Bond shows off his intuition with this clever line that reveals how quickly Bond understands Hugo Drax’s plan in Moonraker. Seeing the paired passengers aboard the shuttle immediately evokes the story of Noah’s Ark and Drax’s disturbing vision of repopulating Earth with his chosen elite in a “new dynasty.” For a movie released in 1979, the space sequences remain visually impressive and clearly reflect the influence of the science fiction boom that followed Star Wars.
Moonraker certainly has its flaws, yet its escapist ambition is easy to appreciate. Like many science fiction stories, realism is temporarily set aside as Bond is rather conveniently transformed into an astronaut and thrown into a space laser battle. Even so, the spectacle still holds a unique charm in the Bond universe.
You never know: with Dune director Denis Villeneuve now guiding Bond 26, the science fiction edge of Moonraker could easily be revisited since the genre is in his wheelhouse.
