[5]
Daniel Craig exits the James Bond franchise with his fifth entry, the ironically-titled No Time to Die. Craig’s Bond begins the film in peaceful, secluded retirement. But when an old friend and comrade (Jeffrey Wright) summons him back into service, he finds himself up against a new ultimate bad guy (Bohemian Rhapsody‘s Rami Malek) with a new evil plan involving nanobots, DNA, and genocide. Along the journey, Bond’s relationship with an assassin’s daughter (Lea Seydoux, returning from the last film, Spectre) becomes deeper and more complicated.
No Time to Die, confidently directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective), tries desperately to tie up Craig’s tenure with a satisfying bow, seeming to ignore the fact that no other Bond actor has ever received a similar fond farewell — and for good reason. James Bond is meant to be replaced and to stay on the job. The only punctuation needed at the end of an actor’s stint is an ellipses with the promise that, indeed, “James Bond will return.” No Time to Die bucks the trend, wallowing in sentimentality as a means to that end. The last third of No Time to Die is uncharacteristic of the franchise — indulgent and unsatisfying.
The lead-up to that schmaltzy ending fares much better. There are car chases and gun battles, a sinking ship, and a gratuitous ‘Hannibal Lecter’-like encounter with the previous film’s imprisoned baddie (Christoph Waltz). The film’s most exciting sequence sees Craig battling motorcycles in a foggy woods. Rami Malek tries his hand at a creepy, soft-spoken evil genius, but with Waltz’s character still on the board, he’s never allowed to fully own the role of the film’s ultimate villain. Ana de Armas is the liveliest cast member, playing a spy fresh out of training who is far more talented than she lets on. She has immediate rapport with Craig but her screen-time is sorely limited. Returning players Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris (as Q and Moneypenny) are also given short shrift.
No Time to Die is ultimately one of my least favorite Bond films. Even if it didn’t kill off a cinematic icon who’s otherwise survived for 60 years, the script tries too hard to connect to previous films and the tone of the film is too somber. Craig is my favorite Bond and he deserves a better, less conspicuous send-off. By imposing a sense of finality to the franchise, Fukunaga and his bevy of co-screenwriters only end up robbing No Time to Die of the fun and joy James Bond movies are designed to deliver.
With Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Lashona Lynch, and Rory Kinnear.
Academy Award: Best Song (“No Time to Die”)
Oscar Nominations: Best Visual Effects, Sound