Let’s skip to the chase here… I think No Time to Die is the best Daniel Craig Bond movie. And this will be controversial but I also think it’s the best 007 movie. Full stop. I know, I know. That’s heresy, that’s an outrage, that’s despicable… but that’s how I feel.
No Time to Die’s Bond plot is kind of typical McGuffin complete with a villainous lair… but at least the McGuffin informs the end of the movie – and Bond as a character – in a way I appreciated. Bond has been retired for 5 years when a specter (ahem) from M’s past arises and he’s called back into action… and he has to contend with a new Double 0 agent who has been given his number. Da-da-DAAAA!
What I loved about this movie is that it’s the return of the human James Bond. He’s cool and suave and badass and all the things Bond needs to be… but he also gets his bell rung on a number of occasions. A hero that takes a beating and isn’t a perfect machine will always appeal to me. We get that from him but also more emotion and familial drama than normal. It all humanizes him without losing the core of who he is.
As Daniel Craig’s last Bond film, this ends in an amazing fashion. Probably not something that will appeal to everyone, especially for die hard fans who prefer no recognition between changing Bond actors. But I thought it worked and was highly emotional and cathartic. Not words I’d usually apply to a James Bond film.
I loved the action film-making in this flick including some cool one-takes and a great sequence in Norway, in the fog. The action is concrete, fluid, and makes sense. It can be followed, it has important weight to individual beats, and doesn’t rely on shaky cam. We get a few Bond gadgets including a fully tricked out Aston Martin for one early chase scene with all the gizmos.
The title of the film isn’t bad but they throw out a better one at the perfect moment early in the film (and invoked near the end) that harkens back to another classic Bond adventure. That should have been the title. The line has gravitas if you recognize its source, it sounds like a Bond title, and it felt right for where this movie was going. Not using it as the title was a crime. I won’t say what the line was or from what movie since that would be spoilers.
As far as Rami Malek’s villain, he’s not bad by the standards of dastardly Bond villains, but the film struggles to find an emotional core against Bond. That normally wouldn’t matter but given the emotional stakes this movie sets up, it is a missed opportunity. Not to mention Malek doesn’t have a lot of screen time.
So, yeah, this is my favorite James Bond film. I’ve seen them all though I’m hardly a flag-waving fanboy for the series. But I’ve liked what Craig and the team have done with the character (disregarding as much of Quantum of Solace as possible) and I felt this was a proper send-off for the actor. And it’s just a pretty great movie on its own merits.
Score: 92