The Roger Moore debate among 007 fans

It has been 24 years since Roger Moore last played James Bond. Yet it seems as if Sir Roger stirs the most emotional reactions among 007 fans. His detractors really don’t like him. His fans are equally strong in their opinions.

Here’s a sampling. For detractors, it is too much humor, Moore doesn’t take the role serious enough and his seven films, for the most part, stray too far from Ian Fleming. In fact, the parent Web site of this blog has carried many such comments over the years For a few examples click HERE, not to mention RIGHT HERE and let’s not forget RIGHT HERE.

For that matter, some fans refer to the 1970s — where Moore accounted for four of the five 007 films of that decade — as the dark ages of the film series.

Moore supporters say this is poppycock. Perhaps the Moore film that gets the most flak is 1979’s Moonraker, where 007 goes into space. Fans of Sir Roger say it’s entertaining, including THIS ARTICLE and this thread on the CommanderBond.net message boards.

What’s more (or what’s Moore, if we were into puns), supporters will say Sir Roger kept the series going at a time many critics thought it couldn’t survive Sean Connery’s departure. Finally, when Sir Roger returned for his sixth 007 film, Octopussy, it prevented James Brolin from being cast in the role:

And that, some believe, was a very good thing, the comments by John Glen and Michael G. Wilson notwithstanding.

Finally, there’s the argument that the actor didn’t control scripts and directors. When he got a good story to work with, such as For Your Eyes Only or The Spy Who Loved Me, some fans feel he did just fine, even if they didn’t like efforts such as Moonraker or Live And Let Die.

This post isn’t likely to change anyone’s mind. We just hope it provides some food for thought among 007 fans. And we hope our friends at the I Expect You to Die! and CommanderBond.net sites don’t mind us linking. The purpose was to demonstrate the diversity of thought among fans and not to criticize or pick on anybody.