007: Live and Let Die
Originally published on social media on January 25th, 2022
Let me start off by saying that the best thing about this film is it’s theme song performed by The Wings. There is something truly incredible and unique about Sir Paul McCartney’s music. However, the film itself is incredibly controversial. In order to enjoy this film, the viewer must be okay with watching films about voodoo, tarot cards, or other satanic practices. If the viewer is like me and is not okay watching films that participate in these practices, then I recommend they listen to the theme song and imagine a new plot for this film.
Outside of these things, people like me do not miss much. This is Roger Moore’s first Bond film and as such, he is at his youngest and his prime. He is clever, suave, and lighthearted, but not funny. Any Moore Bond film after this feels less plausible because of how old he is (or how he shows his age). That doesn’t mean that Moore is a bad Bond, but there are Bonds that are better than him. One thing I will say about all the Roger Moore Bond films is that they have the coolest gadgets and that includes this film. Jane Seymour plays Solitaire and she is annoyingly gorgeous as usual and fits all the Bond girl themes and tropes.
In every film review I have given so far, I have avoided chronocentrism. The reason why this is so important for watching Bond films is that the Bond franchise was only ever a reflection of political and social norms of each given time period, and these films were never created to uphold any moral, social, or political standard.However, there is only so much that one can justify under the reigns of historical context. In short, some things are so offensive that they cannot be justified. This film is full of significant offenses revolving around the depiction of black culture. Black people in this film are either criminals, lower class, not intelligent, rapists, or involved with drugs, human trafficking, or cults. Bond films have been offensive in these ways before, but these offensives are never dominating or overarching themes of other Bond films.