Welcome back to ‘A Brief Review’ a series of brief reviews on films from the present day and all the way back in time. Hoping to filter through the commotion and give some decent reviews of some rather decent films.
Delayed more times than I can
remember thanks to a global pandemic, and somehow in 2021 we finally have Daniel
Craig’s final Bond appearance, and despite everything, it absolutely delivered.
Many were worried that the highly anticipated finale to Daniel Craig’s Bond collection
had simply missed the boat, but how relieved I was to see such a refreshing, and iconic piece of cinema rise from the jaws of defeat. Following on from the
slightly underwhelming Spectre (2015), No time to Die shares Bond
enjoying an early retirement with his partner Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) in Italy,
but in true Bond style his short-lived freedom ends abruptly as he is ambushed
by Spectre agents, pushing away Madeleine and starting a new life once again on
the run. As Bond begins to get back into the swing of things, he is contacted
by old CIA pal Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) about a mission to retrieve a captured
scientist with a mysterious link to Spectre. As expected, this journey becomes
considerably more treacherous as it leads Bond on the trail of the shadowy
villain Safin (Rami Malek), a man who aims to take down anyone in his way with a
new form of dangerous biotechnology.
The franchise has always been recognised for its eye-catching
opening scenes of action and charisma as Bond is introduced in each movie in it’s
own unique way. Once again, this originality shines through in No Time to Die
when the gun barrel leads into the feeling of what could easily be a
slasher film. This referring to the cold figure approaching a remote house where a young Madeleine
Swann is about to be put in grave danger. No Time to Die builds on the
relationship between Madeleine and James and it really succeeded in
making me care for what they had built together, unlike some of Bond’s previous
leading women. Instead of making the women in this film ‘accessories’ I felt
that they were utilised much more effectively. This helps me touch onto the brilliance
that Ana De Armas and Lashana Lynch bring to the film respectively. Armas as Paloma,
the CIA operative who’s energetic and vibrant skill set aids bond in his mission
for Felix Leiter. Along with Armas, Lynch proved to be an excellent choice as
the female replacement as the new 007 in the MI6 task force, exuberating
her skill for espionage with plenty of charm and whit to match.
Yes, the film is pretty long on paper, but it really doesn’t feel that way when you are invested. Going into this film knowing that it will be Daniel Craig’s last is evident right from the beginning as you truly understand that nothing is being left behind here. Craig’s energy and passion for the project that he has dedicated pretty much 15 years of his life to is clear for everybody to see. It may be considered that we could have seen a little more of Rami Malek’s Safin, but I simply cannot fault everything that we did get to witness from Malek as the deeply bitter and hateful Safin who can’t seem to look outside of his own twisted mind for what he perceives to be the right thing to do.
The Daniel Craig Era of Bond has been analysed, criticised,
and praised over and over again since it’s beginning. Yet, one thing has become
clear since the release of No Time to Die – The Daniel Craig Bond films
are easily the most coherent, deep, and ‘human’ adaptations of the legendary character.
As iconic as the early Bond films are they can generally be seen as more of the
same, but for the 5 Daniel Craig films you have a beginning and end of a
chapter that has transformed the way we look at James Bond in modern times. For
these reasons, Daniel Craig is my favourite Bond, exiting the franchise in a
brilliant place as he leaves behind a legacy of a progressive James Bond like
no other before him has done.
Whatever is next for Bond, one thing is sure, whoever takes on the role will have a brilliant opportunity to carry on the progression and create a leading man that thrives in the 21st century. A Bond with human emotion, empathy, yet still plenty of that charm and charisma that we know and love from the franchise.
My Rating: 8.5/10
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