Movie Review – No Time to Die – An Emotional Bond!
Table of Contents
My Rating – 3.5 out of 5
Plot Summary (Storyline) – No Time to Die
M: The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
M in No Time to Die
The much-awaited and much-delayed edition of James Bond was finally released in October 2021. Since it was only a theatrical release, I had to get around my fear of the pandemic to go back to an auditorium to watch it. Which I managed last weekend. I came away with mixed feelings, knowing that this is the last Bond movie Daniel Craig is going to star in, what is the future of the franchise? Will it be Never Say Never Again? Director Cary Joji Fukunaga does leave a hint or two but little clarity. So what does this 163-minute marathon feel like? To be honest, it’s fun but not exceptional!
It starts with a little look into the childhood of Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) and introduces the eventual villain of this edition Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek). That taken care of, it cuts to the present when James and Madeleine are holidaying in Italy and James visits the tomb of Vesper Lynd. The bad guys from Spectre find Bond here and a chase ensues! In a thrilling reminder of the earlier Bond editions, it sets your pulse racing, with fast cars, narrow twisted streets, and a blizzard of heavy machine-gun fire! Bond feels that Madeleine has betrayed him and they part ways on a bitter note.
Five years later, the CIA approaches a retired Bond to seek his help in finding and stopping Safin who has lain his hands on a Russian origin bio-weapon, which can be introduced into human DNA through the skin, and those with a matching code will then be made to explode. It would kill millions around the world, and only Bond could stop him. MI6 also has their own new 007 – Nomi (Lashana Lynch) hunting for Safin and Bond has to turn to M (Ralph Fiennes) and Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and the MI6 establishment for help. With two 007‘s in the hunt for the same bad guy, things can really get hairy!
Ana de Armas (Paloma) makes an appearance here, though it lasts for only about 10-11 minutes, you wish it were longer and more significant than the sequence made it out to be. The customary chases and gunfights and super gizmos make their presence felt but sometimes it does feel a bit disjointed. The infrequent romantic interludes between Bond And Madeleine look stiff and uncomfortable – more so because of Daniel Craig than for Léa Seydoux. Blofeld‘s (Christoph Waltz) sporadic appearances, though they move the story along, fail to evoke any sense of menace or evil and feel kind of damp!
Jeffrey Wright as the CIA contact Felix is intense and he is the one who puts the story together by bringing Bond out of retirement and getting him going after Safin. Though the makers have tried to project Nomi as the next 007 at MI6, her role here is quite limited, but I would be looking forward to the future editions to see what shape the studio gives to her character and role. The movie waxes and wanes, peaking with some scenes and then meandering at others.
Madeleine: Why would I betray you?
James Bond: We all have our secrets. We just didn’t get to yours yet.
From No Time to Die
Conclusion – Movie Review of No Time to Die
Overall, it’s not the best Daniel Craig Bond so far, but it comes close in terms of the emotional bonds that Bond is shown to create and give in to. The cinematography is excellent, the direction competent and Daniel Craig will forever remain as the most intense Bond ever – Sean Connery takes the cake of the sexiest Bond! In the evolving universe of Bond movies – from Roger Moore to Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan, even Timothy Dalton – Daniel Craig has forever left his mark and if Lashana Lynch has to carry that legacy forward, she has a real tough challenge ahead of her!
Just to see Daniel Craig’s last outing as Bond, No Time to Die is a must-watch!! Catch it before it moves from the cinema near you….
Lyutsifer Safin: The thing that no one wants to admit is that most people want things to happen to them. We tell each other lies about the fight for free will and independence, but we don’t really want that. We want to be told how to live and then die when we’re not looking. People want oblivion, and a few of us are born to build it for them. So here I am – their invisible god sneaking under their skin.
Rami Malek in No Time to Die
*I hope you have enjoyed reading this movie review as much as I have enjoyed writing this! Do watch this space for more such reviews and navigate through the links below for more… Thank you!! *
