This is another solid entry in the continuing release of James Bond films. This edition of Moonraker boasts a widescreen anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer that faithfully reproduces the original theatrical aspect ratio. English and French soundtracks are available in Dolby Digital Surround, although only the English soundtrack is closed-captioned. Subtitles are available in Spanish or French. Two separate documentaries deal with the making of the film and the special effects employed in the film. In addition to a still gallery and the original theatrical trailer, there is an audio commentary by director Lewis Gilbert.

This (13th) time around, "007" receives the usual call to come and visit "Mother" when another agent drops off a fake Faberge jeweled egg at the British embassy in East Berlin and is later killed at a traveling circus. Suspicions mount when the assistant manager of the circus Kamal (Louis Jourdan), outbids Bond for the real Faberge piece at Sotheby's. Bond follows Kamal to India where the superspy thwarts many an ingenious attack and encounters the antiheroine of the title (Maud Adams), an international smuggler who runs the circus as a cover for her illegal operations. It does not take long to figure out that Orlov (Steven Berkoff), a decidedly rank Russian general is planning to raise enough money with the fake Faberges to detonate a nuclear bomb in Europe and then defeat NATO forces once and for all in conventional warfare. As always, it is up to Bond to save the day, win the woman, and perform unimaginable feats of derring-do in the process.

MGM/UA's first attempt at releasing the Bond movies in the DVD format was less than impressive, with little in the way of additional material and mastering that was sometimes dubious despite the use of the THX process. Fortunately, a decision was made to make another pass at the Bond DVDs, with the aim of producing a trio of box sets that would incorporate the first 18 films, with a slot for the 19th, The World Is Not Enough. The first set of seven DVDs actually tended towards overkill, with two commentary tracks per film, and as much subordinate material as could be found. This tends to make going through the DVD an exhausting process -- something common to the first seven to be reissued, as well as The World Is Not Enough. All of the titles have excellent animated menu screens. Visually, the film looks good, with a nice color balance and no visible artifacting. Colors are suitably muted in the London sequences, while suitably bright (without stridency) in the American sequences. The transfer is anamorphic, with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Grain is not at all obvious, while the image remains sharp and clear and for the most part free of print blemishes. The audio component is quite good, though both the English and French audio tracks are in mono. Little distortion is evident, and neither track suffers from shrillness or boominess -- music, effects, and dialogue are very well balanced throughout. The two commentary tracks are assembled from comments by director Guy Hamilton and cast and crew members, but unfortunately suffer from redundancies and lengthy pauses, as well as a tendency to drone. There is a great deal of interesting material to be had, but it requires work to ferret it out. The other bonus materials include a "making of" documentary, a short feature on "The Goldfinger Phenomenon" (covering the way Bond fandom exploded on the release of the movie), the original promotional featurette (which will provoke a few winces), the trailer, TV spots, radio ads, radio interviews with Sean Connery, and an extensive stills gallery that also includes posters and images of merchandise licensed at the time. Both "The Making of Goldfinger" and "The Goldfinger Phenomenon" are interesting and entertaining. All in all, an excellent DVD, though slightly lacking in the two main commentaries -- certainly no reason to pass over this release. Just be prepared to spend a long time working through it.