No Time To Die: Film Review

Cast: Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Ana De Armas, Ben Whishaw, Lashanna Lynch
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga

When Daniel Craig donned the tux some 15 years ago, there were many who said that Bond was not blonde, and who despised the grittier reboot of Ian Fleming's spy away from the cheesier innuendo-laden films that had become the staple of the series.

But in truth, the harder edge suited a world that was changing and made Bond more relevant at a time the spy franchise was threatening to leave him behind. 

So, how do you bring down the curtain now Craig is moving on?

In No Time To Die's case, the answer to that is to bloat out the running time, ramp up some of the stunts and draw on some of the film series' own history to provide resolution.

In truth, this final entrant into the Daniel Craig James Bond era is a film that's as flawed as it is spectacular, an interesting juxtaposition of emotional edges and occasionally incoherent plot machinations. 

With Bond seemingly in retirement after one betrayal too many, he's forced back into active service when he's asked to rescue a kidnapped scientist who has a part in a global conspiracy. But Bond soon discovers this case has a personal connection to his past.

No Time To Die is a fitting conclusion to the Craig years, but it's too bloated and drawn out to be engaging all the way through. Despite some scene-stealing action in Italy, and a spectacular Cuban expedition that zings thanks to Ana De Armas, the film suffers from a lack of a majorly iconic villain to bring the curtain down.

Perhaps that's the point, and it's about getting Craig to shine in a more human story than a global espionage shoot-em-up, but Rami Malek's Safin never really rises beyond his "angry little man playing God" insult hurled at him during one key scene.

No Time To Die is a Bond film that toys with conventions, and tries to have it all - sometimes not successfully. Ironically for a film that has prestigious writers attached to it, it suffers from trying to do too much and for leaving some parts underwritten.

Lea Seydoux's Madeleine Swann feels underwritten in parts, blown out of the water by Ana De Armas' new field agent; and Lashanna Lynch's 007 feels undercooked as well, a role that promised more in trailers than is actually delivered.

There's much to debate about No Time To Die that's too filled with spoilers for discussion here, but fittingly, it's Craig who rises to the top of this outing. He gives his all both physically and emotionally - and in some scenes, he lends a great deal of emotional poignancy and heft to material that he massively elevates.

While No Time To Die may fall short in parts, there's no denying that it offers spectacle you'd expect from the series, along with a stellar leading man that you know the franchise will desperately miss.