Curator Watchlist
A peak late-70s Bond outing: big, glossy, and shamelessly entertaining, with standout stunts, memorable production design, and a confident blend of espionage, spectacle, and camp. The plot is pure franchise machinery, but the execution is so polished that it becomes part of the fun.
Where to watch: Buy
Thu · 2h 5m
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens
Russian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the riddle of the disappearing ships. But the KGB also has an agent on the case.
Lewis Gilbert
Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens
A peak late-70s Bond outing: big, glossy, and shamelessly entertaining, with standout stunts, memorable production design, and a confident blend of espionage, spectacle, and camp. The plot is pure franchise machinery, but the execution is so polished that it becomes part of the fun.
This is the Roger Moore Bond film that most cleanly turns excess into entertainment. The premise is classic Cold War pulp, but the movie’s real appeal is the scale: exotic locations, elegant framing, outrageous gadgets, and a parade of set pieces that keep escalating without losing their sense of fun.
It also feels like a perfect time capsule of 1970s blockbuster craft. The underwater sequences, the tanker lair, and the car-submarine reveal are all engineered for maximum audience delight, and the film knows exactly when to lean into wit instead of tension. Even when the story gets absurd, the movie stays smooth and confident.
Not every element lands equally well. The villain is more functional than memorable, and the romance is mostly franchise routine. But the sheer polish of the action, the production design, and the breezy rhythm make it one of the most rewatchable Bond entries, especially if you like your spy movies big, glossy, and a little ridiculous.
SilentDawn (5★) · 736 likes
*Was a 73, now a 100* If you can't already tell, I've fallen head-over-heels in love with this movie, which isn't really a surprise considering I already had a strong response to The Spy Who Loved Me when I re-watched it initially back in January. I'm emerging from a Bond haze and yet another re-watch to write a little, if only to point out that *this* film is the ultimate installment from the series. For me at least. From the… more
ScreeningNotes (4★) · 524 likes
"Moneypenny, where's 007?""He's on a mission sir. In Austria.""Well, tell him to pull out. Immediately." My favorite of the Roger Moore Bonds. If you ever need proof for the theory that the Bond movies work as time capsules, transforming the formula to fit the tastes of the time, you need look no further than The Spy Who Loved Me. It screams late 70's the same way the tacky special effects of the Brosnan Bonds scream late 90's. The… more
Calvin Dyson (5★) · 431 likes
ROGERTAINMENT at its purest form. Every scene is a delight in some way. I never tire of this completely fun, blast of a film.
CJ Probst (5★) · 385 likes
M here again. As you were. Been pulling some overtime here to catch up. The Spy Who Loved Me is everything you want out of a Bond film and is nearly flawless. Though the plot seems oddly familiar and has absolutely nothing to do with the book from which it is based, there is a ton to enjoy and the tropes are operating to perfection. With memorable music and characters, this film will be tough to beat. What follows is
Matt Singer (3.5★) · 338 likes
Widely regarded as Roger Moore’s best Bond — and, therefore, if you’re a Moore fan, one of the best Bond movies period. And yet the villain is an absolute stiff, and Barbara Bach always strikes me as miscast as a tough-as-nails (not to mention Russian) secret agent. Can’t beat disco Bond music, Carly Simon, and a car that turns into a submarine, I guess.
For a more grounded spy thriller that still delivers chase-driven momentum and international intrigue.
A sleek template for glamorous espionage, mistaken identity, and big set-piece suspense.
A modern Bond entry that balances style, spectacle, and franchise self-awareness.
For viewers who like spycraft but want a cooler, more procedural and less fantastical approach.
Shares the playful, stylish, lightly comic sophistication of mid-century espionage entertainment.
A broad comic riff on spy-movie tropes for anyone who enjoys Bond’s sillier side.
For sharp, adult action filmmaking with a strong emphasis on chase choreography and tension.
A Bond film that leans more serious while keeping the franchise’s globe-trotting appeal.
A polished espionage blockbuster with gadgets, betrayals, and slick set-piece construction.
For big-budget action, military hardware, and a similarly crowd-pleasing sense of escalation.
A colder, more cynical spy story for viewers interested in the genre’s darker edge.
A glossy, funny action-spy hybrid that matches the mix of spectacle and lightness.
Cold War espionage, nuclear threat, international intrigue, spy gadgetry, supervillain lair, underwater action, blockbuster spectacle, camp humor
spy thriller, action-adventure, Cold War, nuclear submarines, practical stunts, 1970s cinema, exotic locations, campy tone, blockbuster spectacle, espionage