Reviewed October 15, 2021 - 1ST viewing 10/7/21 TH in IMAX at AMC
MGM Studios - Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Based On: Bond Books by Ian Fleming
As the cinematic book-end to Daniel Craig's run of five Bond films, No Time To Die (2021) should have functioned as an epic conclusion with a worthy amount of heart-pumping action, amazing stunts, fast cars, and intriguing gadgets. Alas, they elected to go out with a whimper instead of the literal 'bang' the film ends on. Craig has had his highs and lows, with Casino Royale (2006) and Skyfall (2012) being the stand-out films worthy of the Bond name, and Quantum of Solace (2009) and Spectre (2015) merely existing as mediocre space-fillers.
After Bond (Daniel Craig) chooses to leave active service, he finds peace off the coast of Jamaica with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) until his former associate from the CIA, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), shows up asking for help to rescue a kidnapped scientist from the clutches of a treacherous villain (Rami Malek) out to control the world with dangerous new technology. With the help of his MI6 team, which includes M (Ralph Fiennes), Q (Ben Whinshaw), Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), and newcomer Nomi (Lashana Lynch), Bond sets out to stop his devious plot.
Taking his turn at directing and co-writing the screenplay, Cary Joji Fukunaga fails to understand the pacing and structure required in a film of this scope and magnitude. Fukunaga is best known for his direction of the first season of HBO's anthology mini-series "True Detective", where there is plenty of room to take the time to develop and slow-burn the plot, however in this context, the story is mind-numbingly slow. And in a film that is decidedly low on the action quotient, there is just no room for such a grievous error.
Clocking in at just over two hours and forty minutes, easily an hour of the runtime could have been lost. The lackluster story is largely cliché and predictable, with little new to offer save the forced 'romance' between Bond and Madeleine. Through no fault of the actors, there is just zero chemistry between them. While it is certainly a welcome change to see Bond for the most part hang up his womanizing ways, Madeleine is the last person that he would have fallen for. Craig has must more chemistry with Harris, as evident in Skyfall (2012). That entire arc spanned over half the plot, which made the beginning of the film almost unbearable to watch.
The writers by and large waste their talent, reducing Rami Malek to a two-dimensional, archetypal villain who really just shows up with a dubious plot and preaches monotone to the main characters. Harris, who proved herself capable in both action and emotional sequences, was left to meander in the background, showing up for a few scenes just so the writers can check her off the appearance list. The entire film is bogged down by contradicting tones and styles, resulting in a very off-putting experience. There's no sense of urgency! Bond films should showcase interesting, complex characters, exotic locations, cutting-edge cars, and modern gadgets-they should excite and amaze. Alas, the entire tone was melodramatic, macabre, and miserable. To that end, there is one decent action sequence, very few stunts, one cool machine (revealed in the trailer), one unremarkable gadget, and the latest Aston barely gets a few minutes of screen-time-and Bond doesn't even get to drive it! I suppose we should just be grateful they didn't wreck her this time...
And then there's the ending, which effectively eradicates everything Bond epitomizes. One thing is for certain-it is time for an all-around make-over for the franchise-they lost the plot on this one.
FINAL VERDICT: Nothing more than a confusing, melodramatic mess that ends with a whimper and fails to showcase any real action or elicit any emotion. It is upsetting to see Craig's arc end this way, but here's hoping they are better at casting the next iteration of characters than ending this chapter.
5.0 = 1,0.5,0.5,0,1,0,0.5,0.5,1 - Rewatch Value: 1.
As the cinematic book-end to Daniel Craig's run of five Bond films, No Time To Die (2021) should have functioned as an epic conclusion with a worthy amount of heart-pumping action, amazing stunts, fast cars, and intriguing gadgets. Alas, they elected to go out with a whimper instead of the literal 'bang' the film ends on. Craig has had his highs and lows, with Casino Royale (2006) and Skyfall (2012) being the stand-out films worthy of the Bond name, and Quantum of Solace (2009) and Spectre (2015) merely existing as mediocre space-fillers.
After Bond (Daniel Craig) chooses to leave active service, he finds peace off the coast of Jamaica with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) until his former associate from the CIA, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), shows up asking for help to rescue a kidnapped scientist from the clutches of a treacherous villain (Rami Malek) out to control the world with dangerous new technology. With the help of his MI6 team, which includes M (Ralph Fiennes), Q (Ben Whinshaw), Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), and newcomer Nomi (Lashana Lynch), Bond sets out to stop his devious plot.
Taking his turn at directing and co-writing the screenplay, Cary Joji Fukunaga fails to understand the pacing and structure required in a film of this scope and magnitude. Fukunaga is best known for his direction of the first season of HBO's anthology mini-series "True Detective", where there is plenty of room to take the time to develop and slow-burn the plot, however in this context, the story is mind-numbingly slow. And in a film that is decidedly low on the action quotient, there is just no room for such a grievous error.
Clocking in at just over two hours and forty minutes, easily an hour of the runtime could have been lost. The lackluster story is largely cliché and predictable, with little new to offer save the forced 'romance' between Bond and Madeleine. Through no fault of the actors, there is just zero chemistry between them. While it is certainly a welcome change to see Bond for the most part hang up his womanizing ways, Madeleine is the last person that he would have fallen for. Craig has must more chemistry with Harris, as evident in Skyfall (2012). That entire arc spanned over half the plot, which made the beginning of the film almost unbearable to watch.
The writers by and large waste their talent, reducing Rami Malek to a two-dimensional, archetypal villain who really just shows up with a dubious plot and preaches monotone to the main characters. Harris, who proved herself capable in both action and emotional sequences, was left to meander in the background, showing up for a few scenes just so the writers can check her off the appearance list. The entire film is bogged down by contradicting tones and styles, resulting in a very off-putting experience. There's no sense of urgency! Bond films should showcase interesting, complex characters, exotic locations, cutting-edge cars, and modern gadgets-they should excite and amaze. Alas, the entire tone was melodramatic, macabre, and miserable. To that end, there is one decent action sequence, very few stunts, one cool machine (revealed in the trailer), one unremarkable gadget, and the latest Aston barely gets a few minutes of screen-time-and Bond doesn't even get to drive it! I suppose we should just be grateful they didn't wreck her this time...
And then there's the ending, which effectively eradicates everything Bond epitomizes. One thing is for certain-it is time for an all-around make-over for the franchise-they lost the plot on this one.
FINAL VERDICT: Nothing more than a confusing, melodramatic mess that ends with a whimper and fails to showcase any real action or elicit any emotion. It is upsetting to see Craig's arc end this way, but here's hoping they are better at casting the next iteration of characters than ending this chapter.
5.0 = 1,0.5,0.5,0,1,0,0.5,0.5,1 - Rewatch Value: 1.