James Bond is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica after leaving active service. However, his peace is short-lived as his old CIA friend, Felix Leiter, shows up and asks for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond on the trail of a mysterious villain who's armed with a dangerous new technology.
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Cast: Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Rory Kinnear, Ralph Fiennes, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen, Ana de Armas
Release Date:
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some strong language, disturbing material and suggestive references
Runtime: 2h 43m
Review:
Daniel Craig's much delayed swan song as James Bond, No Time to Die, is an expansive wide-reaching finale that provides a true series capper to his run in the tuxedo. Cary Joji Fukunaga directs the film with a steady hand, delivering the expected exotic locals and massive set pieces. Those action set pieces are incredibly fun but mostly relegated to the film's first act before it moves into a heaty bit of exposition in its second act. Fukunaga's film is visually appealing throughout even in its quieter moments as there's a palpable sense of finality and mortality. Craig is more comfortable than ever with his world-weary take on the character feeling more at home here even as he drops sly quips with relative ease. The script works in lighthearted moments even in the mist of more dramatic sequences to keep the entire thing from becoming overbearing. Craig is able to work both ends of the spectrum easily and having a game supporting cast makes his job all that much easier. Léa Seydoux returns as his primary love interest though her character doesn't carry as much emotional heft as she should. Faring much better are Lashana Lynch, Naomie Harris and Ana de Armas who each leaving a strong impression with the film giving them ample time to shine. Rami Malek though is saddled with undercooked villain who reeks of the worst clichés of Bond villains complete with a secret island base. The script works in large portions of the film as it caps off story threads from Craig's run but it's also unfocused, causing the film to drag in its nearly 3 hour runtime which borders on attrition. Those issues aside, No Time to Die brings a solid sense of closure and completion rarely seen in the Bond franchise
B
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