Well, today, the wait is finally over. After being delayed from around the springtime of last year to around November, then April, and then finally to October of this year, the 25th James Bond film has officially arrived in theaters. Also, as I’m sure many of you know, hearing about this film being released was one of the main reasons why I watched the other 007 movies. So now, after waiting patiently for so long, let’s finally discuss 007: No Time To Die!
Plot: When a terrorist leader named Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek) begins developing a group of Nano bots that carry a deadly virus, which could kill millions, or more of the people in the world, if unleashed. Now, it is up to James Bond (Daniel Craig) to stop Safin from most likely destroying most of the world once and for all.
Well, as some of us may, or may not know, this is most likely supposed to be the last James Bond film overall, or the last one with Daniel Craig, something like that. One way, or another, did this movie go out with a bang? For the most part, yes, it did. First off, seeing as this is probably one of the longest, if not the longest of the James Bond movies to date, you’ll most likely find yourself understanding why after seeing this film. There was a great plenty to unpack in this film. Could it have been shorter? To a degree, probably! But more on that in a bit. Anyway, another plus for 007: No Time To Die is how really good the script is. I mean there are times when certain people say things that maybe they think they might mean at the time, but don’t seem to actually mean in the end. Because of that, this film, at points, can serve as a reminder as to why people need to be careful about what they say, or don’t say to others close to them. In addition to all of this, this particular James Bond/007 film probably couldn’t have come out at a better time than around now. Why, well, there are so many aspects of this film that seem to be parallel to today’s world. One of the most notable examples is the whole deal of the technology in this film with the Nanobots, the virus that is carried in them, and things like that. That is especially how the technology could be used for wrong purposes, and if special technology like that ends up in the wrong hands. What’s more is that the virus in this film can almost act somewhat similar to COVID-19 in real life. I mean is that not shocking, or what? Anyway, that’s as far as I’ll go on that aspect, as I want to avoid truly spoiling anything. Next, there are the characters of this film. Now, the characters in the other James Bond, for the most part, are really done. It’s even surprising to find that one of them has a backstory. Big plus, wouldn’t you say? Not only that, but James Bond, and Lyutsifer Safin are really excellent hero, and villain respectively. Not only does Daniel Craig do an excellent job as Bond, but Rami Malek as the villain, Lyutsifer Safin, he knows how to play in such a great role. I must say that after playing similar roles in certain adult TV shows a while back, he knows how to play a deliciously cunning, manipulative, and overall evil person. Not to mention a villain that may yet be one of the most complex, and maybe even one of the most memorable of the villains over the course of the James Bond films. Hard to believe, right? Well, if you were to watch the other 24 James Bond movies, followed by watching this one, you’d more than likely be surprised. Another thing to mention about the characters is how one should admire how humble any of them may be even in situations when it may not feel easy to do so. Finally, how could you not like the relationship with James Bond, and Madeleine Swann, even from the previous 007 film? I mean considering Bond has had a tendency to jump from female to female in most of this movie series, that’s certainly a warm welcome especially for the heroic James Bond, wouldn’t you all say? As for the score by Hans Zimmer, he sure knows how to nail it in making a memorable score, whether it be either the animated Lion King, other animated films like The Prince Of Egypt, or The Road To El Dorao, or more adult films like Inception, and 007: No Time To Die. Yeah, 007: No Time To Die is no exception.
Now, all of these sound great, right? However, I must mention that there are a couple areas where this film is docked points. First of all, while most of the characters are likable, and well developed, there were also one, or two that seemed to serve very little purpose. Slow of those could have maybe served more of a role in this film, and sadly didn’t seem to. Why? I’m not sure. The other issue with this film is that it seems to recycle certain elements from other films in which those elements seemed to work better. Because of that, those recycled elements seem to keep this 007 movie at least a little better .
And that’s my review for 007: No Time To Die. For a film that’s supposed to be a grand finale at least for the current actor playing in this film, or the finale of the series, they did a great job of doing that. The movie seems to do a great job of tying up some loose ends, and doing a good job of making an overall good film. Some of the lessons are good, most of the characters, except for one, or two, are well written, especially the main hero, and villain, the score is great, and the story is overall good. If you haven’t seen this film, make sure that you do when you can. You will probably have a really fun time with 007: No Time To Die. Also, see it on the big screen, if you can. This particular one is especially made for theaters, to be sure.
Final Grade: A-
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 