No Time To Die (James Bond 007)

I don't know where to begin.

This movie gave me a lot of great entry points to start off my review, and I couldn't settle on any of them. So I guess I'll be winding up starting the review by admitting that.

This is the best Daniel Craig James Bond film. And this is speaking as something who didn't care for Casino Royale in the least. I feel like this movie attached the reality and vulnerability to the character Casino Royale was billed as but was actually too far outside of what the franchise should be. This threaded that needle perfect. The aftermath of the bomb at the beginning was great and unlike James Bond because Daniel Craig was allowed to look, well UNCOOL about it, unsettled, and legit weak. And yeah, that a more gritty, realistic Bond to me in a way Bond being a torturing scumbag is not.

I have a request for all future James Bond movies (the tag suggests there will be more, even if Craig's version is good and dead). I want the producers of the next Bonds and the next Bond actors to make a conscious decision of when to end things like Craig and the producers did here. I think for every previous Bond, nobody knew for sure if their last movie was actually going to BE their last movie. The producers planning this out with Craig ahead of time made his send-off memorable in a way no previous Bond was afforded.

I never watched too many James Bond movies back in the day, but the idea of a reboot still vaguely offended me. Mostly because I was busy hating on reboots for other franchises, and the concept was still bugging me. But if you set this Bond outside of everything else, you can kill him off in the last film. Where does Bond go from here? Another reboot? Or will they go right back to the original loose continuity of the first 20 movies? Say, what's John Cleese currently up to anyways? And can Judi Dench actually return with no-one complaining?

The movie made SO many right choices it was scary. What I like is that I didn't even agree with all of them, but they still worked! If I were the sap in charge I would have given Bond the fairytale happy ending. It wouldn't have hurt anything. And I think the producers are smarter than me in the sense that they knew as long as Bond was alive, there really is no happy ending possible for Madeline and her daughter. Whether Craig appears again or not, we'd envision her as the next dead Bond girl at the beginning of a movie we'll never see. I think the happy ending here outside of the rest of the Bond franchise is that the Bond girl doesn't actually die. For once she makes it out of the picture. And the movie could have done the weaselly thing and had Bond survive but be torn apart from his new family forever. But it would feel like an abandonment then. The poisoning being the thing that makes Bond go for the big self-sacrifice instead felt thematically right to me.

Bond's sacrificing himself for her love and daughter DOES work thematically, but if we are being honest as viewers, we will note he got shot several vital places point-blank at the end. Even if he had made it off the island I think at that point he might have already considered surviving his injuries a longshot. I know I did. That's why I winced when I did. The Time To Die was soon after that.

The opening flashback from Madeline's perspective was a very unusual way to open a Bond movie. It was spooky and cool.

Rami Malek is a very unsettling actor. Even when he was playing the protagonist on Mr. Robot he made my skin crawl. Allow him to wear an actual Black Hat and he's the stuff of my nightmares. What I like is that even though Bond is trying to reason with him (because he must with his daughter present) there is no getting around the fact that Safin's plan makes no sense. There is no benefit to either himself or humanity. He's simply mad and a totally broken person. Which makes him far more dangerous than the rest of Bond's enemies.

Or is he? I love that once he was essentially at Bond's mercy after their big fight, Bond simply unloads a gun in his face. Staples. That was easy. Why not? It's not like he wasn't gonna die anyways. Might as well get in some catharsis for both Bond and the audience for the monstrous things he did.

You know it's both a reboot and the last outing of the reboot with both Felix Leiter and Blofeld dying. Normally, I'd be pissed at a genre show / movie for killing off a black hero, but not only was Felix's death great, and earned, and filled with genuine pathos, but Nomi and Moneypenny are sitting right there kicking ass anyways.

I don't see 007 spin-off movies with Nomi coming. The Jinx spin-offs didn't happen probably because the behind scenes production of the Bond films from that era were troubled. I feel like visiting new adventures with Nomi in this now old continuity will take things away from the new Bond, whoever he is. The producers were teasing this idea, but even if Bond had survived I don't think it would have ever worked.

I will say this. One of the most pleasurably shocking moments in the film to me is that when she first gets alone with Bond in an intimate setting she removes.... her hair! That is James Bond 007 meeting the cultural moment! Huzzah!

I like Bond asking if the desk had gotten bigger, or if M had gotten smaller.

It was fun to me to see M go off on Bond in his office. I felt Bond's fury was righteous for once (and I don't usually) but I like that we saw M just refuse to take it for the first time ever. I like him saying Bond has no business making insinuations about his judgment (or his drinking habits). It's not like Bond himself doesn't drink like a fish too. Forget Bond dying as to why this is a first in the franchise. M refusing to coddle Bond's snits is a far bigger departure from what has come before.

I like Ralph Fiennes' reaction to learning Felix was dead too. It was clearly an unexpected blow. More so than Bond working for the CIA.

I like that when M tells Nomi to scan every inch of Blofeld she says she'll bring her gloves. Ick.

I like that Safin first starts unsettling Madeline in the therapy session upon noting how hard it is for children to lose their parents. His stuff about owning a person whose life you saved was also upsetting to hear. Which makes me a little annoyed the mask actually surprised her. There was no other person it could be with the things he was saying.

I like when Bond is reinstated as a 00 Nomi ask "00-what?" And M replies, "What've you got?"

Is Q expecting a gentleman caller? It seems like it based on how upset he was he had to cancel the dinner.

Ugh. Q has a hairless cat. Gross.

The five year flashforward says the movie isn't messing around. It's playing for keeps.

The opening title was good. I don't always like those. The song was great and the images were cool.

The Aston Martin with the machine guns in the headlights was beyond cool. I like that before he breaks them out he lets Madeline stew in the fear a little of the gunfire pounding against the windows, until he's sure she's not behind it. The slight shake of her head as she looks into his eyes says she's okay.

Bond saying "You'll never see me again," was pretty cold, even for Bond. Also he's wrong, so no prize for that numbnuts. I like her running down the length of the train to keep him in eyesight. That struck me as a very realistic and heartbreaking moment.

It's the last Craig film so we actually got the staples for once. He's orders a vodka martini shaken, not stirred, says his name is Bond, James Bond, and Q's gadgets work for once. He seemed REALLY annoyed he had to use the full name at headquarters though.

Paloma's dress is a knock-out. Hubba Hubba. And she can handle a machine gun in it.

I like Bond saying that Ash smiles too much. I like that he didn't trust him from the start.

I also like Nomi saying she liked old wrecks. Little on-the-nose there.

It's SO James Bond that before he goes on the run with Paloma and the Russian scientist he finishes the drink.

When the spotlight fell on Bond at the party I was like "Uh oh! Busted!" Didn't see how he was getting out of that. The weapon being targeted towards all of Spectre instead was a very smart and surprising solution.

It's also a HUGE deal that is another thing to say this franchise is closing doors on this continuity. Killing off everyone in Spectre is in fact slamming them shut.

The Russian scientist bugged me. I considered him getting killed off long overdue. Somebody that dumb and obnoxious had no business surviving the film for so long. Nomi being the one to do it and declaring it was time to die felt right. After he threatened to kill her "entire race" it felt cathartic for her to be the one to shut up that dirtbag.

Do you know what bothers me? When he tells Bond he'll never get out of there alive and it's a suicide mission. Somebody that skeevy should never be right.

I liked the way Bond turned around the "That must bother you," on Nomi in the office.

Blofeld has gone nuts. The rattling and clanking as his caged moved forward was unnerving and gave him quite a memorable entrance. Great build-up there. Very Hannibal Lecter. I like Bond remembering to wish him a happy birthday and Blofeld thanking him. When Bond tells him he will go away if he tells him what he wants to know, it seems both perfect and obvious when Blofeld says he doesn't WANT him to go away and he was enjoying getting reacquainted. Because despite what M thinks, Bond has never actually been off-limits to Blofeld. He's the one guy he wants to talk to. Even if Bond kills him afterwards.

The chase at the end with the vans, choppers, and motorcycles was bananas. It especially made me tense because there was a small child in the car. And when Safin picks Mathilde up later and hints she'll learn to love it here and telling her she has HIM now, while Madeline is screaming as she's being dragged away, I just wanted to snap his neck then and there. What an utter creep. When Elliot never blinked on Mr. Robot it spooked me. When Safin never does I just want to take a shower instead.

In fairness it's interesting he lets Mathilde go later on simply because she wants to go. Not a typical villain move. Probably because he knows Bond can't actually have her. Also when he describes the ways he and Bond are similar, that IS a bit of eerie mirroring going on there. Even Bond can't quite deny it.

I like Bond letting the van flatten Ash. When Bond tells him Felix Leiter was his brother I felt very good about Ash being smooshed right then.

I like that Bond actually finds the plush animal at the end, but he can't actually go back with it. It's like a loss on two levels for that poor girl.

I like M noting Nomi was more deferential than her predecessor. What a very polite and British way to put that.

Honestly, I felt Bond being redesignated 007 for the mission felt kind of pointless and tacked on. It was for the fans, but it didn't add anything.

Also Bond saying he blew the guy's mind was an awful quip, even by James Bond standards. It was the one part of the movie I outright disliked.

I liked Bond telling Nomi to let loose the explosives to destroy the island, her saying they don't have enough, and him pointing out that the bad guys didn't know that.

I like the thing that tells Bond the kid is his is that she has his blue eyes. That was a great tell.

And again, I need to fully talk about the genius of Bond's daughter, and why the producers of the Craig movies get a lot of credit from me. Remember the awful cartoon James Bond Jr? It would be the franchise's first inclination earlier in its run to make the kid a son, suggest he's a chip off the old block, maybe have him annoy Dad a bit, and clearly be excited to someday get into the family business. It would be future-proofing the franchise for adventures we'd never see, and adventures I wouldn't even WANT to see. Instead the movie gives Bond a sweet little daughter that he falls in love with instantly. And it makes the sacrifice a bigger deal knowing that there isn't a 'Lil Bond out there ready to take his place. Bond has a sweet and real connection to a girl who is shockingly normal and human. And I love that and respect the hell out of the writers and producers for that. I'm not gonna suggest the film deserves a Best Picture or Best Screenplay Oscar or anything. What I will say is that I feel something like that should get some sort of official special recognition regardless. Just on general principle.

And I like that the movie ends upon Madeline telling Mathilde a story about a man named James Bond. Sweet ending in a franchise not known for them.

This was pretty much the best swan song any Bond actor has EVER been gifted. It's pretty amazing in my book. **.

Anatomy Of A Scene: Matera:

Featurette about the making of the opening chase sequence. *.

Keeping It Real: The Action Of No Time To Die:

Featurette on the many action sequences. Lots of 'splosions here. *.

A Global Journey:

About the various locations. *.

Designing Bond:

About the designs of the sets and the costumes. ****.