James Bond: No Time to Die

Daniel Craig’s version of James Bond has a peculiar development film by film. What started as a complete reinvention of the character in Casino Royale, with a young, violent brute forcing his way through every mission, tone shifted to an outdated old man in Skyfall, to then a complete 180 in Spectre as he became the very thing he swore to destroy — an invincible pretty-face spitting quippy one liners with mustache-twirling villains. Sadly, No Time to Die follows the exact same pattern in Spectre, doubling down on the cheesiness even in the emotional scenes. Both films prove the genius of Casino Royale. The classic James Bond doesn’t work anymore, especially after 15 years of blazing a new path.

Why did we go back after spending so much time evolving?

(And since there is no appropriate place to put this in a review: the Billie Eilish song is way too quiet to be an opener for a James Bond film, especially a finale.)

Ok, by just looking at No Time to Die, the film is a brick. Crossing the finish line after 2 hours and 43 minutes, it would’ve been better to skip Spectre entirely and split this story in two. A possible alternative, interestingly, would’ve been to do what they did for Quantum of Solace — an epilogue to the previous film to wrap a bow on the story with a short runtime and quick action set-pieces. There’s just too much going on in the film to be a consumable experience worth remembering. During the first act I was on the fence, by the second act I was accepting reality, but by the third act I was just bored. The explosions and cool shots didn’t have any weight to them, passing by so briefly to get to the next one that it never stuck in my mind. With so much time and effort spent on this film, and all the delays and months waiting for the premiere, it all feels wasted. All of it wasted.

The concept of being “the biggest event of the year” constantly pushes film crews to pack in the longest, clunkiest film with more scenes, more locations, more extras, more guns, and a villain with epic scale and plans. Yet it also (somehow) has to be personal, because it is the curtain call for the big star. These two contrasting tones cripple each other rather than culminate, and the end result only grows the runtime exponentially.

I’m only going to focus on three performances because they are the ones that make or break the film. Daniel Craig’s last entry as James Bond is like any other epic finale: so sentimental it breaks the illusion. He does well in the action scenes, but when it gets to fast-tracking his character development, the stoic, Bond face fails to match the sappy dialogue. Daniel Craig is stuck in a corner with what the film wanted him to do: be Bond 100% but also pretend that this story is emotional. It is unfortunate to close this era with such a disappointment, but at least Daniel Craig will have more time for roles that won’t break his bones.

Ana De Armas is the brightest part because her character doesn’t take the situation seriously at all. Her moment is fleeting, only in one sequence, but she steals the entire show. No wonder she’s in every trailer; not only is she a rising actress, she has most of the chemistry and charisma of the whole film. She and Craig make the best action scene in the film, and the use of vertical sets and gunfighting is a blat. The subplot in Cuba should have been the main story, and she deserved to be the lead beside Daniel Craig.

And now the weakest performance. Rami Malek. His acting chops do not fit with an all powerful villain. He could fit a frail, weaselly antagonist who hides in the shadows to get the upper hand, but the version they choose in this film is a dramatic dictator with a godlike ego. It doesn’t fit, and he has less than 15 minutes of screentime. Bond doesn’t meet him face to face until the end of the third act… and it just baffles me why they continue to keep the villain so far away from Bond in every film. Skyfall worked because they are pitted against each other scene after scene, directly playing a game of wits while keeping direct eye contact. Who is Rami Malek playing? Some guy from Madeleine’s past, as in someone with no connection to Bond at all. Why is he in the finale when he doesn’t even know Bond? He is a second thought sandwiching a different film entirely, and it crushes the potential of a real conflict.

Overall, Daniel Craig gives his James Bond finale his all with cameos from every other living Bond character in his run, but it all fizzles to a flat end after a grueling runtime and bloated story. Ana De Armas was the highlight of the entire film, even though it was brief. Daniel Craig tried his best, but the way they attempted to soften up James Bond felt fake and cheesy compared to his original portrayal. The worst part of this film is the villain, not only because he is barely in it, but also because Rami Malek is a joke in any regards to being a threat. This film needed to be split in two, cut in half, or even better, reworked entirely.

Story Rating: 4/10

Character Rating: 4/10

Entertainment Rating: 6/10