Not too long ago I went on a Netflix spree where I decided to find out once and for all which James Bond films I liked, and to make sure I had seen all of them. Actually, that was a while ago. And for the record, I can’t remember now which ones I liked, though I know I did buy them all on VHS for like $2 each, and they are still packed from the move and sitting somewhere in my closet.
One that really stood out, and I always liked it a lot anyway, was Moonraker. It’s an ominous, slow-moving at times, dramatic space adventure, science fiction and action film. That and it was made in the 70s so it really has all the touches I enjoy. The last time I watched it I thought to myself, “wow, this score is really good!” And indeed, it is.
I went on an Amazon shopping spree this week and bought a few CDs, and one I got was the Moonraker soundtrack. I’m listening to it for the second time right now, and it really is good. The score kind of reminds me of The Black Hole a bit. Both movies have some similarities I think, and John Barry scored both movies in the same year it looks like. That reminds me, too. XM radio sampled all the Star Trek scores on Cinemagic the other day, and for the first time I thought they sounded really cool. I gotta add 1 through 3 to my wishlist. Something else I really like about Cinemagic is that they will play clips from the movie between score tracks. It really brings back the mood with clarity. I love it.
Anyway, I’m actually surprised I found a James Bond score to my liking, since generally speaking soundtracks to action films are pretty edgy and fast-moving, and I don’t like that stuff. This one is nice and calm and slow moving, just like the movie sometimes, as this huge space project rolls into completion. Really good stuff. Certainly unexpected.
I really like all the James Bond movies. There are some that I like over others, but there isn’t a single one that I do not like. They’re all great. And, as you mentioned, the score on many of them is very noteworthy.