Zane's take at the Cinema's

When Daniel Craig was first announced as the new 007, people were not on board with it. Why? Well, because every other Bond actor (from Connery, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan) all had brown hair and dark eyes. In the case for Daniel Craig, he had blonder hair and blue eyes. If the internet were as big as it’s become in todays modern climate, this is the type of casting that stir up even more controversy. What’s more of a fascinating topic is before the fame and fortune of playing James Bond, Daniel Craig wasn’t a familiar face in Hollywood. Sure, he popped up in some solid features, whether it was in Matthew Vaughn’s directorial debut with Layer Cake, Steven Spielberg’s Munich or Sam Mende’s Road to Perdition, who he later teamed up with in Skyfall and Spectre. He was an actor that had smaller and less substantial roles and when he cast as James Bond, there was a lot of skepticism with that decision. 15 years later, people can’t see a new actor taking over Daniel Craig now that his reign of playing James Bond has come to a close. Every actor that has ever played Bond brought their own style and uniqueness that fit the actor for the era in which their movies were released, but something about Daniel Craig’s approach felt like an amalgamation of every thing about the character, but for a more modern approach. What’s so refreshing about the beginning of his arc is that we got to witness the origin story of James Bond with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, something that had never been before. Craig’s Bond feels more ruthless and shows more vulnerability and with each Bond movie, he kept on improving. With No Time to Die finally hitting theaters, something people in this industry never thought would happen due to the unlimited delays caused by the pandemic, this couldn’t have been a better send off for the character. No Time to Die is a heavy, beautifully shot and satisfying conclusion for the Daniel Craig era of Bond. Daniel Craig delivers his best performance yet and leaves some big shoes to fill now that he’s done.

In No Time to Die, James Bond is now living life as a retired MI6 agent in Jamaica. His time of relaxation is interrupted when an old friend of his, Felix Leiter (Jeffery Wright) needs his help on rescuing a scientist. Bond bites his tongue and helps Felix out with this task, which opens the door to more treacherous territory. Bond then gets into more trouble when this mission leads him to mysterious villain who has the capability of threatening all of humanity with his deadly technology.

Casino Royale and Skyfall were just steppingstones for what was yet to come, but that’s not to say that the other Bond movies Craig did weren’t flawless. Quantum of Solace and Spectre being the two weakest entries in this current status of the Bond franchise, you can’t end the character on a dour note. With Spectre being the most recent one, many fans were underwhelmed with that movie and Bond is too big of a character to end with a disappointing factor, even though Spectre hade some redemption to it to some degree. Thankfully, No Time to Die fixes that problem in the best way possible. In No Time to Die, James Bond has never been this staggering on screen before and that’s all credited to how brilliant Daniel Craig as the character. This is by default not only Daniel Craig’s best performance as James Bond but maybe his best performance to date. It’s so wonderful to see him end his Bond career with an absolute triumph. It’s more confident, driven and easily his most grounded performance in the whole series of his Bond movies. He displays way more vulnerability in this installment and still shows a very playful side that makes Bond so charismatic. It really is bittersweet to see him go, but he can now walk with his head high with this film.

Something that was very promising that was developed even more was his relationship with beautiful and polished actress Léa Seydoux. Despite it having some charm to it in Spectre, it wasn’t fleshed out as much and we only got a glimpse of it’s true potential. Everything comes in full circle with No Time to Die. It’s a heartbreaking and profound love story that made this movie’s emotional weight stronger. Craig’s Bond hasn’t had this type of love story since Casino Royale with the character of Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). With that said, his relationship with Léa Seydoux might top it.

The rest of the cast does a great job countering off Daniel Craig and the other aspects. Lashana Lynch is a terrific addition and leaves us wanting so more for a possible spin off with her character. Maybe the biggest surprise, as far as the cast goes, was the inclusion of Ana de Armas. She’s phenomenal in this movie and the downside to her character is she’s only in it for about 10 minutes. However, the scene she is in goes back to a more classical and old school type of Bond fashion. Familiar faces such as Ben Wishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes and even Christoph Waltz are great once again. The villain, in Rami Malek, is a solid villain. Maybe not on the same level of Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre or Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva, but certainly an interesting character. He’s creepy and genuinely nerve wracking but he’s not a physical opponent, but psychologically and mentally speaking, his character gets under your skin.

The biggest surprise was how emotionally powerful this movie was and for a movie that’s nearly three hours long, every single beat was building off of each other in a way that none of the other Bond movies featured. t’s layered with so much nuance and gravitas to the characters that something about it made it more substantial than previous Bond flicks, particularly with Daniel Craig’s movies. Something about No Time to Die that made more unique is that’s structure is set up almost like a great MCU movie, but takes swings and more unconventional routes almost what The Last Jedi did for Star Wars. Despite the villain being solid, it wasn’t as formidable as we hoped, which is how most of the MCU movies have been in the past. Our central focus was our hero, in this case, James Bond, and his entire journey. Where it becomes more bold and unique is really how Bond, as a character, fits within this world. For a large portion of the movie, Bond doesn’t even have his 007 title. He’s acting out primarily as recruitment and not as the famous MI16 agent we are used to. Without getting too much into spoiler territory, No Time to Die wonderfully deconstructs the character that speaks well for a modernization for James Bond.

Not many people throw in any James Bond movie as some of the best action movies ever produced, but in the case of the new ones, they absolutely deserve to be in that discussion. The action sequences and the orchestration within those various set pieces might the best ever. Each is perfectly placed and wonderfully staged that felt reminiscent of the set pieces in Casino Royale and in Skyfall, but somehow more exceptional. And visually speaking it’s freaking beautiful. Everything has to be credited for Cary Fukunaga helming the ship. Giving a budget that almost exceeds $300 million is a lot for someone who’s known for much smaller scale projects, he’s got such a passion and respect for Bond, the world around him, the gadgets and expanding him as an individual and creating something new for a newer generation of Bond fans. 

Hans Zimmer also has created some of the best music of his career by going even more creative with his talents by going more old school to classic Bond music, and even an attention to cultures due to some of gorgeous and exotic locations in this movie. His offers new renditions with the common theme of James Bond that sync up with the intense action set pieces and the moments of serenity.

No Time to Die is a lot process. But for being the conclusion of James Bond for Daniel Craig, it’s immensely satisfying. We really don’t realize how emotionally invested we are with Craig’s Bond until the movie is over. The action is great, the emotional aspects of the movie are sensational and Daniel Craig gives it his all as the famous 007.

A toast to Daniel Craig for being my Bond for the last 15 years 🥂

My grade for No Time to Die: A+