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Writer's pictureJack House

No Time To Die: A Fitting Exit

Updated: Dec 15, 2021




I've had some time (no pun intended) to reflect on my experience of No Time To Die after a subsequent rewatch, and I think overall I can say that I enjoyed it. I think there were points where the film went along a plot that I wasn't expecting (the ending was surprisingly well done for what it was), however I will say there was a lot in this that I really didn't like. For one, I felt Rami Malek's performance as Safin was actually pretty boring, I couldn't get invested in his story or goals whatsoever, he was very bland. The cool cameos by the Aston Martin Valhalla and V8 Vantage were sadly only on screen for a few seconds or a scene each, despite them being hyped up. Plus, most of the stunts that actually made this film good were already spoilt in the trailers, for example the DB5 chase in Italy. I also thought Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann was disappointing, compared to her performance in Spectre it felt like something was missing. Plus, the almost 3 hours of runtime felt unnecessary at many points, and there were times where I had to catch myself from dosing off.

But this is all balanced out by some great things by contrast. Daniel Craig's performance here is likely one of my favourites throughout his 15 year tenure as Bond, on the levels of Casino Royale and Skyfall. I also loved the "new" 007 played by Lashana Lynch, it really did bring something new and fresh to the table. Paloma, the agent in Cuba, played by Ana de Armas was also incredibly refreshing, though her tiny runtime of just 10 minutes really wasn't enough time to see the emerging chemistry between her and Bond. Felix Leiter also made his triumphant return from Quantum of Solace, and I'm willing to say this his best outing in the Craig era, especially his death, which surprisingly ended up staying with me more than Bond's. And of course, like any modern Bond film, the cinematography and sound here was outstanding, the whole opening scene on the frozen lake and the car chase through the forest are some memorable stand-outs. I also liked the unique take on the gunbarrel, steering away from the traditional version (which I do love), into something more creative, in many ways in the same fashion as Casino Royale's.

Overall, I'd put this as fairly middle of the pack as not only Craig's era, but the entire Bond saga. Obviously, it has a lot holding it back ranging from tired story elements to downright stupid design choices, but as an overall product I think it did its intended job very well- give a proper goodbye to Craig as Bond, and I can't think of any of the other 5 Bonds that got as good a send off as Daniel did.


Overall Rating: 7/10

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