When you compare Roger Moore and Daniel Craig as James Bond, there are significant differences that make them both memorable for different reasons. 

In Moonraker (1979), James Bond (Roger Moore) investigates the hijacking of an American space shuttle with the smart and beautiful Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) and discovers a plot to commit global genocide. Casino Royale, featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond, follows Bond as he receives his license to kill and chases Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a man who finances terrorist organizations. When he learns Le Chiffre plans to raise money in a high- stakes poker game, MI6 sends Bond to play against him. 

Moonraker is slow-paced and relies on the excitement of the next girl Bond gets to have a fling with. There are many dialogue-heavy scenes with no music or camera shots to make the scene interesting. Most fight scenes don’t have music, though the boat chasing scene in Venice is creative and entertaining. This wasn’t the most popular Roger Moore movie, by a long shot. During the late seventies, Star Wars was all the craze. Moonraker attempted to follow the popular outer-space franchise, to no avail. On the other hand, many 007 fans believe Roger Moore was one of the best Bond actors and depicted him more accurately than other actors. He is iconic for his confidence, and many women at the time found him extremely attractive. In his films, it is shown many times that he is irresistible to any woman he comes across. This made him a very popular James Bond. 

Casino Royale is able to connect to Bond’s more emotional side while also being an action-packed, tension building film. While Bond still has a sexy fling with an irresistible but forbidden woman, he also falls in love. Scenes of dialogue are dynamic and interesting to look at. Characters use body language to communicate as well, something that seemed to be lacking in Moonraker.  Another thing that is admirable about the newer Bond movie is that the female character (Eva Green) is written as an actual person and important character instead of a sexual object for Bond. The film is also more colorful, making it more enthralling to the audience. Eva Green’s character in the movie can also show that this new Bond is able to work with another person, as opposed to being a lone soldier in past movies. Daniel Craig is able to play an emotional Bond while being able to maintain his stoic character. He is a dynamic character who can do wrong unlike Roger Moore’s 007. 

I am looking forward to seeing more of the 007 franchise, but of the two I’ve seen, Casino Royale is the best. I would rate Moonraker 2.5 stars and Casino Royale 5 stars. Daniel Craig’s departure as James Bond will surely be missed by many.