Luke McWilliams gives his review of the new James Bond movie, No Time to Die, starring Daniel Craig and Rami Malik.
A young Madeleine Swann witnesses the murder of her mother by scorned Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malik). Flashing forward, Swann (Léa Seydoux) and her beau James Bond (Daniel Craig) are in Matera to visit the tomb of Bond’s first love Vesper Lynd in an attempt for closure. Soon however, SPECTRE returns to kill Bond.
No Time to Die wraps up Craig’s Bond era while paying homage to all that came before it. Craig’s tenure as Bond has covered the full span of Bond’s career, with each movie symbolically killing then resurrecting the character and forcing him out of retirement to join an adventure that challenges his relevance in both character and profession. Such an approach allows freedom for new creative teams inheriting the character to play fast and loose with timeline and mythology.
Craig’s final turn is middling, with inconsistent characterisations, unconvincing character motivations, contradictory plot mechanics, and a confounding story; all probably not helped with four writers being on board. Tonal shifts abound, resulting in sections of the movie that are subjectively more enjoyable than others.
Whereas Casino Royale stripped the character to his bare necessities, No Time to Die has heaped it all back on in a celebratory send-off before Bond’s next recasting and reboot. All the requisite characters, gadgets, vehicles, quips and quotes are back, complete with several references to previous entries.
Verdict: A beautiful looking, but ultimately disappointing mixed bag, which is the usual modus operandi of a Bond movie. 2.5 stars.
Viewed at Palace Electric Cinemas.
- Luke McWilliams | themovieclub.net
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