The Spy Who Loved Me

Sunday 9th March

Simple start to this film, the world has lost a nuclear submarine, how exactly you lose a submarine I’m not sure but secret services around the world instantly get their best agents on the job, among them 007 and XXX.

Bond starts off in Austria on a different mission, once again getting betrayed by a female companion working for people trying to kill him; in true bond style he escapes wearing a very fetching yellow ski suit which of course has an inbuilt parachute and swaps the Austrian Alps for Cario.

Quite originally newest Bond villain, Mr Stromberg who likes to feed people who betray him to carnivorous marine-life. He also has on hand Frankenstein versions of Laurel and Hardy set the task of tracking down the agents tracking down the submarine. Bond makes quick work of the smaller of the pair leaving his companion Jaws for later.

It’s an almost overly clichéd romantic tale, opposing agents thrown together, a mutual distain forced to be put aside in order to survive and of course, they’re both in evening wear to give the whole thing a sense of occasion – at least XXX stops to tie her hair back, proving her dedication to the task in hand. Unfortunately they leave the task half-finished and while they do leave with the microfilm Jaws is merely delayed and catches up with them on a train where Bond quite originally uses a lamp to do some high-tech electric dental work on Jaws’ braces.

Q was back in this film, if I’m honest I think there’s been rather a lack on him in the more recent films, showcasing his new techniques and gadgets including decapitation via tea tray. Though more usefully he’s developed his own version of Chitty Chitty Bang Ban which quite usefully converts into a submarine, providing Bond and Anya with even more clichéd alone time submersed in a coral reef. However just when Anya is starting to come round to James’ charms she realises Bond is the man behind the death of her recently departed boyfriend – bound to throw a spanner into any budding romance.

Eventually we’re told what Stromberg’s plan is with his stolen submarine, destroy Moscow and New York using the nuclear missiles onboard and create a new world focused around the seas, so essentially he’s a bit of a marine hippy. 

James gets to play a rather intense game of operation to remove a detonator from one of the remaining missiles, which he then transports using cable car to blow his way into the control room with just minutes to spare. International crisis averted Bond is forced to turn his attentions to a more personal one – the navy has been instructed to destroy Stromberg’s vessel which happens to have Anya onboard – can Bond get them both off submarine before the British Navy destroys it – unsurprisingly they both just make it.

This was possibly my favourite Roger Moore so far, if only for the submarine car and DIY Jet Ski and who can resist a clichéd love affair that’s inevitable and yet doomed from the first few scenes of the film.