No Time to Die
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Screenwriters: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Cinematographer: Linus Sandgren
Production Companies: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Eon Productions
Distributors: United Artists Releasing (United States), Universal Pictures (International)
Release Date: 8 October 2021 (United States)
Runtime: 2 hours 43 minutes
MPA Rating: PG-13
Availability: Theaters
Synopsis
Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond ends with a bang in No Time to Die. The story picks up right where Spectre left off, with Bond now retired and living peacefully with his love, Madeleine (Lea Seydoux). Their tranquil time together is unsurprisingly cut short however, and Bond must once again answer the call of duty. This time around he’ll be facing Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek), a man who’s obsessed with Madeleine for mysterious reasons and plans to use a bioweapon to bring about a more “peaceful” world. But Bond won’t be going up against Safin alone: CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), secretary Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), tech specialist Q (Ben Whishaw), and MI6 head M (Ralph Fiennes) make up the returning cast of supporting characters, and the new 007 Nomi (Lashana Lynch) is there to give Bond a run for his money. With his relationship with Madeleine in jeopardy and the fate of the world at stake, it will be up to Bond and team to save the day. But of course he’ll have to have a martini first.
Analysis
The James Bond films have never failed to deliver on spectacle, and No Time to Die is certainly no exception. The scale of action sequences varies from intense choreographed fights and close-quarter shootouts to exhilarating car chases and then some, which makes each scene feel unique and fresh. Excellent practical effects ground action scenes in reality – at least somewhat – and prevent the action from getting so ridiculous as to take one out of the movie. The combination of great cinematography and sound design greatly increased my engagement with the movie by placing me directly into the action. And there’s no way to get around it: this film’s action comes with some serious class. Everything from the exotic locations to the well-fitted suits and dresses to the fancy cars and sleek gadgets makes the action feel almost regal. And the fact that this “regalness” comes across as natural rather than forced sets an enjoyable tone for these scenes. The combination of these factors thus makes for a luxurious thrill ride from start to finish.
I also appreciated how much the movie focused on the character of James Bond. First, since most of Bond’s relationships have always felt ephemeral and surface level, it was refreshing for this film to actually advance some with a great deal of sincerity. Developing these relationships made them feel more genuine and got me to care more about Bond and the people he was close with. Additionally, Bond’s relationships informing nearly all of his decisions make this movie feel much more character-driven than previous Bond films. This allows the audience to understand Bond’s motivations better and become more emotionally invested in his overall mission. And while Craig has always shined in this role, the character of Bond feels much more fleshed out here given how much pathos Craig injects into his performance. The emotional range he displays makes Bond much more authentic and relatable, which is why I felt I was watching an actual emotional being rather than the archetypal “smooth spy”. This great range also allows for a much more vulnerable Bond to be shown, one who doesn’t shy away from how much the people in his life mean to him. And most importantly, this more humanized version of James Bond felt like the natural culmination of the character growth he’s gone through over the franchise. So, the amount of attention the movie paid to the story’s human element made me more engaged and increased my appreciation of James Bond.
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And I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the incredible finale. Holy sh**, they really killed James Bond. Even as the missiles started falling and it was clear Bond had no escape route, a part of me still clung on to the hope that he’d somehow make it out. Needless to say that his death couldn’t have been more definite. I’m pretty sure that the Bond franchise essentially birthed the unkillable protagonist trope, so for No Time to Die to go against the franchise’s nature (this is the first time Bond’s EVER died, mind you) was shocking to say the least. But the thing is, his death didn’t feel cheap or merely for shock value. In addition to Bond’s relationship with Madeleine, everything that happens in the third act provides a more than reasonable explanation for Bond to stay on the island and await the inevitable. But moreover, this death carries significant emotional weight given how much time we’ve spent with Craig’s Bond. He’s someone whose journey as both an agent of espionage and a person we’ve been following since Casino Royale. We’ve been there every step of the way as he’s overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and tragedy to yet again finish the mission, and we’ve witnessed how much these experiences have shaped his character and personal relationships. To us, Bond isn’t just the one-note man of mystery he’s been in previous iterations: he’s his own living and breathing person. The end of No Time to Die made sure to keep that in mind by making his death a personal rather than “heroic” sacrifice, and it handled his death beautifully at that. So while I was sad to see the version of Bond that I felt most attached to go, it felt like an appropriate end for this character.
All that being said, I think the movie’s plot suffers from its awkward handling of the villain Safin. For one, his actions feel too tied to the previous movie Spectre. Everything that Safin does during the first half comes across as a lazy way to resolve Spectre’s loose ends, and these acts feel superfluous given how little of an impact they play on the rest of the movie. Not only do these frankly dispensable scenes prevent the movie from having a natural flow, but they also make Safin – at least at first – feel like a response to Spectre rather than this movie’s big bad. Secondly, there’s only the loosest thread imaginable to connect Safin’s motivations with his goals. His ultimate objective is depressingly similar to the plans of previous Bond villains in terms of scope (global) and design (maniacal), while his motivations are much more personal and small-scale. Ironically enough, his actions during the first act pretty much accomplish what should have been his actual goal for the entire movie, so his grand plan ends up feeling overblown and unnecessary. Finally, the film fails to make Safin stand out in any meaningful way. Although I appreciated how much time the film spent on Bond, Safin occasionally gets lost in the background and therefore doesn’t seem that big of a threat. And whenever he is in a scene, his timid demeanor and odd decisions give the audience no reason to fear him. Thus, in trying too much to resolve Spectre and hit the familiar beats of a traditional Bond film, the movie ends up with an unsatisfactory villain whose actions choppily move the plot along.
I also felt that the character of Nomi was criminally underutilized. Early on, the movie makes her second fiddle to Bond. While the confidence and skills she displays upon introduction foreshadow an intense rivalry between her and Bond, the movie quickly diffuses any possibility of tension between the two. It even makes a point to show that Bond is a better agent than Nomi, and her knowledge of this is evident in the way she becomes almost reverent towards Bond. And once Nomi and Bond start working together, she isn’t given much to do outside of this partnership. The movie also shies away from even implying that Nomi may play a more central role in the future of the Bond franchise in a cringe-worthy scene where she quite literally gives the title of 007 back to James Bond. The scene felt both out of place and out of character for Nomi, but sadly I’m pretty sure I know why it was included. The movie may as well have given Nomi a different codename altogether if it wasn’t invested in making her the new 007 – even for a brief period.
Conclusion
In closing, I think you’ll have a good time watching No Time to Die. While the villain Safin and new 007 Nomi definitely could’ve been handled better, the movie strikes an excellent balance between spectacle and focus on the character of James Bond. The movie largely serves as a fitting end for Daniel Craig’s Bond, and given how much I’ve enjoyed his run I’m not dying to hear who the next Bond will be. In fact, I’m entirely content with settling for rewatches for a while.