NO TIME TO DIE - A Flowing Wisdom Review

**/****** (2/6)

Daniel Craig's reign as James Bond is over after arguably the most prolific and "real" example of what James Bond could and can become. Over his 5 film slate consistency was an issue, but like any good Bond, the lead kept us coming back for more. I love Casino, Quantum was eh, Skyfall most critics choice for the best bond ever, and I'd put Spectre and NTTD in the same category of what Bond has and will most likely continue to be- movies derived from the same playbook as the rest.

This movie opens in an abnormal fashion. Yes, we get our 5 bullet holes of bond CUE MUSIC he walks out and then STRIKE A POSE he shoots, but we don't get the usual blood washing over the frame CUT TO middle of a crazy car chase in Venice, no this time we have a white dissolve into a snowy forest. What ensues is an interesting, but out-of-place opener which ties Madeleine (Lea Seydoux- lover from Spectre) to our main villain Lyutsifer Safin (Remi Malek) in a flashback something like 20 years ago. Lyutsifer is there to kill the family because Madeleine's dad killed his, obviously. Lyutsifer is never scarier than in this scene, and maybe above all else, that is the issue with this film; the lack of a definitive villain and one who genuinely evokes horror and suffering.

We then jump to the present and meet a happy Bond and Madeleine on holiday. Bond is being pretty chill, he's retired and is solely thinking about "where to next". But before they can really become a union, Bond knows she's keeping something from him, and she knows he's still hanging onto feelings from Casino Royales bond girl Vesper Lynd (Eva Green!!). So okay, here's the deal, I'll go visit the grave of Vesper here in this randomly posh European town where she happens to be carried less than a mile away, and while I'm saying my final goodbye you get ready to fill me in on your dark trauma that is obviously not going to be a huge part of the forthcoming plot. At the grave Bond (who can not stop being Bond) realizes something is off, the octopus Spectre symbol is hanging out of flowers on Vesper's gravestone CUE EXPLOSION and we are off. Great car chase/Bond on the run montage ensues. With the result being: Bond thinks Madeleine set him up. How else could have they known I was here? "Let me explain" "NO" "okay.....". He put's her on a train, gone, capeesh.

Then 2 hours and 11 minutes of some Bond shit.

I have 3 issues with this movie.

First, if you haven't seen Spectre (and recently) the plot and callbacks of this movie will almost certainly be lost on you. I hadn't seen it until the day I saw this. Looking at the IMDB Spectre came out in 2015, I was a junior in college, I had to see about a girl then, OKAY, and WHO IS PAYING $8.99 on Amazon for Spectre when I have a gym membership bro?! I'm glad I did watch beforehand because unlike most Bond movies this final act hinges not only on Spectre but the lore and losses of the previous (Craig) Bond characters too. The Bond franchise is infamous for, hey, listen, you've had a rough day but here's two hours of action, cunning smiles and one-liners, plus some Bond girls. Not in this one. No Time To Die relies on stakes and tensions from the previous films without giving us a reason to care in this one.

My second flaw, the lack of a true antagonist. This movie opens with a new villain (who thereafter essentially disappears for an hour). Then we get pulled into a side plot lead by Logan Ash (Billy Magnussen who is on a HELL of a run) as a dumb CIA agent turned double-crosser I actually work for the bad guy's dude who ALMOST kills Bond. Then we go back to visit Christopher Walz in jail, the villain of Spectre. Next is a showdown with the muscle villain Bond's been circling for most of the movie who's missing an eye from that beginning sequence post grave explosion (never expanding on his character). This then leads to a final showdown with Lyutsifer. Do you see the problem here? What made Casino Royale and Skyfall great was the simplicity to conflict, 1 villain 1 story. This movie fails in giving us a clear bad guy by instead giving us four mediocre ones.

Lastly, the dialogue and plot. Two separate subjects, but if done correctly work seamlessly together and it seems in this film they are at odds. Let's start with the fact that this movie has 4 writers, one of which is famously Phoebe-Waller-Bridges but WHERE ARE THE JOKES?! This movie is not nearly as cunning as some of its predecessors.

Okay, dialogue and plot. First, as previously mentioned, the whole Madeleine/Bond you crossed me- no I didn't- yes you did- by forever thing is just bad, to simple, to generically old Bond when this era has been about making it more authentic and nuanced. Madeleine's story with this movie's villain is supposed to be at the center of this film but they never tell us their ensuing relationship thereafter- wait, there wasn't one, so why do we care now?! They don't say.

Before we move on with Madeleine, Bond apparently has a kid, and with her. We get a small clue this could be even possible when Madeleine is going away forever on the train because as she departs for a second she is standing there holding her belly. But it's barely noticeable, only seen by a seeking eye. But then, when Bond and her reunite, and he meets this child she denies it's his. Okay, settled. It stays that way for over an hour and a half until Lyutsifer says it IS Bond's kid in one of their final showdowns- but how the fuck would he know? Why did Madeleine lie in the first place? They don't tell us. There is even a short scene after this Bond/Lyutsifer encounter with Bond, his kid, and Madeleine where THEY DON'T ADDRESS THIS AT ALL except for this slight hint or remark, but it isn't nearly obvious or evident enough to garner any truths from it. It isn't until the final phone call when we get confirmation, she says she has your eyes, to which Bond says "I know" But did we know?! I don't think so.

In the begging flashback sequence, when Lyutsifer the assassin kills mom, shoots and tries to kill daughter (Madeleine) who escapes running across a frozen lake but then falls below the ice to which Lytusifer (in Bond fashion) shoots a machine gun directly at her inexplicably not hitting her once in order to break the ice to save her... THIS IS THE GUY who literally wanted to kill her 15 seconds ago and now he saves you. Why? Almost 2 hours later, we learn it was because of "Seeing that look in your eyes" Really?! Nope, we need better than that. Okay, Muscle one eye guy. They've been circling each other all movie. We know NOTHING about him which is not new for a Bond villain. Dave Bautista in Spectre had one line and it was "Shit" a second before his death. Did Oddjob ever talk? But at least in those movies the final battle or sequence was climactic, set up appropriately, and shot well. This final fight is rushed to say the least, we don't even get a clear idea if it even IS him. Bautista was positioned to be a punishing, relentless top assassin shown beautifully when he kills the firstly appointed guy by Spectre to track down Bond and kill him by crushing his eyes in asserting his dominance and danger. When he faces off against Bond you think he's going to lose and would have if not for the saving graces of Madeleine. Oddjob had his crazy hard killer hat thing. This villain has no competitive advantage trait which is a foil every Bond villain needs. Some would say the eye, but do they ever tell us its power or usefulness for this character? No. Is it used in their final battle at all? No. Do we ever get even a second of tight shot holy shit I want to kill you James Bond energy from this guy in battle? No. Then why have him here? Don't know.

Lastly just the stakes of this movie and the ending. Okay, new technology micro-robots that can kill people based on DNA inputs of the target subjects, sure, clever device. We then learn anyone with identical/similar DNA (relatives) that touches someone who is infected will then die too being inhibited and killed by these micro-robots. This could spread because we're all related somehow so it'll kill everyone and then maybe the end of the world. Big idea, at its core it works fine for a Bond plot. But why does Lyutsifer want everyone dead? How is he this wealthy or powerful again to make this all happen? How is he even involved with Spectre? I can't remember. What boats and who are coming to take these robot things off this random island to most likely kill everyone? I have no clue. Why does Lyutsifer live on this random nice ass private island? Why tell us at this point. Remi Mallek is a good actor, we know that to be true, but the writing/plot/plus his performance don't amount to anything close to the disdain or discomfort we felt with Javier Bardem or Mads Mikkelson as previous Craig villans- That is on the writing and plot.

Bond dies, he's shot and he can't make it out alive because OF COURSE he has to go back and open the thing that he already opened but a bad guy shut it again so he must turn around so the incoming bomb will destroy all this bad stuff sacrificing himself for the greater good. Why can't Q just wait 10 minutes, I don't know because Bond says "Just do it now" without any justified, or explained, reason as to why this is urgent. In his waning moments, he gets to talk with his lover-again Madeleine. Their final chat, the CLIMATIC EVEREST of the movie, Bond literally says, over the phone, that "I'm not going to make it" (have you ever heard that one before?) to which Madeleine says's "What?" and then Craig repeats himself, enter I've seen this 40 times final chat sequence. This movie is cliche and trope(y) in all the bad ways and in very few of the good.

There is some good, however.

Everyone is saying it, and I 100% agree, the Ana De Armis cameo in this movie is when this flick, and franchise, are at their best. Ana de Armas as Paloma, a Cuban spy, helps Bond infiltrate a Spectre party to get something for Felix (Jeffrey Wright) to stop the robot things. I THINK?! Nonetheless, it's a wonderful 10 minutes. She kills every line (not to mention everyone), and like a true movie star even in her throw-away lines she elicits elite charisma and charm. She inhabits the fish out of water "I've only been doing this 3 weeks" vibe to perfection. A dash of dumb, a whisk of ignorance, but a thundering amount of expertise and talent. THESE TWO, have chemistry (Knives Out BABY), something Bond has been missing from his Bond girls ever since Skyfall. My favorite goodbye is at the 40-minute mark...

A NEW 007. Now, this works and also doesn't- but what plays is the ego battle that ensues. On Jame's long sabbatical the Double 00 program assumed he was dead, enter Nomi (Lashana Lynch) as the new 007. How they meet is a highlight of this film. A drunk Bond is in need of a ride after a bad guy fucks with his car, enter women he played eye tag with in the club who has a Vespa and nowhere else to be. They go to his place, she looks around then says "Is that the bedroom?" JB thinks shit, she gave me a ride home I GUESS I'LL SLEEP WITH HER leading to her unveiling her true identity and purpose right as he thinks he's about to get some. Lashana holds her own, for sure. I don't dislike her performance one bit. With that said, she doesn't Pretty Women Julia Roberts it either. And if you're going to cast someone who isn't going for it, to me you need a bigger star? Where is Zoey Saldana? A perfect part for her. Kerry Washington would have been interesting. Shit gimme Kiki Layne who got found out in Berry Jenkins BEALE STREET then LITERALLY showed her action chops in Netflix's underrated action movie with C. Theron THE OLD GUARD. Do we have a De Aramis spinoff Solo style? You have my money, TWICE.

In finality, I realize I spent most of this post finding flaws in this movie, but god damnit there ain't nothing like a Bond movie. It's like Star Wars, Ice Cream, sometimes it doesn't meet our expectations but when we take a step back it's still good? Director Cary Joji Fukunaga has some really nice shots. He filmed the action sequences well, although I thought the editor overcut a few of them and I would have liked a bit more space in the frame for some of them. Again, I find myself rewarding Fukunaga, and this movie as a whole, for doing things that they SHOULD DO, YOU'RE DOING FUCKIN BOND MAN. Tough act to follow in Sam Mendes, a backhanded compliment to Cary is that he didn't stand out in contrast to what Mendes did. I also give them a lot of credit, they did kill James Bond, at least Craig's bond. But if he's back, they're back to the same whole absurdity that cued the very thing that made the Craig Bonds so indisputably great and new to this franchise; something real.