No Time to Die (2021)

 

Daniel Craig's final (please) Bond film sees a jaded, weary, and paranoid agent yanked back unceremoniously into saving the world. Since it's inital announcement several years ago, speculation of Daniel Craig's involvement was rife. As much as he disliked Spectre, probably moreso than most people, the cheque was likely big enough for him to don the suit one last time. After waiting out the pandemic, it's finally here. About time.

No Time to Die serves to wrap up Craig's involvement in the series, and this includes revisiting the arcs from his previous Bond films. In an attempt to tie up possible loose ends, we see both old friend and foe return, along with several new characters. However the issue here is they really have close to no time on screen. Go for a bathroom break and you might just miss Ana de Armas and Jeffrey Wright. For a promising runtime of 163 minutes, the longest Bond film to date, the film seems more interested in Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) than anyone else. While there might be reasons behind their short-lived characters, it is nonetheless disappointing.

Every Bond film needs a good villain, and for all that Rami Malek can act he was more or less reduced to a disfigured mannequin. Even a one-eyed Christoph Waltz felt more menacing. This film really chose to centre around a few characters despite the numerous cast involved, and that just seemed like a waste of potential with some talented people in the mix. Maybe Bond just works better alone?

Grievances aside, I did enjoy this on the big screen. I think while it suffered plot wise, everything else made up for it. The scenes shot in Italy were beautiful, along with those in the high wettish Scotland. The action scenes are tight and bullets aplenty, together with several explosions. If nothing else, it's worth a watch for the visuals alone.