Spy Who Loved Me, The (1977)

The Spy Who Loved Me is a slight improvement over the previous installment--Bond's character is a little less inconsistent and the film is a little better executed--but I feel the film is a hollow imitation of From Russia with Love. Bond is sent on a joint Anglo-Soviet mission to discover what happened to two nuclear submarines that were stolen from both countries, partnering up with a wide-eyed Soviet spy played by Barbara Bach. Unfortunately, her acting is unbearable. The 70s are in full swing here, and they don't treat Bond well. Flared tuxedo pants, tacky cars, and a wakka-wakka 70s TV soundtrack mar the film. The puns are embarrassingly bad. The villain is kind of lame, but his base is pretty cool. The special effects are executed quite well, with some really fantastic miniature work. The best part of the film is Richard Kiel's Jaws--cheesy but menacing, indestructible but not yet the caricature he became in Moonraker.

5/10

PS: I can't help but wonder why the far more attractive Caroline Munro was not given a more significant role in the film.