"No Time to Die" is the perfect summation of Daniel Craig's era as the titular James Bond. It's bound to have its critics, and I completely understand why. This isn't an easy film to rewatch knowing how it ends, nor is it easy to recommend to both diehard and casual fans alike. But I'd argue that NTTD does something not every Bond movie does....it made me feel something.
Back when "Casino Royale" came out, I was only 7 and my dad brought me to see it one afternoon after school. I really shouldn't have been allowed to go given how rough and brutal it was, but it was my first introduction to Bond on the big screen and I was absolutely blown away. In "Quantum", Bond is out for vengeance after the previous film ended with the love of his life dying. Following on from this , "Skyfall" presented an older, more ragged Bond, the likes of which was never addressed before. We also had the departure of Judi Dench as M, another brutal loss for our hero. Fast forward to "Spectre" , where the deep dive into Bond's psyche continued and we expose a broken, beaten, and bruised man. At the end, he rides off into the sunset leaving behind all the broken pieces of his past...but that wasn't meant to be.
NTTD continues along the path of the previous films excellently. Within the first 20 minutes, not only does the grave of his former lover explode in front of him, but he believes that Madeline Swan has betrayed him. Broken and trusting no one, Bond's journey picks up 5 years later. Along the way, we find out his 007 status has been given to a younger, up and coming assassin, his best friend Felix is suddenly and abruptly shot down, Madeline has a child and kept her a secret from Bond. And in a final cruel twist of fate, Bond is poisoned with nanobots that upon touch would kill his newfound family. It's tragic, it's heartbreaking, and it makes Bond's final moments even more difficult to watch as he sacrifices himself for not only the fate and safety of the world and it's nations, but also for his world: Madeleine and Mathilde. Not since OHMSS (which the movie calls back to many times) did I ever feel this choked up and devastated watching a Bond film.
Bond has grown from his selfish and arrogant ways in "Casino Royale" to a man willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Daniel Craig, in my eyes, will go down as the greatest ever Bond based on his 5 movie character arc. It's a controversial move for sure, and although I miss the old days of Bond going from adventure to adventure brushing off pain and injuries as he goes...I still have those movies. 20 of them in fact. These 5 films are different, and together create a storyline that Bond fans will hopefully look back and appreciate more as time goes on.
Goodbye Mr. Bond. I raise a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, in your honour.
Back when "Casino Royale" came out, I was only 7 and my dad brought me to see it one afternoon after school. I really shouldn't have been allowed to go given how rough and brutal it was, but it was my first introduction to Bond on the big screen and I was absolutely blown away. In "Quantum", Bond is out for vengeance after the previous film ended with the love of his life dying. Following on from this , "Skyfall" presented an older, more ragged Bond, the likes of which was never addressed before. We also had the departure of Judi Dench as M, another brutal loss for our hero. Fast forward to "Spectre" , where the deep dive into Bond's psyche continued and we expose a broken, beaten, and bruised man. At the end, he rides off into the sunset leaving behind all the broken pieces of his past...but that wasn't meant to be.
NTTD continues along the path of the previous films excellently. Within the first 20 minutes, not only does the grave of his former lover explode in front of him, but he believes that Madeline Swan has betrayed him. Broken and trusting no one, Bond's journey picks up 5 years later. Along the way, we find out his 007 status has been given to a younger, up and coming assassin, his best friend Felix is suddenly and abruptly shot down, Madeline has a child and kept her a secret from Bond. And in a final cruel twist of fate, Bond is poisoned with nanobots that upon touch would kill his newfound family. It's tragic, it's heartbreaking, and it makes Bond's final moments even more difficult to watch as he sacrifices himself for not only the fate and safety of the world and it's nations, but also for his world: Madeleine and Mathilde. Not since OHMSS (which the movie calls back to many times) did I ever feel this choked up and devastated watching a Bond film.
Bond has grown from his selfish and arrogant ways in "Casino Royale" to a man willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Daniel Craig, in my eyes, will go down as the greatest ever Bond based on his 5 movie character arc. It's a controversial move for sure, and although I miss the old days of Bond going from adventure to adventure brushing off pain and injuries as he goes...I still have those movies. 20 of them in fact. These 5 films are different, and together create a storyline that Bond fans will hopefully look back and appreciate more as time goes on.
Goodbye Mr. Bond. I raise a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, in your honour.
Tell Your Friends