THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) **1/2 Great machine-gun shootout for a film ostensibly about nuclear weapons. No film franchise has pumped out formulaic films with such success and frequency as James Bond, so let's see how they like it for a change. Bond: Roger Moore is no Sean Connery, but he's the consistent, safe and appropriate selection as second best Bond. Bondmobile: White is definitely not the right color for it, but the Lotus Esprit is probably the best looking of all Bondmobiles. This one further distinguishes itself by being amphibious. Still, despite being British it somehow lacks the dignity and gravitas of the earlier Aston Martin. Archvillain: Another bitter and confused caucasian, just like the rest. He lives in a very cool semi-underwater pod, though. Bond Girls: Barbara Bach was not born to be an actress, but she is striking to the point that it's her-rather than Caroline Munro-that you're going to remember when the film is through. Show me an Oscar winner who can do that! Locales: Can't go wrong with Egyptian ruins, obviously, but Sardinia was a particularly brilliant selection. Music: I never liked the Carly Simon song, but I don't like it less now. The incidental disco-ish variations on the Bond theme are pretty cool, though. Production: Almost envisaged MTV, with music more or less linking a confederacy of make-out and fight scenes.
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