James Bond: The Roger Moore Years (1973-1985)

When Sean Connery stepped down from his iconic role of James Bond it was up to producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman to find someone to fill some very large shoes – George Lazenby having shanked the part by acting like an ass and Sean Connery’s brief reprise in Diamonds are Forever being a “one-off” return – and so it fell to 45-year old Roger Moore to take up the mantle. This made Roger Moore the oldest actor to portray James Bond but he more than made up for that by adding a bit of fun and charm to the franchise.

This Bond was no saint but he wasn’t quite as ruthless as the Connery era Bond.

The Roger Moore era spanned twelve years and seven films, which is currently the record, and though his run of films was a bit lighter in tone – even getting downright silly at times – all while diverging even further from the source material than the films of the Connery era, but Moore completely embraced the role and made it his own. When watching his run of films we can ask such questions as “Was going into space a bridge too far? Did he stay with the role too long?” and though those kinds of questions are oft-debated what can’t be argued is the vast amount of fun and entertainment one can get out of watching his movies. Below you will find my collection of reviews for Roger Moore’s seven-film tenure as James Bond, simply click on a poster or the links below to enter the world of Bond, James Bond.

Live and Let Die (1973)

Roger Moore’s first outing as the world’s most famous secret agent has him tackling Voodoo cult and drug smugglers.

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Does a notorious assassin have his sights set on James Bond? Can Bond recover a key component that will end the energy crisis? How awesome is Christopher Lee?

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Someone is hijacking British and Russian submarines and it’s up to Bond and his KGB counterpart to find out who is responsible.

Moonraker (1979)

The theft of a space shuttle leads James Bond on one of his most dangerous mission as he ventures into the Final Frontier to stop a mad man bent on humanity’s destruction.

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

When a British vessel sinks with a crucial weapon encryption device onboard Bond must find it before other various nefarious parties do.

Octopussy (1983)

An international jewel-smuggling operation, run by the beautiful Octopussy, leads Bond on the trail of a nuclear bomb.

A View to a Kill (1985)

James Bond must stop a mad industrialist from creating a worldwide microchip monopoly by destroying California’s Silicon Valley.

Fans may argue endlessly over who was and was not the best Bond but it is an undeniable fact that Roger Moore was a class act on and off-screen – he became the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF – and wasn’t above poking fun at his own persona in such films as Cannonball Run, and as Roger Moore was the Bond I grew up watching he will always have a place in my heart.

You can check out my reviews for the Bond films of the Sean Connery era here: James Bond: The Sean Connery Years (1962-1983)