Posted by Ageless shape-shifting super spy prepares to regenerate once more.
The name’s Father… OddFather. Why the sudden need to introduce myself again? Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted here so figured the introduction was necessary in case you happened to forget me!
Truth is, the OddDaughter decided to bring home a new bug from nursery each week which has taken up more of my time than I would have liked. First there was the viral infection which also knocked me out for over a week, then there was the conjunctivitis that made me super paranoid to even be around the OddDaughter, and finally the last week it’s been hand, foot and mouth disease which has kept her out of nursery and in my care. And this is without Covid. So, a very unwell few weeks for me.
I know, I know – you’ve felt a huge void in your life without my posts. I can only apologise to all one reader of this blog. But I’m back now.
Wow – two GIFs and I still haven’t got to the movie review yet.
No Time To Die is the final outing for Daniel Craig’s Bond. Continuing the story from past movies, we find Bond “retired” but still haunted by Spectre at every turn. With a new global threat arriving in the form of Rami Malek’s Safin, Bond is forced back into the game, working alongside his old team and 007 replacement to save the world once more.
All things considered; this movie is pretty much a template Bond movie. But first, an admission… This is the first Daniel Craig Bond movie I’ve seen since Casino Royale. Which itself I don’t completely remember the story threads of. I haven’t even seen Skyfall, though that is on my list of movies to watch at some point. I’ve just never been a huge fan of Bond movies. I sat through the Sean Connery movies a good few years ago, but it all just felt very samey to me. I remember the Roger Moore movies being a bit cheesy and fun when I was a kid, and Pierce Brosnan’s movies were just plain ridiculous. I’ve always found the movies to be unnecessarily convoluted. Saying that – having not seen a Bond movie in a long time may also be the reason why I really enjoyed this movie.
The movie’s thrilling opening was made for cinema. It’s the kind of edge of the seat action you expect to see on the big screen but packed with emotion too. I love the addition of the We Have All The Time In The World melody playing in the background as Bond drives through Italy. It adds to the romance of the country and the peace in the scene before the action starts. And what a way to start too, with the typical Bond gadgets you’d expect in a 007 adventure.
The direction of the action sequences is great, including some of the camera angles. There’s a particular shot later in the movie where Bond navigates what appears to be an underground tunnel and then turns to fire a shot – mimicking the iconic barrel of a gun shot seen in all Bond movies. I enjoyed that.
As emotional as this film may be, there’s funny moments too. Usually involving Q, but also Bond’s quips/borderline dad-jokes. I welcomed the inclusion of new 007 Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch. Her chemistry with Bond showcased a take on a female character in the series that wasn’t just there as a woman Bond hooked up with. I’m sure there’s been more instances of these in recent films in the series, but I found Nomi worked well here… as Bond’s equal.
For all its successes, No Time To Die isn’t without its faults. Firstly, I did find it to be a little on the long side. Maybe it’s just me, it seems to be my criticism of most movies these days. Perhaps it was the fact Cineworld made us sit through 30 mins of ads/trailers before the movie started, and then the opening sequence was around 20 mins before the credits started.
I also found a lot was made of the secrets/hidden life kept by Madeleine (Léa Seydoux). They pretty much gave away what happened at the very beginning of the movie and then made out there was this huge secret waiting to be revealed when there really wasn’t.
But the biggest issue for me was Rami Malek’s Safin. He just plays your typical disfigured villain wanting to inflict damage on the world with not much else to explain his overall actions. I can’t remember much of The World Is Not Enough, but Safin reminded me of the villain that appeared in that. Maybe it’s just every Bond villain. Like why must they be disfigured so often? And this time round I don’t even remember them explaining the appearance. Maybe they did? I have a short attention span. Safin’s age also raises some questions. He seemed to be an adult during the opening sequence with the young Madeleine, but then doesn’t seem to be all that elderly when the movie jumps to present day. Was that just me?!
So, Bond is dead. Or rather, this iteration of James Bond is dead. It plays out emotionally – with the reveal of Bond having a daughter he didn’t get a chance to know. As readers of this blog will know, anything depicting a moving father-daughter relationship strikes an emotional chord with me.
Is he really dead? Well, they certainly made sure of it. He was shot in the back, poisoned, and then had a bunch of missiles land a direct hit on him. Would have been amusing to see him stand up after all that, but I don’t think that would have fit the tone of the movie!
I guess at 163 minutes long there was time to die after all. Too soon?
Where does Daniel Craig’s Bond rank against the others? Well from the 40% of his Bond movies that I have seen, I quite like him. I’ve always been a fan of Connery’s Bond, I guess that version of the character just didn’t stand the test of time as well as he could have. I like that Craig’s Bond isn’t a spy hooking up with anything that moves – instead is a romantically scarred hero who is hurting emotionally. A modern-day Bond worthy of being the best Bond.
Verdict
An emotional yet thrilling final Bond movie for Daniel Craig. No Time To Die should please fans of the series with familiar story beats. Rami Malek’s villain is a bit of a let-down, being your typical disfigured bad guy without much depth, but that shouldn’t take away from what worked well. Worth seeing on the big screen.
A fair review.
I felt the film was quite long too but most bond films are…
It seems a very sloe burner for me, picking up pace nicely throughout. Not too much in the way of flashy cars or overly expensive gadgets, although I did like the watch scene, I enjoy a little cheese from time to time.
Malik’s character was indeed cut from the same cloth as many others before him but I felt the backstory around his family was enough to hold the film together, just. I also can’t remember why he was scarred but I think it was explained briefly. He didn’t seem all that threatening though, as good as he is, I will always see Freddie Mercury and that’s hard to get over.
The use of the child added weight to his dark nature, it wasn’t seems more menacing when childer are involved.
Although he just let her go freely, which made him seem weak.
The lack of knowledge of previous films is a it of a sticking point in the review, as the story is linked together and full a true reflection on this film, it must be measured against rhe set. A crying shame in my opinion as some of the characters from spectre feature in this, to really flesh out the story.
I think its OK to assume Bond is most likely dead at this point, as this is the oldest version of bond there is and bond skips in between timelines with each rendition.
Personally, Daniel Craig is my favourite bond to date. Nobody has as much class, cheese and hard edge as he does… It makes the humour go down that bit easier too. You can really feel the pain and joy in his performances and it makes for a more intense watch.
The set of films he’s featured in, also have a grit to them (I’d liken them to the Jason Bourne films) much more than the formulaic polish of the Brosnan era.
Casino Royale was an immense introduction for Craig; great story, not so much on the action front but a nice blend of acting and tense scenes. Everybody loves Vegas, right?
Quantum of solace was a big disappointment for me. I felt it lacked in many areas (was not helped by the writers strike at the time).
Skyfall was a very different film. Lots of gritty action scenes, a beautiful film in terms of cinematography. Epic performances from Craig and Judy Dench. It was raw and passionate.
Spectre was a great film. On paper probably the best of the Craig reign. High action, fast paced and strong showings from all involved. A masterpiece. It also showed bond at his most vulnerable, revealing to viewers that bond isn’t so invincible as he usually appears. Made for a refreshing change.
All in all, no time to die was a fitting end to the Craig era, I will miss him a lot and his predecessor has very big shoes to fill.
You make some very valid points. I’m going to plan a Daniel Craig Bond movie marathon at some point to truly assess this movie against the others.