[FILM REVIEW] NO TIME TO DIE

[film review] NO TIME TO DIE

6/10/2021

Bond has escaped threats far greater than this one - and it's hard to ignore the fact that the overly long (not to mention convoluted) journey has slowly killed the main character throughout.
You may find you were expecting more, Mr Bond.

No Time to Die

Release date: 30 September 2021 (United Kingdom)
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Screenplay: Cary Joji Fukunaga, Phoebe Waller-Bridge,

***Spoiler warning***

License Redundant in Bond 25

Billed as the last entry in Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond, and arriving a year and a half late, NO TIME TO DIE has a lot to live up to. The film's so-so predecessor SPECTRE provides a direct jumping-off point with an overly long opening sequence, but ultimately serves as one of this entry's strengths, racing from its shadow into a brand new escapade for our famous spy.

Skipping ahead 5 years, we find a weary (yet relaxed) Bond in retirement in Jamaica. When CIA agent and old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) contacts him to warn James about a stolen biological weapon it isn't long until he's drawn back into the game. After a thrilling escapade in Cuba where Bond faces down his old nemesis Blofield and SPECTRE itself, the film shrugs off the past and seemingly heads into new waters. So far, so good, with a stunning turn by Ana de Armas as a newbie agent - which unfortunately proves the highlight of the film.

More than any previous Bond outing, NO TIME TO DIE deserves credit for trying to do something new. There's a new 007 in the capable form of Nomi (Lashana Lynch), whose respect/envy for Bond lends a touch of rivalry and fun to a contentious role. Ben Whishaw returns as the bumbling Q and Ralph Fiennes as a grim-faced M, the latter's side project in killer nanobots providing the grist of the plot. There are glimmers of fun here and there, which elevate the film above the too-serious SPECTRE, but the plot unfolds in a remarkably typical and somewhat low stakes fashion for a concluding episode.

Less compelling turns come via Lea Seydoux who looks helpless throughout, a creepily blank 5 year old and a criminally underused Naomi Harris. Christopher Walsh gives another camp (yet effective) turn as Stavros Blofeld, but the villain he makes way for, the scarred and whispery Safin (Rami Malek) fails to equal his performance as a credible Bond villain. Safin's motivations aren't made clear enough early on and when finally revealed, can't help but come across as cheesy. A vengeful baddie who wants to take over the world from a secret island base might serve as a fitting nod to the venerable franchise, but it robs the plot of impact. (There are similar nods in other scenes, including a poison garden, Bond adrift in a dinghy and even gadgets - delightful fan service). Malik frustrates, rather than frightens, whenever he's on screen.

And it's the conflict between the old and the new in NO TIME TO DIE that makes it such a mixed bag. The exotic locations and set pieces are as thrilling as ever - there's even a smattering of Roger Moore-era wit - but the smart diversity and progressiveness on display only serve to draw attention to how redundant the central role feels, particularly when the story is determined to tame Bond completely and present a version of the character that doesn't quite fit with the 24 films before this one.

In fact, it all feels a little late for redemption and a gutsier director might've gone the other way, revealing 007 as the cold-blooded killer he is with the newbies set against him. In one later scene, Nomi's bowing to the titular character is out of place and undoes its own point - Bond is relevant again... why? Because he's an ageing straight white man doing the same job as her? By the climax, the action (and the music) scale to heights of pathos hitherto unseen in a Bond movie. The swansong arrives in an absurd and overwrought fashion - Bond has escaped threats far greater than this one - and it's hard to ignore the fact that the overly long (not to mention convoluted) journey has slowly killed the main character throughout.
You may find you were expecting more, Mr Bond.

NO TIME TO DIE ticks all the boxes, but the film is bound to divide fans. Sadly, the promise of CASINO ROYALE was never quite fulfilled and the series' move to continuity and character depth amount to something surprisingly bland and inconsequential. At this point, we all know who Bond is and while NO TIME TO DIE pulls a neat trick, this isn't it.

James Bond will return, of course. One hopes with a little more bite.

3/5

JAMES BENNETT

James Bennett is a British writer raised in Sussex and South Africa. His travels have furnished him with an abiding love of different cultures, history and mythology. His short fiction has appeared internationally and his debut novel CHASING EMBERS was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the British Fantasy Awards 2017.