For better and worse (mostly better), No Time To Die <\/em>is all about putting a bow on Daniel Craig\u2019s time as 007, resulting in a thrilling, if slightly frustrating, ride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s plenty to love about this film. The conversation has to start with Craig\u2019s marvelous performance, and it\u2019s a joy to watch him deliver one of his best Bond performances in his final go. Whether it tops Skyfall <\/em>is a matter of pure opinion, but he\u2019s definitely having the most fun in No Time To Die<\/em>. He\u2019s really going for it in a way he hasn\u2019t before; at times it\u2019s so different from his other Bond performances it becomes jarring (at one point, it was so incongruent I briefly thought they were doing a Mission Impossible-style imposter storyline), but overall, it\u2019s excellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camerawork is wonderful, too. Although not Roger Deakins-Skyfall<\/em>-level (honestly, a near-impossible ask), Linus Sandgren\u2019s cinematography is breathtaking at times, particularly in sweeping shots of Matera, Italy, nighttime scenes in Jamaica and Cuba bathed in rich purple and blue, and a particular shot during the film\u2019s climax that can\u2019t be discussed here without venturing into spoiler territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also several stretches that are simply a blast to watch. For example, there\u2019s an early stretch that finds a retired Bond in Jamaica living in a beautiful bungalow, fishing by day and ordering bottle service at the club by night. It\u2019s a direct callback to Bond\u2019s scorpion-shot days early in Skyfall<\/em>, except Bond\u2019s retirement is intentional this time, and it\u2019s a romp to see Bond living a care-free, breezy life. Later on, the film shows a different pitch in an action sequence featuring Craig and Ana de Armas\u2019s Cuban-based CIA operative, and the two\u2019s chemistry and camp absolutely fly off the screen (at one point, they stop down mid-shootout for a shot of tequila whilst brandishing machine guns, if that helps paint the picture).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the successful parts made it all the more frustrating to watch the film collapse slightly under its own weight in the final act. Early homages to Craig\u2019s Bond run and Bond history were subtle, charming, and plentiful. License to kill? Check. Bond, James Bond? Check. Shaken, not stirred? Check. Aston Martin DB5? Check. But as the film went on, some of these callbacks became unwieldy, capped off by the big bad\u2019s final location being an evil lair on a remote island. A Bond film following certain tropes is necessary (that\u2019s why we\u2019re here, after all), but too much of it disrupts the film\u2019s flow. Additionally, the film fell into some of the same traps as its predecessor, Spectre<\/em>, and tried way too hard to play into an interconnected, Marvel-esque Bond-verse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rami Malek\u2019s villain, Lyutsifer Safin, serves as a proper totem for the film\u2019s issues. His motivations are indecipher- able, and he\u2019s a \u201cBond Villain\u201d almost to the point of satire. With all the time dedicated to sending off Craig\u2019s Bond, the film just didn\u2019t have enough time for Safin, and it really showed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we are to engage in a ranking of the Craig-era Bond films, No Time To Die <\/em>finds itself squarely in the middle. Certainly better than the somewhat-bland Quantum of Solace <\/em>and overwrought Spectre<\/em>, and failing to reach the heights of Casino Royale <\/em>and Skyfall<\/em>. Does this make it a disappointment? That likely depends on who you ask. For those who wanted it to end the Craig era at its peak, it may slightly miss the mark; for those who don\u2019t particularly care and just want well-executed suaveness, globetrotting, and Bond, James Bond, it\u2019ll work with room to spare. Either way, almost everyone who sees No Time To Die <\/em>will have a great time at the movies, and that\u2019s something to celebrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally published in the October 13, 2021 print edition of the Martin City Telegraph. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For better and worse (mostly better),\u00a0No Time To Die\u00a0is all about putting a bow on Daniel Craig\u2019s time as 007, resulting in a thrilling, if slightly frustrating, ride.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6,7,5],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n