No Time to Die

Daniel Craig comes to the close of his run as Commander James Bond in this year's NO TIME TO DIE, the oft delayed twenty-fifth entry in the Eon canon.  Delayed initially as Craig was weary of filling the tux yet again after sustaining more than a few injuries in his spry portrayal of the famed secret agent.  He relented for one final go, and then the COVID pandemic kept pushing the release further away from its original 2020 slate.  Thankfully the Broccoli dynasty resisted the urge to just give in (as so many others had) to a streaming debut.  Any 007 adventure, at least for your first viewing, is mandatory for the big screen, pandemic or otherwise.  Don't argue, as you would just be wrong. 

NO TIME TO DIE has numerous firsts for the series.  One of which is a carryover story from the previous entry (SPECTRE).  Dr. Madeline Swann (Lea Seydoux) returns as Bond's love interest, far more than just another conquest.  She will prove to be one of the most significant women to ever share his bed (and utterly capture his heart) for reasons I will not spoil.   Maybe you already know.  She is also featured in this film's prologue, during a highly traumatic childhood event.  This scene will serve as an efficient genesis to her unwilling relationship with villain Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek, just so-so), who has a major beef with the Spectre organization and of course a heinous plot against all of mankind, a timely bit of nastiness involving nanobot technology. 

The other series firsts are big whoppers that I also will not reveal, and are part of this film's uniquely emotional tone, quite uncharacteristic for Craig's Bond sagas.  This is welcome and mostly well handled, with a few moments that raised big questions.  One late scene involving a child just seemed like laziness on the part of the screenwriters, which include director Cary Joji Kukunaga, who otherwise mounts another exciting, satisfying adventure. 

The action scenes - primarily in the film's first half - are exceptional.  This includes moments during the foray to Cuba, as Bond pursues a Russian scientist with the help of CIA agent Paloma (Ana de Armas, who just about steals her all too few scenes).  CIA field officer Felix Leiter, who coaxes his old friend out of retirement, is again played by Jeffrey Wright.  Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Ben Wishslaw also return respectively as M, Miss Moneypenny, and Q.   Christoph Waltz (also seen all too briefly) reprises his role as Blofeld, now in an insanely high security prison.   A newcomer to the MI6 world is Lashana Lynch (spunky), an agent who inherits Bond's 007 moniker during his retirement, and beyond. 

The producers of the James Bond franchise have tried their best to kow tow to increasing cultural sensitivity in efforts to make more respectable a character who is essentially an unredemptive rogue.  Has James Bond grown up as he's grown old? Craig beautifully plays a wiser, more enlightened agent who no longer bed hops and has also truly found his soul.  NO TIME TO DIE is far from perfect but is historic for numerous reasons, and its solemn tone (allowing a few tired wisecracks in that old tradition) is wholly appropriate for Daniel Craig's screen bow as 007.