Well here we are. At long last. And yes, it was worth the wait. My mileage for Bond as a whole varies, as in actuality I feel everybody’s does. I mean nobody’s coming out and stating that Octopussy needs a critical re-appraisal. But when Bond is good, he’s often great and frankly I don’t think when it comes to Bond you can much better than No Time to Die. This will be a SPOLIER FREE review, with a full podcast being released on Monday on our YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts to explore all the spoiler based ins and outs of this film, because as anybody who has seen the film will know, there are plenty. But yes, this review will more or less be a rave. With every passing moment my love and enjoyment for this film grows and grows and the second cinema watch I will be having tomorrow morning will only I can presume heighten my enjoyment of the film.
Craig as a Bond has had his filmic highs and lows, as any Bond has, however unlike other Bonds Craig himself in his performance as Bond has never been anything short of wonderfully and powerfully consistent in his incredibly brutal and wonderfully withered portrayal of the classic figure. I open this review with a focus on Craig because this really is in my opinion the absolute best performance anybody has ever given as Bond in a single film, the power of the drama, the believability of the stakes, the impeccable delivery of witty banter, the powerful sexiness and charisma – Craig in No Time to Die has it all and perhaps effected by the outside factor of us knowing this is his last outing, the whole film feels like a glorious victory lap for this outing of the classic character. My biggest worry heading into the film was that of the multiple drafts the script went through. As a matter of fact during the credits of this film I physically grimaced my face when the card came up reading off the names of the 4 writers credited to story and the 5 credited to screenplay, however as the film begins and continues I was frankly amazed to what extent it all came together so well. Despite the huge set pieces and different plot and character strands, everything felt wholly as one and also despite the films nearly three hour runtime, didn’t really feel overlong in the slightest. Multiple villains and multiple allies come and go along the way, but everything feels stunningly natural and deliberate. When it comes to crediting a screenwriter for this, I don’t know who I can focus on, however when it comes to the overall feature itself, one has to commend ultimately Craig and Cary Joji Fukanaga who has made in the visual sense one of the best looking and most well crafted Bonds in years. Fukanaga clearly has a specific handle on what the tone of this film should be and despite detours into different Bondisms over the course of the film, an overall focus on the human drama and pain of the character leads us on our ultimate journey, and what a powerful, thrilling, dramatic journey it is.
When it comes to returning figures , the already established brilliance in the series of Feinnes, Whisaw, Harris and even Kinnear is all brought to the screen once more. With again a focus this time on the realism and integrity of these characters as allies to Bond, rather than just accessories. Of course Craig is still our lead, but this film has more of an overall sense of team than the others and leads to a far more effective finale overall. Jeffrey Wright also returns this time around for a great sequence where his chemistry with Craig is brought to the screen once more, before a very thrilling and wonderfully realistic action escape sequence on an oil rig. Two returning figures this time around are also Christoph Waltz and Lea Seydoux from Spectre, a pretty maligned entry in the series nowadays, and overall in comparing the depictions of the characters of both Waltz and Seydoux in this film over Spectre, it’s leaps and bounds in both character and story. The two new biggest additions would be that of Rami Malek as our chief villain beyond Blofeld and Lashana Lynch as our new 007. For me Malek worked perfectly fine, with a rather perverse obsession and a distinct quality of voice, working perfectly fine as a villain, but was certainly the weakest link in the whole affair mainly down to the fact of his impact on the film coming rather late into the whole thing, however when he is with us his impact is undeniable and very devastating in its effect. Lynch too works very well here and her action and banter delivery is all perfectly toned, overall she does a great job with a fortunately thankful role, however she does have to deliver the worst line in the whole film – and I can’t put the blame on her, I don’t think Olivier could have said that one with a straight face. But the immense power, charm and devastating aura of Ana De Armas can’t help but steal the film, even if she’s only with us for about 20 minutes or so.
A 9/10 that in so many ways is the best a Bond can be. Craig gives us the best Bond performance any of these films has ever contained and overall Fukanaga has brought something rather tremendous to the series for this closing entry for Craig; a sense of weight. No Time to Die really does manage to be sensationally well made in its action and its drama, whilst also somehow balancing the humour and corniness of previous Bonds. There is an invisible tightrope being walked perfectly in this film between modern and classic Bond, true drama and witty banter, impactful and brutal action and enjoyable over-the-top gadgets. I’ve said it twice in this review already, but I’ll say it once more; this really is the best a Bond can be. Although Casino Royale is a close second, striving in its simplicity, this is most likely the best Craig entry, and frankly in my opinion one of the best entries of all time.
P.S When it comes to music, No Time to Die may have the best score a Bond film has had in years, beyond of course the original theme and the many classic Bond Songs through the years. Zimmer’s score blends classic Bondisms with modern flare and lots of very nice sweeping orchestral moments, with Billie Eilish’s song being a fine, if not a little underwhelming entry into the Bond Song cannon. It is however the use of music not from Zimmer and Eilish however plays the biggest part in No Time and leads to some of the film’s most touching and effecting moments.
- - Thomas Carruthers
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