge fun. I would say, buy these individually.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Topol
Roger Moore
Louis Jourdan
Desmond Llewelyn
Carole Bouquet

Creators:
Roger Moore (Primary Contributor)
Desmond Llewelyn (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: MGM Entertainment
Manufacturer: MGM Entertainment
EAN: 5039036029261
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 14
Format: Box set, PAL,
Release date: 2006-11-27
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 850 minutes
Language: Greek (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Hindi (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

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