When looking at film franchises, few are as revered and long-lasting as James Bond. Beginning in 1962, the series has spawned 25 films with six different actors playing the title role from Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan and currently Daniel Craig. First appearing in 2006's Casino Royale, Craig has played Bond over the course of fifteen years with his latest entry, No Time To Die, being his big swan-song. After being delayed numerous times, No Time finally lands in theaters and provides fans with a flawed yet fitting closure to Craig's tenure as 007.
No Time's plot has James Bond (Daniel Craig) being forced out of retirement and placed back on assignment after being informed that a project he thought was defunct has fallen into the hands of a diabolical villain (Rami Malek), seeking revenge against the woman (Lea Seydoux) 007 currently loves. No Time's story serves two narratives: The first being to extend the subplot involving Bond's romantic life that was introduced in Spectre with the second concluding his entire arc as the character. The story works at fulfilling both while establishing itself as being the most emotional Bond film ever. Though not as explosively entertaining as Royale nor as compelling as Skyfall, No Time generally pleases with its biggest defect being its excessive length. Despite that main issue, the film has enough sleek action and character development to pass as a strong finale for Craig's Bond who undoubtedly goes out with a bang.
Besides No Time's action, the performances are a key strong point with Craig giving 110 percent in playing a more human, angry, and vulnerable Bond that ultimately results in a well-rounded performance. Rami Malek is terrific as hyper-intelligent adversary to Bond, Lyuysifer Safin, with his character being a worthy adversary. Lea Seydoux gives a strong performance as Bond's love interest Dr. Madeleine Swann with both her and Craig sharing solid chemistry. Lashana Lynch impresses as a new "00" agent who gets assigned Bonds original 007 number, along with keeping the latter on his toes. Ana De Armaa steals the show with her brief role as the bubbly yet tough CIA agent Paloma who assists Bond. The rest of the cast consist of returning faces from previous Bond entries with Ralph Fiennes once again playing M to Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Ben Whishaw as Q, supplier of Bond's field weapons. Other noteworthy performances include Jeffrey Wright and Christolph Waltz reprising their roles as Bond's friend and CIA field officer Felix Leiter, and Waltz as Bond's arch-enemy and foster brother Ernst Blofeld. As far as performances go, No Time's cast all bring their A game to the story and make it believable.
Replacing Spectre director is Cary Joji Fukunaga, who aims to give Craig's 007 an action-packed and romantic finish. He ensures that the story allows Bond to exit on a powerful note with the films love story being connected to Royale, while being influenced by On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The film carries the same breathtaking cinematography which beautifully captures all of its exotic locations with a thrilling score from composer Hans Zimmer. The action sequences are well-choreographed and shot with a wide variety of set-pieces ranging from typical fistfights and shootouts to stunning car chases such as the films opening scene. The films biggest downfall lies with its 163 minute length, making it the longest film of the series. Whereas the first half is well-paced, the stories momentum stalls within its second half with the film feeling overlong despite its brilliant climax. In terms of directing, Funkunaga nails the look and atmosphere of a Bond flick with him building up the stories emotional stakes while delivering the goods in terms of the films action.
No Time's writing aspires to explore a more emotional side of Bond than what fans are generally accustomed to. Along with being action-driven, No Time's plot is one about relationships and family with Bond being shown to be struggling in dealing with his role as a '00' agent with the world of espionage changing around him. The subplot between him and Lynch effectively drives this narrative as both see themselves as 007. The female characters are written as being more strong-willed and independent than the typical Bond girl (Agent Paloma for example). Malek's Safin is shown to be more dangerous than anyone Bond has ever encountered, making him a worthy adversary. The love story between Bond and Madeline continues from where it left off in Spectre, adding surprise twists and turns that build on Bond's human side. The script goes to admirable lengths in bringing Craig's entire timeline of films to a close with the return of Felix's character from Casino Royale, along with Spectre's Blofeld whose still pulling strings while being imprisoned. The film not only shows the pain that Bond still feels after losing Vesper at the end of Royale, but also draws major inspiration from On Her Majesty's Secret Service in showing Bond trying to live a life post retirement and falling in love again. No Time is ambitious in the story it wants to tell while drawing on the past for inspiration.
No Time isn't the best Bond film ever nor does it rank as Craig's best (Casino Royale holds that crown), but it works as being a strong emotionally-charged finale for Craig's 007, that feels respectable and fitting. The film certainly could've gotten closer to his previous franchise highs had it not been frustratingly long and carried a more tightly-paced plot. As a film that was designed specifically to be a farewell to Craig's Bond, No Time To Die has all the action and excitement that fans expect while providing an effective curtain closer. For a story which emphasizes that life is all about leaving something behind, Craig leaves behind a Bond legacy that positions him as being the best since Sean Connery. Though an imperfect finale, it serves as an honorable one for the type of Bond that Craig brought to the screen.
Final Verdict: Stream It When Available
Images Courtesy of MGM
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