Almost 18 months past the original release date Daniel Craig returns to the big screen in his fifth and final outing as the storied Bond, James Bond in No Time to Die. Side note, if you haven’t watched the first four films or need a refresher I highly recommend doing so prior to viewing. At the very least, check out/rewatch Spectre.
Over the course of his run as the titular character Craig has seemingly had a love/hate relationship with the films, but has nonetheless gone all in each time. Being the last go round, “Go big or go home” is the battle cry. And go big they did.
WOW. Just wow!
No Time to Die wraps up the through line of the Craig lead Bond era in a truly satisfactory manner. Thrilling action, twists, turns, and surprises. Solid story, beautiful/stylish cinematography, exotic locales, all the 007 trappings you expect and want.
Speaking of trappings, favorite actors make their return and continue to do justice to their characters. Thank you Naomie Harris/Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes/M, Ben Whishaw/Q, Rory Kinnear/Tanner, and Jeffrey Wright/Felix. Your service has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. As for the newbies Lashana Lynch/Nomi and Ana de Armas/Paloma, welcome aboard ladies and thank you for being more than eye candy. Hoping these two badasses have an extended stay in the franchise.
With a two hour 43 minute runtime No Time to Die is the longest Bond film ever made. Pacing with the drinking is a must, however, I never “felt” the movie was long. The films’ pacing is spot on and the length doesn’t feel overinflated given the story. The film works and is damn near perfect.
If I have one complaint it’s Rami Malek’s Lyutsifer Safin, the film’s villain. As far as villains go he’s rather underdefined and meh. In terms of a Bond villain, he’s creepy, but not much else sadly. Even with that, the film’s still entertaining.
No Time to Die is well worth a trip to the theater and is quite the ride. Give it a look and let me know what you think. It’s a 9.5 for me.
