After all this time, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is FINALLY returning to the big screen in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s highly anticipated No Time to Die.
After taking a break from service, Bond returns for a treacherous mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist, leading him on the trail of a mysterious and dangerous villain (Rami Malek).
For those of you unaware, this is Daniel Craig’s last appearance as the famed man of mystery — and what a grand and spectacular finale this was.
No Time to Die is an exciting and entertaining extravaganza full of action, emotion, and all the “cool moments” we love from the Bond franchise.
The film’s engaging (and semi-timely) narrative will keep you hooked throughout its long run time. The story also nicely tied up the last five Bond films.
Its charismatic returning ensemble is as wonderful as ever. New additions such as Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas provide extra ferocity and a boost of well-needed diversity to the film. I would love to see both return to the franchise in some way – or maybe even a spin-off. Who knows!
And yes, Rami Malek is a solid, creepy Bond villain, but let’s be real, he probably wasn’t even acting. They just put on make up and was like, “Rami, pretend you’re in that Emirates commercial again but wear this weird mask. No one will notice!”
All joking aside, what I admire most about No Time to Die (as well as all of Craig’s Bond films) is its fearlessness and ability to embrace this beloved series and character in unexpected ways.
We all fantasize over Sean Connery’s sauve origination of James Bond and give respect where it is due to the rest of the Bond leads. However, Craig’s Bond is truly one of a kind.
He is the most humanistic and progressive addition of the bunch, molding the character to be a human rather than the stereotype that brought Austin Powers to life.
His adaptation of Bond gets bloody. He isn’t afraid to get dirty. He cries. He grieves. He makes bad decisions. He respects women. Hell, he even makes PANCAKES.
We don’t exactly know what he’s going to do, and that has been what has made the last 15 years of Bond so refreshing and exciting as a fan.
That being said, Craig is flawless in his final performance. He kisses the character goodbye with a kick ass attitude — and he may even make you cry a little.
Before we jump into the whole “blah blah blah should be the next Bond”, let’s applaud Craig for pushing the boundaries with this character and the 007 universe. I will surely miss him.
Final Thoughts: No Time to Die is a spectacular finale to this era of Bond. Very much worth the wait.
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