Directed By:
Cary Joji Fukunaga
Written By:
Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga
Starring:
Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Rami Malek
Genre:
Action, Adventure, Thriller
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, brief strong language and some suggestive material.
Daniel Craig has been James Bond for the longest, and is arguably the best Bond we’ve ever had. ‘No Time To Die’ is the conclusion of his run as Bond, and attempts to conclude the storylines from ‘Casino Royals’ to the recent ‘Spector’. We have returning faces and some new characters in an epic and entertaining film that may miss the mark in some ways but still is fun nonetheless.
Firstly Daniel Craig IS Bond. Though he’s publicly had his opinions about the role and his enthusiasm to return to each sequel, you feel how much he loves doing what he does. The opening car sequence is boss, and most of the action feels like it could be a fantastic new ‘Goldeneye’ game.
I loved the sequence with Ana De Armas, and she was very spirited in her small but memorable role. Blank also is brought into am challenging role that I’m sure will upset the die-hard fans, but I felt they used expertly and brought some humor into the story. I’ll always love Ben Wishaw and hearing a Paddington-Like voice help Bond was just lovely. Jeffrey Wright as Felix was also great but underused like with De Armas.
My main issues come from there not really being a valid motive for the villain at the end. Rami Malik chews up the scenes he’s in no doubt, and his character has motive throughout the movie up until the end when it feels inauthentic. There are also too many side villains that tend to overshadow Malik where if they focused solely on him I think the end would feel more logical.
However, ‘No Time To Die’ is a fun, epic conclusion to Daniel Craig’s Bond. Go to the bathroom beforehand and you will feel the runtime whiz past . Strong performances, but a slightly incoherent story still makes this a strong chapter to the 007 legacy.
