Craig’s final bow as the iconic British agent is as frenetic as every Bond film could be, but it’s also a compelling tribute that closes one spectacular chapter of the 007 sagas.
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Actors: Daniel Craig, Rami Malik, Lea Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whinshaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Premise: Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when is friend, Felix Leiter from the CIA, turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with a dangerous new technology (Universal UK)
Running Time: 163 minutes
Director: Cary Foji Fukunaga
Why You Should See It:
It’s an end of an era in Daniel Craig’s latest and final bow as the British secret agent, James Bond, a.k.a. 007. In No Time To Die, Craig may be taking a curtain call, but he leaves a lasting legacy that the next actor to take on the iconic character is sure to have trouble replicating.
That’s not to say he has to take the route Craig took, but it’s worth noting how his five Bond films are practically just one stand-alone film spread out in five parts, making it its cinematic universe. The next Bond [definitely] has to confront a very tall order, should he aspire to keep this legend’s forward projection.
No Time To Die begins with a flashback of a murder witnessed by the young girl, Madeleine Swann (Seydoux), which gave us a first look at Bond’s ultimate nemesis, Lyutsifer Safin (Malek). The film jumps to the present with Bond spending a holiday with the now grown-up Dr. Swann in Italy, where a departed loved one awaits to be visited by Bond. Bond finally gets convinced he must put an end to his suffering brought by Vesper Lynd’s demise, although he must know, of all beings, that his struggle would not end simply by visiting a tomb.
The past continues to haunt him, and it’s not only by fixing the troubles of the present that he could finally close one of his life’s gloomiest chapters; he needs to confront the past, head-on, too.
But by doing so, it is not just his past that he needs to tackle, but also Swann’s, with which his destiny seems inevitably entangled. A new sinister comes in the form of the scarred-face, Safin, whose utter wickedness; assumed by Emmy’s and Oscar’s Best Actor, Rami Malek.
Back in London, M16 has found the new 007 in the person of Nomi (Lashana Lynch). Bond’s former superior M (Fiennes), is hellbent on rescuing the M16 scientist, Valdo Obruchev (David Dencik), who got kidnapped after a failed bioweapon project, which M personally greenlighted.
Bond finds himself joining Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) and his gang to go after Orbuchev, but a traitor keeps them from fulfilling their ultimate goal. A gorgeously-choreographed action scene in Havana leads to Bond and Leiter getting locked up inside a sinking ship’s cabin, from which only the former can come out alive.
Bond pays a visit to the nefarious Spectre leader, Blofield (Waltz) who is now in the custody of M16. That visit also reunites him with Swann, with whom he remains passionately head-over-heels, albeit the cover he wears that says he still hasn’t forgiven her yet. But is it she who must ask for forgiveness, or is it the other way around? Some cheesy revelation, in the end, might provide an answer.
Coming in the wake of Spectre, which many critics consider as a deep plunge from the greatness of Skyfall, the biggest-grossing and arguably the most critically-acclaimed installment of the franchise, No Time To Die certainly needs to pull off a humongous upgrade. Fukunaga and Craig certainly fail to accomplish such an ambitious feat, but it’s not something to weep about. If anything, what No Time To Die is worth-celebrating as it grants Craig’s Bond era a fitting finale, a perfect send-off to who could be the most tangible, at least to this generation, action star in cinematic history.
A pivotal conclusion burst to deliver the film’s most sensational surprise, which leaves a question about how the franchise’s next torchbearer will take off, from the heights brought about by Craig. Of course, it does not surprise that this film brims with some of the most beautifully-executed action sequences in modern action film history, but there are also much more parts to savor in this spectacular leavetaking.
5 – Excellent
4 – Very Good
3 – Good
2 – Tolerable
1 – Terrible
No Time To Die is now showing in select cinemas, nationwide. Watch the official full trailer, below:
