No Time To Die
Starring: Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Jeffrey Wright, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Billy Magnussen, Christoph Waltz, Ana De Armas, Ralph Fiennes, David Dencik
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
James Bond (Craig) and his new love Madeleine (Seydoux) are ready to spend their lives together in a peaceful existence. However, Madeleine's mysterious past quickly catches up with her and Bond realizes he will never have peace as long as they are together and they part ways. Five years later, Bond has retired from her Majesty's service and is living on his own away from everyone. He is quickly pulled back into the spy life when his old friend Felix (Wright) brings him in to stop an old foe, Spectre. Things aren't what they appear and it is revealed a madman named Safin (Malek) is attempting to manufacture a deadly virus. Bond must confront his own past to stop Safin, teaming up with new 007 Nomi (Lynch) as well as come face to face with his love Madeleine after all these years.
We all knew coming into this film that it was the end of Daniel Craig's tenure as the world famous spy. What we weren't counting on was how emotional of a finale this would be. Kudos to the writers and the creative team for giving Craig's Bond a fantastic send off.
You know you are in for a different experience from the opening seconds, which play more like a horror film than anything we have seen previously in a Bond film. It's also a smart way to introduce Malek's character, who is absent from the next hour or more of the film. He is a much more terrifying presence because of it. What follows over the course of the next two and a half hours is an intricately plotted actioner, with some truly remarkable set pieces. Filmed on IMAX cameras by Oscar winner Linus Sandgren, the scope is never lost and is probably the best looking film of the franchise after Skyfall.
Director Fukunaga, best known for directing Beasts of No Nation as well as the first season of True Detective, becomes the first American to direct a Bond film. The gritty realism that was already established keeps with his wheelhouse and he, along with franchise writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and newcomer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, keep the thrills coming at a rapid pace. Despite its length, there is always something happening and it makes it impossible to miss on a big screen.
Despite the varying quality of the films during his time as Bond, I have always felt that Craig was one of, if not the best Bond. He was able to ground Bond is a gritty reality that I think was missing from a lot of the previous iterations. Yes, they always had a campy appeal but I appreciated the more realistic take. He doesn't disappoint in his final outing. His supporting cast is the best he's ever had with Lashana Lynch providing a great foil for 007. Ditto Ana de Armas, who shows up for maybe five minutes and steals the movie. I hope they do more with both these characters in future Bond outings. Rami Malek makes for an interesting villain, but if anything isn't particularly memorable ,it would be Safin. His plot is scary but the way Malek plays him doesn't do Safin any favors. His idea is more terrifying than he is.
Action packed and emotional, this Bond film is one that can't be missed.
Grade: A-
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