No Time To Die (2021)

 

No Time to Die (2021) has finally been released in the cinemas, after consecutive delays due to the pandemic.

 

It was worth the wait!

 

Sure, it may not be quite at the same level as Casino Royale (2006) or Skyfall (2012), but nonetheless a much needed upgrade from the disappointing Spectre (2015).

 

But more than its ability to bounce back from their latest entry, it served as a great swan song for both James Bond and Daniel Craig in this series.

 

For over 15 years and across five movies, we’ve been able to witness something which we haven’t seen before: Bond’s character arc.

Since 2006, we have had a level of continuity across all motion pictures which  felt like uncharted territory. Whereas other films before Craig seemed to always present Bond as a finished product, with Craig we saw a development of the character, as well as the world he lives in.

In the first film, we see a depiction of a very young and raw James Bond as he made his mark with MI6. He falls in love and gets betrayed and heartbroken, thus explaining the beginning of his trauma and his difficulty to trust people.

The narrative serves as a catalyst for the sophomore entry Quantum of Solace (2008), where we see him on edge and on a quest for vengeance.

 

“Shoot first, ask questions later”, seemed to be his motto…

 

Some people didn’t like this as it seemed the most recurrent criticism to the sequel in Craig’s Bond era. Bond came off as brute, putting on his muscle and showing very little elegance and class. That, however, feels to me like it was the intention… The point was to show a very fragile Bond in the making, as he processed all these emotions through his drive in getting back at the people that led to the death of the love of his love.

 

Skyfall goes on to explore Bond’s character, by offering us glimpses of his past, while also setting up Spectre, the evil organization behind the main occurrences in previous films. This would of course be the subject of the fourth film of the series, one that ended up being the most disappointing given storyline, the historical meaning behind it, the cast and the success of Skyfall setting it up. 

 

Overall, the expectation was quite high and it failed miserably. You can’t help but wonder how they messed it up so bad, when there was so much juice to squeeze out of it.

 

And then we have No Time to Die.

 

As I started by saying, it is a large improvement over its predecessor, bringing back full circle the character development we’ve been seeing over the years.

 

The emotional depth on this latest and final entry was something that had never reached this kind of level, prompting actress Léa Seydoux to say that she even cried when watching it. Seydoux, back for her second film in the Bond saga, was at the centre of No Time to Die – a film that seemed to bring more women to the spotlight. Ana de Armas’ scene in Cuba was terrific and left audiences asking for more, while Lashana Lynch iteration of the “new 007” showed us she could have easily carried the movie by herself.

 

Need to also mention Ralph Fiennes’ take on M, which for the first time since he took on the role, put his acting skills on display and Jeremy Wright as Felix Leiter, who delivered one of the most important scenes in the film.

 

On top of great character development, good addition of characters and acting, the 25TH Bond film delivers on all the elements that have made the franchise so popular.

 

Beautiful scenery (Italy never looked as good like their display of Maratea), great sense of style (I want to buy the entire Bond wardrobe, but the tan suit standout)), classic one liners (some of them good, others not so much), camp moments, gadgets, chase scenes, plenty of action and - to my surprise - a good theme song from Billie Eilish.

 

Oh, and lots of nods to the Bond movie legacy and his writer, Ian Fleming.

 

But it came with its flaws… many flaws!

 

Rami Malek’s Lyutsifer Safin was – alongside Christoph Waltz’s Ernst Stavro Blofeld – a total dud.

 

Aside from the opening act, the main antagonist never really posed a threat, played into all the silly cliches and just overall fell flat. Some of the dialogues were painful to witness, from his motivation to his exchanges with Bond.

 

There were plenty of incoherent scenes which prompted me to think that we were going down the same “silly” route as the older movies. Specifically where the villain has the upper hand but gives that away in the name of stupidity. Quite honestly, it’s hard not to react as I find these insulting to an audience member… even if we are asked to suspend our disbelief.

 

“Before I kill you Mr. Bond… let me tell you all about my secret plan” – It wasn’t quite this, but it felt like it at points!

 

There were other small moments… lines that didn’t work, scenes that seemed to oddly escalate or others that could have used better acting direction.

 

Oh, and a word on the duration. There was absolutely no need for it to be this long. Could have easily shaved 20 to 30 minutes.

 

I just wished the movie was just a little bit more... tidier.

(See what I did there?)

Nonetheless, despite this small wave of criticism,  it still wasn’t enough to detract us from a great send off to both Bond and Daniel Craig as they deliver their final and very emotional goodbye to the big screens.

 

Looking forward to seeing where producers will take the character next. 

 

What sort of adventures will he embark on? 

 

How will they make the new series standout?

 

But more importantly, who will take on the mantle of the most iconic spy ever to grace our screens…

 

... the one and only:

 

Bond…

 

James Bond.

 

(Please forgive me for this one)