No Time to Die Review: A Fitting Farewell to the Daniel Craig Era!

No Time to Die, the final film in Daniel Craig’s James Bond era, is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and co-stars Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin with Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, and others in supporting roles. The story begins when a group of masked men attack a secret research facility operated by MI6 and steal a bioweapon called Project Heracles. Upon CIA’s request to track down the assailants, Bond, who is now retired, returns to help them out while MI6 sends in their new 007 recruit to finish the job.

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First off, unlike many other James Bond films, I loved that they packed in a lot of emotion from the beginning to the end. From Casino Royale to No Time to Die, a journey that lasted fifteen years, we got to see a complete arc and fitting ending to his character. From the growth that he’s shown in this film to understanding that actions have consequences and him taking a moment to feel for the people he cares for added a much-needed layer because it is the farewell film for Craig.

When it comes to the action sequences in No Time to Die, every (action) scene manages to stand out on the big screen, primarily because of the wide panoramic shots, no quick cuts, and exotic locations. With a grand budget of over 250 million dollars, they made sure that this movie looked expensive and breathtaking to watch on the big screen.

However, the storyline of No Time to Die is very much average, and more than anything, the movie does not have to be nearly three hours long. If you take a close look at it, excluding the action and the emotional side of things, the traditional “end-of-the-world” stereotype did not have much mileage as there are several parts in this film where the screenplay could have been better and brisk.

On the other side, the supporting characters in No Time to Die, mainly the females, complemented James Bond’s character tremendously inside out. Beginning with Léa Seydoux, who carried more of the sentimental scenes to Lashana Lynch, the new 007 agent, who has more of a buddy-cop sort of relationship with James and Ana de Armas, who plays as Paloma and steals all the spotlight in the single scene she’s in. Rami Malek, who plays the villain, didn’t have much to offer in this film as his idea of destruction overshadowed him as a character for the most part.

Overall, after fifteen years, No Time to Die felt like a proper conclusion to Daniel Craig’s James Bond character. The movie is packed full with a ton of enjoyable action scenes, heartfelt moments, engaging characters and is a fun watch at the theaters. A better screenplay and a more engaging narrative could’ve helped the film a lot more, but this is miles better than Spectre and Quantum of Solace and a Bond movie that I don’t mind watching again.

‘No Time to Die’ Rating – 3.25/5

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