For the life of me I can't understand how they have allowed,Bond,Blofeld and Spectre to be wiped all in one movie.
I get that they wanted to give Craig a decent send off,but come on,he's not bigger than the character.
Perhaps now there's an opportunity to get back to what's important.
Bond kills for his country and gets rid of the bad guys,sometimes temporarily.
He shags hot women because he can.
And he drinks hard and takes **** from no one.
That's what was attractive about the character from the beginning.
I personally don't want someone getting in touch with their feelings and understanding how he makes others feel.
There is plenty of that stuff elsewhere.
I want to walk out of a Bond film feeling like I did when I was a kid.You could be him,you could get the girl and you could beat the baddies at will,whilst smoking a pack of fags and knocking back a crippling number of martinis.Even if it's just for the afternoon before the crushing relentlessness of the REAL world and all its myriad problems and social requirements come crashing back into your consciousness.
Yeah, I was really wondering about his myself. If he's got a tool that can completely disrupt anything computerized, why not use them on the nanobots? I mean, they specifically used that technology as opposed to, say, a genetically engineered virus. It felt like Chekhov's gun to me. Of course, if this is a way to retcon the end of this film in the beginning of the next, it may not seem to be a potential plot hole.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
[Loeff’s spoiler-riffic review of “No Time to Die” follows:]
My goal with this review is not to regurgitate the film’s synopsis—you can get that anywhere—but, rather, to attempt to arrange and categorize the vast array of impressions and emotions that two viewings of the film—along with a couple of days thinking and drinking about it (hence the growler)—have left me with. And there are a lot of them. So…here goes.
REFLECTIONS IN A HEFEWEIZEN GROWLER: A LOOK AT NO TIME TO DIE
Daniel Craig was James Bond. From 2006 until 2021. And the mark he has left on the role is as indelible as Sean Connery’s was. Possibly more so, in the long term.
Period.
Take that, haters!
Daniel Craig’s big-screen swan song as James Bond is, fittingly, as bold and fearless as his five-picture tenure has been (even Quantum of Solace, commonly viewed as his run’s biggest misstep, did not lack for boldness of creative decision-making): delayed multiple times by you-know-what, it has somehow managed to (mostly) keep its biggest secret for 18 months, until people could actually view it, which is no small triumph in itself…although a random douchebag on a Facebook fan group page managed to spoil it for me on opening day, two hours before I could watch it. C’est la vie; c’est la guerre.
Stylistically, the film pays considerable respect to the franchise as a whole, rewards long-term fans, and scatters Easter eggs throughout for longtime movie fans and Fleming readers alike. The production design is a bit more subtle than an old Ken Adam-era project, but is still evocative of the master’s work, and the Hans Zimmer score is surprisingly good, given the derision heaped upon him by some in the Bond fanboy community; he knows what a Bond film is about, and is wise enough to borrow liberally from established Bond musical tropes, the main theme principal among them.
Even setting aside the biological terrorism element they share, there is no denying that No Time to Die is the thematic and spiritual twin sibling of 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. From the moment in the pre-title sequence, when Bond fatefully tells Madeleine ‘We have all the time in the world,’—and Hans Zimmer’s score immediately incorporates that John Barry melody as a musical cue—the film takes on an emotional gravitas that characterized the older film, and maintains it throughout. Both films are love stories, and both end tragically, with NTTD swapping Tracy’s death for Bond’s; Louis Armstrong’s classic vocal performance of the piece over the end credits seals the deal. With the growth of OHMSS’s esteem in the rear-view mirror of history, Eon were wise to return to that rarified well to close out Craig’s tenure.
One of NTTD’s broader themes—which is really a through-line that connects all of the Craig films—is the erosion of trust in government authority, and the seemingly inexorable corruptibility of the bureaucracy. The old-time SPECTRE of the ’60s films was a hive of relatively cartoonish villainy…but the SPECTRE of the Craig Era could be any global corporation (see: Facebook, Google, Twitter, et al), with its tentacles entwined throughout the halls of national power. From Skyfall on, Craig’s Bond has essentially been cleaning up messes made by none other than M herself (and, later, himself), along with government officials who proved to be willing co-conspirators of the baddies. In this movie, the dynamic between Bond and M is stood on its head: the retired Bond’s dressing-down of his former boss—his disgust and direct recrimination—is unprecedented in the franchise’s prior 24 films. Further, it reflects our own growing disillusionment with (and dread of) those ‘in charge.’
The SPECTRE gathering scene in Cuba features a disembodied bionic eye, on a tiny pillow, being walked around the room by a sinister trio of baddies, which – for my money – is as audaciously and absurdly straight-faced camp as anything that happened in the mid- to late-1960s. Still, it is no less chilling than a body dipped in gold paint or oil, and it reminds us that we’re someplace where only people like James Bond might escape with their lives.
The viral nanobot technology is a suitably malleable McGuffin of a villain’s plot, just complicated enough to foster suspension of disbelief, and the ‘Garden of Death’ from Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice novel finally makes its appearance in the film canon (although it was sadly underused, in this fan’s personal opinion). While other fan reviews have expressed disappointment with Rami Malek’s villain, I find Safin’s detached reptilian calm extremely disturbing, and his backstory as plausible as it is unsettling and believable.
The supporting cast is solid, with Jeffrey Wright’s excellent Felix Leiter being given a shocking demise, Ana de Armas’ Paloma managing to be as cute as a button whilst being deadly dangerous (more would have been good), and Léa Seydoux’s weighty depth of emotion anchoring virtually every scene in which she appears. At the end of the PTS, we see her instinctively clutch her abdomen, as Bond puts her on a train and tells her she’ll never see him again. In retrospect, we realize that she knew she was pregnant but withheld that from Bond, which makes the appearance of their daughter, Mathilde (beautifully played by Lisa-Dorah Sonnet, an obviously talented young actress) all the more effective.
The PTS features brilliant action, of course, this time starring the Aston Martin DB5 in arguably its best appearance ever. The action set pieces are highly effective throughout, and lack the obvious contrivance of things like the plane crashing sequence from Spectre. The aerially-deployed glider-turned-submarine is delicious eye candy.
Craig’s performance must be singled out as we look at the whole product: the Bond we get here, at the end of the run, is sensitive, caring, and devoted – quite a far cry from the self-conscious emotional detachment he brought to his Casino Royale debut. Here, we see a Bond whose world-weariness isn’t just a tossed-off subtext in a scene, as we’ve seen before. Here, it weighs on him throughout the narrative…and while some criticize his ‘sudden transformation’ to a man with a family to worry about, I feel it just adds to the weight of the piece in a natural fashion, and only enhances it. I firmly believe that this is his best acting performance of the five pictures; a run with zero substandard efforts from the man himself (as is often the case, faults in a Bond film lie elsewhere).
During the film’s long delay, much was made (by fandom) of Bond’s 007 number being given to a black female following his retirement, but Lashana Lynch’s Nomi proves to be a lot of fun to watch…and she evolves, from Bond’s insecure foil to a partner who respects her senior agent…but I think they missed an opportunity with the ‘007 reveal;’ I’d much rather they had shown M in his office, saying “Send in 007” and having her come through the door.
My gripes with the film are relatively few (compared to the jilted fanboys, who are legion, and whine endlessly about plot holes, and the fact that Craigger isn’t a different actor), but one of them is inherent to the Craig Era, which is that they have become ensemble pieces…instead of a solitary man of action on a mission. I guess this is why my own escapist mystery/action thrillers take place in the 1940s, before tech made everything collaborative, and ‘in the moment.’ That said, the MI6 regulars are all characteristically reliable here.
Once Leiter is dead—and Blofeld is inadvertently killed by Bond—the entire film takes on an added weight, and I began to see how the endgame might unfold.
I wasn’t wrong. Ultimately, NTTD reveals itself to be the most emotional Bond film ever—and, quite likely, the most emotional Bond film there will ever be. If that sounds like hyperbole, consider that more than a generation separates the tragic finale of OHMSS from that of NTTD…and you can only kill off such an iconic hero once, before it becomes nakedly manipulative.
More importantly, it has managed to give this iconic character something it had never had before: a defined character arc – and an ending. When viewed with some hard-achieved emotional detachment, this element sets his films apart from those which came before – a ‘closed circuit’ that safely insulates Craig’s tenure from the rest of the films in the franchise, and arguably elevates it to legend status – something in the way of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. It’s quite easy to understand that this entry is polarizing: when hasn’t Craig been a polarizing figure in the uniquely demanding, fetishistic strain of hardcore Bond fandom? I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again: it took a Daniel Craig to save Bond from himself – and, in turn, he has set a dauntingly high bar for the next fellow to be fitted for the tux. I do not envy that man.
Similarly, I understand now why executive producer Barbara Broccoli says that she is having a hard time figuring out what happens after Daniel Craig: having arrived on the scene as a rebooted character, he became the franchise’s first ever co-producer…and I’d wager that Bond’s death was a bargaining chip he played, using that clout, to agree to come back for a fifth and final entry.
For the devoted long-term anti-Craig fetishist (they’re out there), the conclusion of NTTD is the final outrage. But…for those of us who decided to give the bloke a chance, in 2005—and eagerly buckled into the DB5 alongside him—the ending (while surely sad) is satisfying…if not inevitable.
In my estimation, the final scene in the film is nothing short of beautiful.
James Bond will, most assuredly, return…but when he does—starting from scratch, with a fresh actor in the tux—he will face a situational dichotomy: a clear runway…with a towering mountain range of high expectations at the end of it.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
My goodness. How dreary. So glad I'm not living through these lenses. Peace and love. Peace and love.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Based on #371, which is a livid review, shouldn’t we all agree, if we just dismiss the plot holes from NTTD, that this was a James Bond arc at its best? Not to say we haven’t had a character development as DCs Bond in the cinema franchise.
By seeing the bigger picture, there are undeniable observances from Casino Royale that we can state he was a freshman, cold hearted killer, the assassin he was meant to be, and we had a touch of his armor ‘being peeled back’, as he said himself, with Vesper.
The betrayal was a major impact for him, and as we see in Quantum of Solace he yearned for a need to set things right, his anger for not catching the truth a catalyst to avenge Vesper and kill the traitor boyfriend.
The movie may for most people be a distraction or just another “mission”, but Bond had his ulterior motive that many dismiss, and his change of heart by not killing the baddie boyfriend is also part of the arc many fail to recognize. M later states in Spectre, that a license to kill is also a license NOT to kill and James learns it at that moment.
Skyfall, my favorite Bond movie ever, mostly because it was my first, brings a broader approach to Bond, then in the middle brings us back in to his past, (for someone who tries not to dwell in the past Bond keeps getting screwed by it) when he visits his family home. One thing that stuck out to me is when Kincade shows M the hidden fireplace tunnel and says after the boy learned his parents died he hid in the tunnel for 3 days and when he came out, he was no longer a boy, but a man.
Bond knows he did his best to try to save M, but doesn’t dwell on the past or is guilt ridden for it. Here we see a grown Bond, a sort of Luke becomes the legendary Jedi moment not only because he’s the best at his job, but because he knows exactly who he is and has learned to hope for the better despite the cruel world.
Again, Bond doesn’t catch a break as someone from long ago is trying to kill him in Spectre. Everything he has learned in the past movies has led up to this moment of who he can trust. Will we see a James as the one we saw in Casino? A little. And as for their “forced love”, she is a psychologist at the highest degree and class and knows Bond better than Vesper in my opinion as she read him as easy as you read this sentence. It’s her profession, not a finance liaison for the Treasury who happens to be smart. Bond already wanted her but she wanted to make sure he was authentic and good to her, since she has her fair share of distrust to the men in her life, and it’s close to the end when she finally falls completely for him.
Before I finish this arc review, I was the one who said that I loved and hated No Time To Die. Go back a page and see my thoughts. As soon as the credits started rolling, I left the theater for some fresh air after 2:30 hours with mask on, but partly I was just bewildered with the ending and was just done. Even this morning I was thinking I absolutely despised it, but after seeing the bigger picture, I can’t compare this journey which anyone else’s.
But now I am leaning towards the loving it side. James Bond from Casino Royale came back, living the life with his girl, not a care in the world. Then his past came hunting for him again, following distrust, anger, his armor came back on as he sent her on a train and pledged never to see her in their lifetime. He doesn’t do it because he hates her, he knows how much danger he puts the people around him in, therefore leading to a life solo.
Then again, like a scratchy record, the past comes again, this time as a friend needing his help, only to be led to almost getting killed by Blofeld. But the thing is, he still knows that whoever is with him will only be put in danger, as Blofeld tells him. A sort of foreshadowing to what’s to come.
Here he learns something new, how to be a father. Yes for maybe like a day or two, but it’s part of the arc! Safin was wrong thinking Bond wouldn’t give his life for his family, or he knew exactly Bond would live in misery not seeing his family he’d rather die so basically killing him. Yet another crucial character trait that basically was all the facets Bond completed in his life. A complete man, a faulty man, but a giving one.
Daniel Craig even said even though James is an a** at most times, he still cares for people, he likes them. Why else would he have so many people needing him, looking out for him? Because he does the same back to them.
The film is still growing on me as may with you, but by far Daniel Craig is still MY Bond, and as a 22 yr old, growing up with him is now a part of me I’ll never forget.
Likewise, I do not envy the man getting dressed in a tux and a PPK in holster to be the next Bond, because we have high expectations that better be met after this.
Look Loeffs, I'm glad to have you back, but don't crap on my review and then say 'Peace and Love' in that passive aggressive way. The 007 Magazine didn't think much of it either. You always seem to struggle with anyone disagreeing with you or anyone saying anything critical.
I'm still trying to work out why Eon are planning to do a reboot, or that they think there is a need for it. They could have easily kept Bond alive.
Saw Casino Royale on UK TV last night. Noticed that the pre-credit fight in the toilet had been 98% cut. The fight on the stairwell hadn't been cut, and that was just as violent.
"I want to walk out of a Bond film feeling like I did when I was a kid. You could be him, you could get the girl and you could beat the baddies at will,whilst smoking a pack of fags and knocking back a crippling number of martinis. Even if it's just for the afternoon before the crushing relentlessness of the REAL world and all its myriad problems and social requirements come crashing back into your consciousness."
Despite reading everything here and knowing what was to come...I was surprised that I shed a tear on 3 separate scenes ....my thoughts-
-Safin's motives were crystal clear for me from the beginning...he lost his family and is tortured by this void and feels completely alone in this world, therefore the world can go to hell...
-Vespers tomb scene, cried here, and loved how Spectre is introduced in the film...so sinister..
-Felixs death... cried a second time, it felt like losing a brother for sure...
-Nomi... just wow, the confidence, the killer instinct, she was regal even...the way she would just stand there knowing she could handle anything...a worthy 007, LOVED her character
-Bonds death...there are 2 sides to this, the cinematic side and the personal side... cinematically it was a glorious death for sure, but for a lot of us Bond is more than a fictional character so it's a struggle to see it... personally I chose to believe he somehow someway survived...
-the Aston Martin scenes were just about the best out of all the Bond films...with the Vantage just ever so slightly edging out the DB as my favorite, it was fantastic seeing it drive away at the end
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
I ask for forgiveness in advance if the answer’s been posted, but how many years has passed since the end of SP to the point before Bond and Madeleine split up in the PTS?
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
Well, Nap, in point of fact I hadn't read your review until just now. I was referring to the exchange between you and Big Tam specifically, and apparently misread it. My apologies, both for my mistake and for your apparent lingering impression of me. Cheers and be well.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Regardless of whether they kill off the character or not, Craig-Bond is dead. They can't just carry over all that personal history.
The option to have him ride off into the sunset doesn't work with his characterisation, which was always Bond being emotionally damaged. Also, he'd already done that in Spectre so it wouldn't be much of a surprise.
I don't think him escaping whilst leaving the toy with Madeline would work- would he really give up love and his own child just for work, particularly as he's quit multiple times before? He isn't a family man and what would they do for future films? Have him pop in at weekends.
Really the only way they could make a grand enough ending, tying up all the threads of Craig's tenure, was to kill him off.
Perhaps for the greater good of the series it was a flawed idea giving him so much personal background because it makes it impossible for the new actor to simply step into the old actor's shoes.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
I quite agree. I tend to be on the lookout for that kind of nonsense, ubiquitous as it is becoming, but I simply didn't see it here.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
+1 🍸️ ...although I would like a longer PTS that tells a quick version of the TSWLM novel, and introduces Bond as a stranger who helps a beautiful woman in a dangerous situation.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
Eon will have a unique opportunity with 26, and I'm very curious about what they do with it. If I were at the helm, I believe I'd go back to the original Precious Classic Formula, and have a younger Bond be given a standalone mission, as Hardyboy suggested. I don't think another Backstory Bond would be the right move.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Long thought this would be a stellar opening with a suspenseful long delayed opening to Bond's entrance. But Craig would have been the ideal Bond for this, looking in some lights like the very gangster type Vivienne would be looking to avoid on first glance. He's gone now.
Also, are EON legally allowed to use this? A proviso from Fleming was that they could only use the title and not the story. Fleming was very down on the book - surprising as it's really not bad at all.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
I would hope that such a thing might be renegotiable after all these years, if effectively pitched to the Estate. I agree that the novel itself gets quite good once Bond is on the scene.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Can really a story about a young woman in a cabin with some brutes who gets saved by a surprise guest be copyright protected? It's a very basic story. I imagine one can change the names (other than James Bond), the location and the dialoge and you're home free. You can probably guess I'm not a copyright expert ....
Totally. They have disregarded Fleming rapidly with the past 3 films, and instead retconned it and given us `Fleming reimagined' garbage instead. Bond's family home, Kincaid, Blofeld being Bond's brother, and now Bond knowing he has a daughter, and then dying.
Babs has always quoted her father as saying `whenever in doubt, go back to Fleming'. If this is what she thinks is `going back to Fleming' she clearly needs to step down and let someone else take over the reigns at the top.
No time to die, the 25th official Bond film, arriving into cinemas just shy of the film series 60th anniversary, was a blast from start to finish revealing a perfect marriage between the series popular tropes and ideas mixed in with the recent film’s tendencies towards deconstruction, character, and continuity.
Daniel Craig’s offers his best performance as James Bond, playing the character on all possible levels of emotion, in which I don’t think any other Bond actor has done before him. He plays relaxed Bond, dangerous Bond, angry Bond, furious Bond, fully-in-love Bond and subdued to his fate Bond. You get the idea. Having watched Craig’s four Bond films before No Time To Die, I really was impressed with the progression in his character. In Caisno Royale he’s cocky and arrogant. Here, he comes across as a little humbler, and wiser. (Though he does insist on Nomi calling him Commander Bond which was both funny and a nice callback to Bond’s often neglected Naval background).
Now I was in the minority of people who appreciated Lea Seydoux’s performance of Madeline in Spectre. I found the conflict concerning her father something new and fresh in the Bond series, and I also appreciated the fact that they made Bond’s next great love not a carbon copy of Vesper. While Vesper had the quips and the self-assurance, Madeline seemed far more world-weary and closed off. Quite like Bond himself in that regard. Yet in this film, she carries a huge amount of the emotional weight in the movie. I totally believe her as a character, I believe her and Bond’s romance. The flashback showing a young Madeline shoot Safin was a thrilling opening.
I liked Nomi a lot more than I thought I would. She was sassy and funny, and appreciated her insecurity as a character. Made her more sympathetic. (her “time to die” line was a bit too cheesy for me). It also helped that they dressed her like Sir Roger Moore.
Felix was the best he’s been since License to Kill. I truly believed his friendship with Bond, and some of his quips made me laugh out loud (“I don’t think Ash is on our side”). His death was abrupt, I don’t mind it, I just wished he was in the film a little more beforehand to make it more impactful.
Paloma was a lot of fun. And they were clever to leave us wanting more from her character. And hopefully she will be a sign of the sort of tone they will take the Bond films next with the new guy in the tux.
As far as the MI6 crew go. Moneypenny seemed much closer to Maxwell here. Full of warmth and fun. Loved seeing her and Bond sipping wine at Q’s apartment. M was angry and morally dubious. Which I appreciated. Q was Q. I can almost see him aging into Desmond’s character! Also the idea of Bond bunking at Q’s place in London is hilarious. And Bill Tanner, alas the most forgotten member of the crew, provided some nice lines of dialogue (mad as a bag of bees) and seemed to be good friends with Bond like in the books
I appreciated Blofeld in this, that they brought him back, and found him as menacing as ever. And Bond snapping and starting to strangle him was very much like You Only Live Twice the novel. Just wished they kept him from the trailers. His death scene, although perfect at conveying the weapon the MI6 crew were up against, did seem a bit flippant.
It felt like a deliberate choice to make Safin mysterious and slight. Like a horror character in many ways rather than a cat-stroking Bond villain. We get his presence, we get him obsessed with Madeline, and poisoning Bond and wanting revenge on Spectre, but we don’t get a proper reason for the virus except for “people want oblivion.” Which, I don’t know, maybe I’m just too busy enjoying the cake they’re giving me, but I accept that. There comes a point when the lust for power isn’t rational. How many people would launch a nuke just because they could? Probably more people than who would like to admit. And that explains why Safin let’s Mathilde go. He was only using her to threaten Bond, and to show power over him by threatening his daughter. He had no use for her after that.
Now I’m a John Barry fan through and through, and I also believe that David Arnold is the natural successor to Barry and should do as many Bond scores as possible. Sign him up for the next ten films! Yet I appreciate other composer’s work on the series such as Bill Conti’s masterfully 80’s score for For Your Eyes Only, and Kamen’s thrilling score for License to Kill. How can I forget George Martin’s funky score for Live and Let Die. And I am pleased to say that I am sure Hans Zimmer will be remembered for a truly terrific score, full of the best of what Zimmer is known for: that is big cinematic sounds with a heartbeat pulse in the action sequences. Yet he also incorporates Barry’s lush strings such as in Matera and Arnold’s brass in the action scenes. The reintroduction of the Majesty’s theme and We Have All the Time in the World I love because they’re not only fan-pleasing, but they work within their respective scenes. It’s also so nice to hear Barry’s music on the big screen again and to see his name in the credits. Zimmer’s stirring, filthy Bond riff he uses in a few tracks are greatly appreciated also (It plays in Square Escape, Cuba Chase and Opening The Doors whenever Bond does something truly Bondian). But I also really appreciate how he weaved in Billie Eillish’s title song throughout the film, not just in once occasion, and its done in masterful fashion making it both romantic and heroic.
All in all, No Time To Die was a stellar ending to Craig’s tenure yet controversial. It all depends on the fan being able to come to terms with two rather large pills, which I won’t deny, are difficult to swallow. One, Bond becoming a family man. Two, Bond dying at the end. As far as Bond becoming a family man, I buy it. From Bond chopping up that apple to his daughter, to him tying his jersey around her neck, I’m there, believing it. The reason why the relationship and Bond’s death works, is because Seydoux and Craig sell it. Fukanaga’s directing gives them the time in front of the camera and they bring their aim game.
As far as Bond’s death goes: I think it really shows them understanding the Fleming character, and the fact that Bond is ultimately a tragic man, who can never be happy for long because he’s a spy and he’s not just any old spy, he’s a 00. And in the words of Bond himself in Casino Royale, 00’s have a very short life expectancy. I do think when they recast Bond and move back to a Brosnan type feel, some fans who struggle with the ending will relax a bit more. After I saw the film in the cinema I got talking to someone who was quite sad by the ending. I told him about those four little words at the end of the credits and he relaxed and became quite calm. Indeed, Daniel Craig will not come back to the role but James Bond Will Return!
“The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning. "
-Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
@James Suzuki thanks James, always good to read your opinions.
I don't agree with much, but I do agree with you re: Lea Seydoux, she's much underrated on this forum and I think that's because she compares unfavourably with the sassy, mouthy, all action girls we've had through Craig's reign. I say unfavourably, what I mean is she's more of an intellectual presence, more the traditional damsel even if she's fundamental to both movies. I think she's very good with Craig, but I also see her role as underdeveloped both times. Curiously when I look back at my one view of NTTD, the sequence which harbours most emotion is the pensive, cloying, uncertain discussion Bond and Madeleine have in the hotel at Matera. Burning those secrets was the moment their lives were going to open up. It was a well directed and performed moment if quiet in very busy film.
I agree on Madeleine too. She should've been given a scene or two more in SP to flesh out the character and her relationship to Bond, but Madeleine is underrated. NTTD did a lot to help the character and I think Lea Seydoux was glad to return in the role.
Comments
Craig has gone and taken this Bond with him.
For the life of me I can't understand how they have allowed,Bond,Blofeld and Spectre to be wiped all in one movie.
I get that they wanted to give Craig a decent send off,but come on,he's not bigger than the character.
Perhaps now there's an opportunity to get back to what's important.
Bond kills for his country and gets rid of the bad guys,sometimes temporarily.
He shags hot women because he can.
And he drinks hard and takes **** from no one.
That's what was attractive about the character from the beginning.
I personally don't want someone getting in touch with their feelings and understanding how he makes others feel.
There is plenty of that stuff elsewhere.
I want to walk out of a Bond film feeling like I did when I was a kid.You could be him,you could get the girl and you could beat the baddies at will,whilst smoking a pack of fags and knocking back a crippling number of martinis.Even if it's just for the afternoon before the crushing relentlessness of the REAL world and all its myriad problems and social requirements come crashing back into your consciousness.
Yeah, I was really wondering about his myself. If he's got a tool that can completely disrupt anything computerized, why not use them on the nanobots? I mean, they specifically used that technology as opposed to, say, a genetically engineered virus. It felt like Chekhov's gun to me. Of course, if this is a way to retcon the end of this film in the beginning of the next, it may not seem to be a potential plot hole.
La pelicula no me gusto
Ej ane ikkje ka du sei.
[Loeff’s spoiler-riffic review of “No Time to Die” follows:]
My goal with this review is not to regurgitate the film’s synopsis—you can get that anywhere—but, rather, to attempt to arrange and categorize the vast array of impressions and emotions that two viewings of the film—along with a couple of days thinking and drinking about it (hence the growler)—have left me with. And there are a lot of them. So…here goes.
REFLECTIONS IN A HEFEWEIZEN GROWLER: A LOOK AT NO TIME TO DIE
Daniel Craig was James Bond. From 2006 until 2021. And the mark he has left on the role is as indelible as Sean Connery’s was. Possibly more so, in the long term.
Period.
Take that, haters!
Daniel Craig’s big-screen swan song as James Bond is, fittingly, as bold and fearless as his five-picture tenure has been (even Quantum of Solace, commonly viewed as his run’s biggest misstep, did not lack for boldness of creative decision-making): delayed multiple times by you-know-what, it has somehow managed to (mostly) keep its biggest secret for 18 months, until people could actually view it, which is no small triumph in itself…although a random douchebag on a Facebook fan group page managed to spoil it for me on opening day, two hours before I could watch it. C’est la vie; c’est la guerre.
Stylistically, the film pays considerable respect to the franchise as a whole, rewards long-term fans, and scatters Easter eggs throughout for longtime movie fans and Fleming readers alike. The production design is a bit more subtle than an old Ken Adam-era project, but is still evocative of the master’s work, and the Hans Zimmer score is surprisingly good, given the derision heaped upon him by some in the Bond fanboy community; he knows what a Bond film is about, and is wise enough to borrow liberally from established Bond musical tropes, the main theme principal among them.
Even setting aside the biological terrorism element they share, there is no denying that No Time to Die is the thematic and spiritual twin sibling of 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. From the moment in the pre-title sequence, when Bond fatefully tells Madeleine ‘We have all the time in the world,’—and Hans Zimmer’s score immediately incorporates that John Barry melody as a musical cue—the film takes on an emotional gravitas that characterized the older film, and maintains it throughout. Both films are love stories, and both end tragically, with NTTD swapping Tracy’s death for Bond’s; Louis Armstrong’s classic vocal performance of the piece over the end credits seals the deal. With the growth of OHMSS’s esteem in the rear-view mirror of history, Eon were wise to return to that rarified well to close out Craig’s tenure.
One of NTTD’s broader themes—which is really a through-line that connects all of the Craig films—is the erosion of trust in government authority, and the seemingly inexorable corruptibility of the bureaucracy. The old-time SPECTRE of the ’60s films was a hive of relatively cartoonish villainy…but the SPECTRE of the Craig Era could be any global corporation (see: Facebook, Google, Twitter, et al), with its tentacles entwined throughout the halls of national power. From Skyfall on, Craig’s Bond has essentially been cleaning up messes made by none other than M herself (and, later, himself), along with government officials who proved to be willing co-conspirators of the baddies. In this movie, the dynamic between Bond and M is stood on its head: the retired Bond’s dressing-down of his former boss—his disgust and direct recrimination—is unprecedented in the franchise’s prior 24 films. Further, it reflects our own growing disillusionment with (and dread of) those ‘in charge.’
The SPECTRE gathering scene in Cuba features a disembodied bionic eye, on a tiny pillow, being walked around the room by a sinister trio of baddies, which – for my money – is as audaciously and absurdly straight-faced camp as anything that happened in the mid- to late-1960s. Still, it is no less chilling than a body dipped in gold paint or oil, and it reminds us that we’re someplace where only people like James Bond might escape with their lives.
The viral nanobot technology is a suitably malleable McGuffin of a villain’s plot, just complicated enough to foster suspension of disbelief, and the ‘Garden of Death’ from Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice novel finally makes its appearance in the film canon (although it was sadly underused, in this fan’s personal opinion). While other fan reviews have expressed disappointment with Rami Malek’s villain, I find Safin’s detached reptilian calm extremely disturbing, and his backstory as plausible as it is unsettling and believable.
The supporting cast is solid, with Jeffrey Wright’s excellent Felix Leiter being given a shocking demise, Ana de Armas’ Paloma managing to be as cute as a button whilst being deadly dangerous (more would have been good), and Léa Seydoux’s weighty depth of emotion anchoring virtually every scene in which she appears. At the end of the PTS, we see her instinctively clutch her abdomen, as Bond puts her on a train and tells her she’ll never see him again. In retrospect, we realize that she knew she was pregnant but withheld that from Bond, which makes the appearance of their daughter, Mathilde (beautifully played by Lisa-Dorah Sonnet, an obviously talented young actress) all the more effective.
The PTS features brilliant action, of course, this time starring the Aston Martin DB5 in arguably its best appearance ever. The action set pieces are highly effective throughout, and lack the obvious contrivance of things like the plane crashing sequence from Spectre. The aerially-deployed glider-turned-submarine is delicious eye candy.
Craig’s performance must be singled out as we look at the whole product: the Bond we get here, at the end of the run, is sensitive, caring, and devoted – quite a far cry from the self-conscious emotional detachment he brought to his Casino Royale debut. Here, we see a Bond whose world-weariness isn’t just a tossed-off subtext in a scene, as we’ve seen before. Here, it weighs on him throughout the narrative…and while some criticize his ‘sudden transformation’ to a man with a family to worry about, I feel it just adds to the weight of the piece in a natural fashion, and only enhances it. I firmly believe that this is his best acting performance of the five pictures; a run with zero substandard efforts from the man himself (as is often the case, faults in a Bond film lie elsewhere).
During the film’s long delay, much was made (by fandom) of Bond’s 007 number being given to a black female following his retirement, but Lashana Lynch’s Nomi proves to be a lot of fun to watch…and she evolves, from Bond’s insecure foil to a partner who respects her senior agent…but I think they missed an opportunity with the ‘007 reveal;’ I’d much rather they had shown M in his office, saying “Send in 007” and having her come through the door.
My gripes with the film are relatively few (compared to the jilted fanboys, who are legion, and whine endlessly about plot holes, and the fact that Craigger isn’t a different actor), but one of them is inherent to the Craig Era, which is that they have become ensemble pieces…instead of a solitary man of action on a mission. I guess this is why my own escapist mystery/action thrillers take place in the 1940s, before tech made everything collaborative, and ‘in the moment.’ That said, the MI6 regulars are all characteristically reliable here.
Once Leiter is dead—and Blofeld is inadvertently killed by Bond—the entire film takes on an added weight, and I began to see how the endgame might unfold.
I wasn’t wrong. Ultimately, NTTD reveals itself to be the most emotional Bond film ever—and, quite likely, the most emotional Bond film there will ever be. If that sounds like hyperbole, consider that more than a generation separates the tragic finale of OHMSS from that of NTTD…and you can only kill off such an iconic hero once, before it becomes nakedly manipulative.
More importantly, it has managed to give this iconic character something it had never had before: a defined character arc – and an ending. When viewed with some hard-achieved emotional detachment, this element sets his films apart from those which came before – a ‘closed circuit’ that safely insulates Craig’s tenure from the rest of the films in the franchise, and arguably elevates it to legend status – something in the way of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. It’s quite easy to understand that this entry is polarizing: when hasn’t Craig been a polarizing figure in the uniquely demanding, fetishistic strain of hardcore Bond fandom? I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again: it took a Daniel Craig to save Bond from himself – and, in turn, he has set a dauntingly high bar for the next fellow to be fitted for the tux. I do not envy that man.
Similarly, I understand now why executive producer Barbara Broccoli says that she is having a hard time figuring out what happens after Daniel Craig: having arrived on the scene as a rebooted character, he became the franchise’s first ever co-producer…and I’d wager that Bond’s death was a bargaining chip he played, using that clout, to agree to come back for a fifth and final entry.
For the devoted long-term anti-Craig fetishist (they’re out there), the conclusion of NTTD is the final outrage. But…for those of us who decided to give the bloke a chance, in 2005—and eagerly buckled into the DB5 alongside him—the ending (while surely sad) is satisfying…if not inevitable.
In my estimation, the final scene in the film is nothing short of beautiful.
James Bond will, most assuredly, return…but when he does—starting from scratch, with a fresh actor in the tux—he will face a situational dichotomy: a clear runway…with a towering mountain range of high expectations at the end of it.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
My goodness. How dreary. So glad I'm not living through these lenses. Peace and love. Peace and love.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Based on #371, which is a livid review, shouldn’t we all agree, if we just dismiss the plot holes from NTTD, that this was a James Bond arc at its best? Not to say we haven’t had a character development as DCs Bond in the cinema franchise.
By seeing the bigger picture, there are undeniable observances from Casino Royale that we can state he was a freshman, cold hearted killer, the assassin he was meant to be, and we had a touch of his armor ‘being peeled back’, as he said himself, with Vesper.
The betrayal was a major impact for him, and as we see in Quantum of Solace he yearned for a need to set things right, his anger for not catching the truth a catalyst to avenge Vesper and kill the traitor boyfriend.
The movie may for most people be a distraction or just another “mission”, but Bond had his ulterior motive that many dismiss, and his change of heart by not killing the baddie boyfriend is also part of the arc many fail to recognize. M later states in Spectre, that a license to kill is also a license NOT to kill and James learns it at that moment.
Skyfall, my favorite Bond movie ever, mostly because it was my first, brings a broader approach to Bond, then in the middle brings us back in to his past, (for someone who tries not to dwell in the past Bond keeps getting screwed by it) when he visits his family home. One thing that stuck out to me is when Kincade shows M the hidden fireplace tunnel and says after the boy learned his parents died he hid in the tunnel for 3 days and when he came out, he was no longer a boy, but a man.
Bond knows he did his best to try to save M, but doesn’t dwell on the past or is guilt ridden for it. Here we see a grown Bond, a sort of Luke becomes the legendary Jedi moment not only because he’s the best at his job, but because he knows exactly who he is and has learned to hope for the better despite the cruel world.
Again, Bond doesn’t catch a break as someone from long ago is trying to kill him in Spectre. Everything he has learned in the past movies has led up to this moment of who he can trust. Will we see a James as the one we saw in Casino? A little. And as for their “forced love”, she is a psychologist at the highest degree and class and knows Bond better than Vesper in my opinion as she read him as easy as you read this sentence. It’s her profession, not a finance liaison for the Treasury who happens to be smart. Bond already wanted her but she wanted to make sure he was authentic and good to her, since she has her fair share of distrust to the men in her life, and it’s close to the end when she finally falls completely for him.
Before I finish this arc review, I was the one who said that I loved and hated No Time To Die. Go back a page and see my thoughts. As soon as the credits started rolling, I left the theater for some fresh air after 2:30 hours with mask on, but partly I was just bewildered with the ending and was just done. Even this morning I was thinking I absolutely despised it, but after seeing the bigger picture, I can’t compare this journey which anyone else’s.
But now I am leaning towards the loving it side. James Bond from Casino Royale came back, living the life with his girl, not a care in the world. Then his past came hunting for him again, following distrust, anger, his armor came back on as he sent her on a train and pledged never to see her in their lifetime. He doesn’t do it because he hates her, he knows how much danger he puts the people around him in, therefore leading to a life solo.
Then again, like a scratchy record, the past comes again, this time as a friend needing his help, only to be led to almost getting killed by Blofeld. But the thing is, he still knows that whoever is with him will only be put in danger, as Blofeld tells him. A sort of foreshadowing to what’s to come.
Here he learns something new, how to be a father. Yes for maybe like a day or two, but it’s part of the arc! Safin was wrong thinking Bond wouldn’t give his life for his family, or he knew exactly Bond would live in misery not seeing his family he’d rather die so basically killing him. Yet another crucial character trait that basically was all the facets Bond completed in his life. A complete man, a faulty man, but a giving one.
Daniel Craig even said even though James is an a** at most times, he still cares for people, he likes them. Why else would he have so many people needing him, looking out for him? Because he does the same back to them.
The film is still growing on me as may with you, but by far Daniel Craig is still MY Bond, and as a 22 yr old, growing up with him is now a part of me I’ll never forget.
Likewise, I do not envy the man getting dressed in a tux and a PPK in holster to be the next Bond, because we have high expectations that better be met after this.
That growler must have been good @Loeffelholz. Your review certainly is an excellent piece.
@Loeffelholz and @Chico two great reviews, thanks for those reasoned takes.
I don't understand... I always wear my varifocals 😎😎
Look Loeffs, I'm glad to have you back, but don't crap on my review and then say 'Peace and Love' in that passive aggressive way. The 007 Magazine didn't think much of it either. You always seem to struggle with anyone disagreeing with you or anyone saying anything critical.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I'm still trying to work out why Eon are planning to do a reboot, or that they think there is a need for it. They could have easily kept Bond alive.
Saw Casino Royale on UK TV last night. Noticed that the pre-credit fight in the toilet had been 98% cut. The fight on the stairwell hadn't been cut, and that was just as violent.
"I want to walk out of a Bond film feeling like I did when I was a kid. You could be him, you could get the girl and you could beat the baddies at will,whilst smoking a pack of fags and knocking back a crippling number of martinis. Even if it's just for the afternoon before the crushing relentlessness of the REAL world and all its myriad problems and social requirements come crashing back into your consciousness."
I agree @NoQuarter.
And Craig is the only Bond I would not want to be if I were a kid. Too boring to want to emulate.
There is one thing I could say about NTTD ... It is an audacious movie
I co-sign this!👍🏿
Halcon here in the USA, finally watched NTTD....
Despite reading everything here and knowing what was to come...I was surprised that I shed a tear on 3 separate scenes ....my thoughts-
-Safin's motives were crystal clear for me from the beginning...he lost his family and is tortured by this void and feels completely alone in this world, therefore the world can go to hell...
-Vespers tomb scene, cried here, and loved how Spectre is introduced in the film...so sinister..
-Felixs death... cried a second time, it felt like losing a brother for sure...
-Nomi... just wow, the confidence, the killer instinct, she was regal even...the way she would just stand there knowing she could handle anything...a worthy 007, LOVED her character
-Bonds death...there are 2 sides to this, the cinematic side and the personal side... cinematically it was a glorious death for sure, but for a lot of us Bond is more than a fictional character so it's a struggle to see it... personally I chose to believe he somehow someway survived...
-the Aston Martin scenes were just about the best out of all the Bond films...with the Vantage just ever so slightly edging out the DB as my favorite, it was fantastic seeing it drive away at the end
I ask for forgiveness in advance if the answer’s been posted, but how many years has passed since the end of SP to the point before Bond and Madeleine split up in the PTS?
I agree!
Well, Nap, in point of fact I hadn't read your review until just now. I was referring to the exchange between you and Big Tam specifically, and apparently misread it. My apologies, both for my mistake and for your apparent lingering impression of me. Cheers and be well.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Regardless of whether they kill off the character or not, Craig-Bond is dead. They can't just carry over all that personal history.
The option to have him ride off into the sunset doesn't work with his characterisation, which was always Bond being emotionally damaged. Also, he'd already done that in Spectre so it wouldn't be much of a surprise.
I don't think him escaping whilst leaving the toy with Madeline would work- would he really give up love and his own child just for work, particularly as he's quit multiple times before? He isn't a family man and what would they do for future films? Have him pop in at weekends.
Really the only way they could make a grand enough ending, tying up all the threads of Craig's tenure, was to kill him off.
Perhaps for the greater good of the series it was a flawed idea giving him so much personal background because it makes it impossible for the new actor to simply step into the old actor's shoes.
I quite agree. I tend to be on the lookout for that kind of nonsense, ubiquitous as it is becoming, but I simply didn't see it here.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
+1 🍸️ ...although I would like a longer PTS that tells a quick version of the TSWLM novel, and introduces Bond as a stranger who helps a beautiful woman in a dangerous situation.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Good points.
Eon will have a unique opportunity with 26, and I'm very curious about what they do with it. If I were at the helm, I believe I'd go back to the original Precious Classic Formula, and have a younger Bond be given a standalone mission, as Hardyboy suggested. I don't think another Backstory Bond would be the right move.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I agree. A standalone story with a younger Bond (but already a 00-agent with some experience) is the way to go.
If (big IF) we ever get an origin story it has to be far into the future, maybe introducing him when he was in the navy.
Long thought this would be a stellar opening with a suspenseful long delayed opening to Bond's entrance. But Craig would have been the ideal Bond for this, looking in some lights like the very gangster type Vivienne would be looking to avoid on first glance. He's gone now.
Also, are EON legally allowed to use this? A proviso from Fleming was that they could only use the title and not the story. Fleming was very down on the book - surprising as it's really not bad at all.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I would hope that such a thing might be renegotiable after all these years, if effectively pitched to the Estate. I agree that the novel itself gets quite good once Bond is on the scene.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Can really a story about a young woman in a cabin with some brutes who gets saved by a surprise guest be copyright protected? It's a very basic story. I imagine one can change the names (other than James Bond), the location and the dialoge and you're home free. You can probably guess I'm not a copyright expert ....
Totally. They have disregarded Fleming rapidly with the past 3 films, and instead retconned it and given us `Fleming reimagined' garbage instead. Bond's family home, Kincaid, Blofeld being Bond's brother, and now Bond knowing he has a daughter, and then dying.
Babs has always quoted her father as saying `whenever in doubt, go back to Fleming'. If this is what she thinks is `going back to Fleming' she clearly needs to step down and let someone else take over the reigns at the top.
NO TIME TO DIE REVIEW
No time to die, the 25th official Bond film, arriving into cinemas just shy of the film series 60th anniversary, was a blast from start to finish revealing a perfect marriage between the series popular tropes and ideas mixed in with the recent film’s tendencies towards deconstruction, character, and continuity.
Daniel Craig’s offers his best performance as James Bond, playing the character on all possible levels of emotion, in which I don’t think any other Bond actor has done before him. He plays relaxed Bond, dangerous Bond, angry Bond, furious Bond, fully-in-love Bond and subdued to his fate Bond. You get the idea. Having watched Craig’s four Bond films before No Time To Die, I really was impressed with the progression in his character. In Caisno Royale he’s cocky and arrogant. Here, he comes across as a little humbler, and wiser. (Though he does insist on Nomi calling him Commander Bond which was both funny and a nice callback to Bond’s often neglected Naval background).
Now I was in the minority of people who appreciated Lea Seydoux’s performance of Madeline in Spectre. I found the conflict concerning her father something new and fresh in the Bond series, and I also appreciated the fact that they made Bond’s next great love not a carbon copy of Vesper. While Vesper had the quips and the self-assurance, Madeline seemed far more world-weary and closed off. Quite like Bond himself in that regard. Yet in this film, she carries a huge amount of the emotional weight in the movie. I totally believe her as a character, I believe her and Bond’s romance. The flashback showing a young Madeline shoot Safin was a thrilling opening.
I liked Nomi a lot more than I thought I would. She was sassy and funny, and appreciated her insecurity as a character. Made her more sympathetic. (her “time to die” line was a bit too cheesy for me). It also helped that they dressed her like Sir Roger Moore.
Felix was the best he’s been since License to Kill. I truly believed his friendship with Bond, and some of his quips made me laugh out loud (“I don’t think Ash is on our side”). His death was abrupt, I don’t mind it, I just wished he was in the film a little more beforehand to make it more impactful.
Paloma was a lot of fun. And they were clever to leave us wanting more from her character. And hopefully she will be a sign of the sort of tone they will take the Bond films next with the new guy in the tux.
As far as the MI6 crew go. Moneypenny seemed much closer to Maxwell here. Full of warmth and fun. Loved seeing her and Bond sipping wine at Q’s apartment. M was angry and morally dubious. Which I appreciated. Q was Q. I can almost see him aging into Desmond’s character! Also the idea of Bond bunking at Q’s place in London is hilarious. And Bill Tanner, alas the most forgotten member of the crew, provided some nice lines of dialogue (mad as a bag of bees) and seemed to be good friends with Bond like in the books
I appreciated Blofeld in this, that they brought him back, and found him as menacing as ever. And Bond snapping and starting to strangle him was very much like You Only Live Twice the novel. Just wished they kept him from the trailers. His death scene, although perfect at conveying the weapon the MI6 crew were up against, did seem a bit flippant.
It felt like a deliberate choice to make Safin mysterious and slight. Like a horror character in many ways rather than a cat-stroking Bond villain. We get his presence, we get him obsessed with Madeline, and poisoning Bond and wanting revenge on Spectre, but we don’t get a proper reason for the virus except for “people want oblivion.” Which, I don’t know, maybe I’m just too busy enjoying the cake they’re giving me, but I accept that. There comes a point when the lust for power isn’t rational. How many people would launch a nuke just because they could? Probably more people than who would like to admit. And that explains why Safin let’s Mathilde go. He was only using her to threaten Bond, and to show power over him by threatening his daughter. He had no use for her after that.
Now I’m a John Barry fan through and through, and I also believe that David Arnold is the natural successor to Barry and should do as many Bond scores as possible. Sign him up for the next ten films! Yet I appreciate other composer’s work on the series such as Bill Conti’s masterfully 80’s score for For Your Eyes Only, and Kamen’s thrilling score for License to Kill. How can I forget George Martin’s funky score for Live and Let Die. And I am pleased to say that I am sure Hans Zimmer will be remembered for a truly terrific score, full of the best of what Zimmer is known for: that is big cinematic sounds with a heartbeat pulse in the action sequences. Yet he also incorporates Barry’s lush strings such as in Matera and Arnold’s brass in the action scenes. The reintroduction of the Majesty’s theme and We Have All the Time in the World I love because they’re not only fan-pleasing, but they work within their respective scenes. It’s also so nice to hear Barry’s music on the big screen again and to see his name in the credits. Zimmer’s stirring, filthy Bond riff he uses in a few tracks are greatly appreciated also (It plays in Square Escape, Cuba Chase and Opening The Doors whenever Bond does something truly Bondian). But I also really appreciate how he weaved in Billie Eillish’s title song throughout the film, not just in once occasion, and its done in masterful fashion making it both romantic and heroic.
All in all, No Time To Die was a stellar ending to Craig’s tenure yet controversial. It all depends on the fan being able to come to terms with two rather large pills, which I won’t deny, are difficult to swallow. One, Bond becoming a family man. Two, Bond dying at the end. As far as Bond becoming a family man, I buy it. From Bond chopping up that apple to his daughter, to him tying his jersey around her neck, I’m there, believing it. The reason why the relationship and Bond’s death works, is because Seydoux and Craig sell it. Fukanaga’s directing gives them the time in front of the camera and they bring their aim game.
As far as Bond’s death goes: I think it really shows them understanding the Fleming character, and the fact that Bond is ultimately a tragic man, who can never be happy for long because he’s a spy and he’s not just any old spy, he’s a 00. And in the words of Bond himself in Casino Royale, 00’s have a very short life expectancy. I do think when they recast Bond and move back to a Brosnan type feel, some fans who struggle with the ending will relax a bit more. After I saw the film in the cinema I got talking to someone who was quite sad by the ending. I told him about those four little words at the end of the credits and he relaxed and became quite calm. Indeed, Daniel Craig will not come back to the role but James Bond Will Return!
-Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
@James Suzuki thanks James, always good to read your opinions.
I don't agree with much, but I do agree with you re: Lea Seydoux, she's much underrated on this forum and I think that's because she compares unfavourably with the sassy, mouthy, all action girls we've had through Craig's reign. I say unfavourably, what I mean is she's more of an intellectual presence, more the traditional damsel even if she's fundamental to both movies. I think she's very good with Craig, but I also see her role as underdeveloped both times. Curiously when I look back at my one view of NTTD, the sequence which harbours most emotion is the pensive, cloying, uncertain discussion Bond and Madeleine have in the hotel at Matera. Burning those secrets was the moment their lives were going to open up. It was a well directed and performed moment if quiet in very busy film.
I agree on Madeleine too. She should've been given a scene or two more in SP to flesh out the character and her relationship to Bond, but Madeleine is underrated. NTTD did a lot to help the character and I think Lea Seydoux was glad to return in the role.