No Time to Die: A Somber Goodbye

Daniel Craig’s 15-year run as James Bond is brought to a close in No Time to Die.

The last installment of the Craig-led franchise begins with Bond’s retirement from MI6. He has started a new life with Madeline Swan, but his past still haunts him leading him to split from Swann. In a classic 5-year time jump, Bond is enjoying time in Jamaica when something calls him back to his old line of work.

The plot is very bloated and confusing to follow but mainly follows a DNA nanobot that can kill millions. Rami Malek is advertised as the new villain but is severely overshadowed by Christoph Waltz’s return as Blofeld.

To try to be more timely, Lashanna Lynch plays the new 007 who is supposed to have a rivalry with Bond but it never goes anymore. For all the screentime she has she never leaves a lasting impact on the film. The usual bond characters of M, Moneypenny, and Q provide familiarity and comedic relief but are heavily underutilized. Ana de Armas did the job and steals the scene in her limited screentime.

One of the drawbacks of the film is the relationship between Swann and Craig. It is really hard to believe their relationship as it looks like a daughter and father with zero chemistry. It makes Ana de Armas doing stunt work in a skimpy dress look more realistic.

The overall tone of the film is somber as time is brought up as a major theme to remind audiences their time with Craig is coming to a close.