DIRECTOR: Cary Joji-Fukunaga
PRODUCERS: Michael G. Wilson & Barbara Broccoli
WRITERS: Robert Wade & Neal Purvis & Cary Joji-Fukunaga (story/screenplay) & Phoebe Waller-Bridge (screenplay)
PERFORMERS: Daniel Craig Rami Malek Lea Seydoux Lashanna Lynch Ben Whishaw
Naomie Harris with Jefferey Wright Cristoph Waltz and Ralph Fiennes
James Bond has been a huge part of our lives for over 50 years and there's a reason for that. Guys wanted to be him, girls wanted him and the bad guys just wanted to kill him. The things he does and says, very few guys I have known, are the things we only dream of doing. From Dr. No to this, the man never grows weary on us. Daniel Craig once again (and for the final time) proves that James Bond is a guy who will never age and never leave us... because there's simply just no time to age, no time to wither and... No Time to Die.
In Casino Royale (2006) we saw the main character in his beginning as a 00-agent, then overtime it was one connected storyline to another as time went on. Same old spy, same old gimmicks, new attitude and new world. In this latest entry, we see a look at the man in perhaps the biggest mission of his career: saving it from a power hungry tyrant (RAMI MALEK) bent on greening it through deadly technology and the past coming back in more than one way. This film was delayed several times due to the COVID pandemic which really irritated me because I was really looking forward to this movie. When it finally came out, I was so excited that I saw it on opening night. Seeing that same old gunbarrel intro at the start brought back old memories... and the way new characters were brought into the story, I don't why anyone would complain about them. A female 00-agent? a daughter of Bond's during his retirement? An ex-wife? need I say more? I'm an old school kind of guy when it comes to these, but I'm also up for anything new as long as it doesn't overplay the originals that started it all. Craig really carries the part of Bond in a way that I haven't seen in a long time. He comes across as vulnerable, willing and so fearless like you don't even want to mess with him. In the past few Bond films he was in, he brought so much ruthlessness that you thought you were looking at a new kind of Bond for the 21st century generation. In this one... he goes over the top and beyond. The real star for me, however, was Rami Malek as the main villain of the piece. He had me trembling in my seat every time he was on screen. One scene I remember is that when he was showing Bond's daughter his plantings, I was puzzled and intimidated at the same time because I could not tell if he was trying to get her to side with him or just show-off to her. It almost seemed like he was trying to steal her from her father like in the 90's gem Hook when Hoffmann's title character tried to do the same thing with Peter Pan's children and failed in the end. The fact that Bond got to have a life outside of his normal duties is also fascinating to look at and it in a way enhances the story.
The writing is beyond fantastic, the acting is obviously superb, the action... never lets up nor lets you down. The only twists and turns you see are the ones that are played out as the story progresses further and further. What I wasn't expecting was the return of Christoph Waltz as Blofeld and he's only in it for a brief moment. The whole time I thought 'what's he doing in this?' but then I barely recall S.P.E.C.T.R.E. because it was five years ago. It still surprises me that his moment was short lived since he was such a legendary character in the world of Bond. But in this particular verse, anything is possible right? Look at the MCU films from the last 22 years, every one of those films is interconnected with one another leading to a crossover so insanely huge that you have never seen anything like it. But all I saw in this one was a man coming full circle to his journey as a man of wits and will as well as his growth from a daring man to a wise man. Not many films of the last few decades have had that. But this proves that even James Bond can have something for himself and still save the world (even if it means his own life). The themes in this film, like redemption, forgiveness and even revenge, are what keeps the audience invested in the story and unlike the past Bond films, our hearts pounding and on the edge of our seats much like Royale.
To conclude, while it's sad to see Craig finally go, it's also good to know that he went out with a bang and took the cinema goers with him. The good news is, that doesn't mean that it's the end of Bond, it just means that it's over for Craig. All that's left of him as Bond is the past four films he did along with this one. I almost tried to love it, but I found myself liking it on an average perspective like 'do I like this enough to buy it when it comes out or just for what it was?' For this, I picked for what it was, but if you're like me, you may need to see it twice before coming to a final decision. As a Bond fan, I look forward to these films with enthusiasm and although they aren't always that great, they are always trying to be as original as possible without milking anything and that's what I like the most about Bond films. I think that if Ian Fleming were alive, he would have liked how these films turned out and he would have loved what they did in this one... especially if it were a finale. I can only wonder who the next Bond actor will be... I guess only time will tell. But let us remember, there's only one man who calls himself Bond... James Bond.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars