No Time to Die

It felt as though we were never going to get to see this, but finally it's here, the question is, was it worth the wait?

The answer, yes, really not what I was expecting, of course it's action packed, dramatic and high octane, but it actually boasts a good story, and perhaps shows us a slightly different side to the character.

Plenty of action, plenty of style, and a real twist.

I thought Daniel Craig was awesome, and here he shows what a great Bond he has been, it's fascinating now to know who'll take over.

On the downside, it was a bit long, and it did lull a little in parts, but the action was enough to halt any dozing.

Overall, very watchable, 8/10.

One of my guilty pleasures as a moviegoer is watching James Bond movies and I have no intention of apologising for that. Thus, I watched as soon as I had the opportunity 'No Time to Die' directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the latest film in the series, whose release has already been postponed several times and which finally meets the screens and its viewers this cinematic fall of the year 2021. The James Bond film series is approaching the age of 60. All Bond movies start from the same premises and have the same hero, but the way he looks and behaves and the structuring of the story have evolved over time. This says a lot about how cinematic entertainment was and is perceived and accepted in the movies of the big studios.

A lot has happened during these years. The hero evolved from the nonchalant and humorous commander in Fleming's books and played by Sean Connery to the complex and gloomy character in the last series, played by Daniel Craig. The original 007 had gone through the experience of World War II and was active during the Cold War. He was excused for his womanising as many things are excused to war heroes, and there was no room for moral doubt concerning his actions because he lived in an age when it was clear who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. Thee 21st century James Bond lives and acts in the turbulent era after the fall of communism and after the novels of John Le Carre were written. Today's enemies are not ideological, and screenwriters of such films (not just those in the Bond series) often prefer not to identify them politically, ethnically, or religiously. On the other hand, the romantic implications of the character are no longer devoid of substance. James no longer conquers but falls in love. From Bond the Don Juan we now (almost) get Bond the family man. One of the qualities of the script in 'No Time to Die' is that it manages to describe at this stage of the character's evolution a story that is acceptable by today's standards of the big studios and is somewhat credible in terms of character psychology. Craig's James Bond has been throughout this series and is in this film also a real character, not just a two-dimensional comics book figure.

What I liked about 'No Time to Die'? Daniel Craig. Action scenes, car chases and stunts that show ingenuity in a few moments (just when we thought we saw everything in this area) and use the landscapes spectacularly, especially in Italian villages. Humour and self-humour. The presence of Ralph Fiennes, an actor who can do anything on screen and I will like it. Ana de Armas, a classic Bond-girl who I hope will survive until the next series. What I liked less? Rami Malek, an actor who constantly disappoints me and who plays a mediocre bad guy here. Lea Seydoux is OK, but her relationship with Bond lacks chemistry. The dose of melodrama introduced in the script towards the end. The scientific pretext, which is thin and I could not understand what they were brewing in those pools (not that it would be important).

'No Time to Die' honorably concludes the Daniel Craig chapter of the Bond epic. It's not the best Bond I've ever seen, but it's above average. I look forward to the next reincarnation.

Daniel Craig loses no opportunity to demonstrate why he has had such a salutary impact on the evolution of James Bond. His Bond is more impulsive, sensitive and passionate than ever before.

A befittingly grand farewell party for Daniel Craig in his final outing as James Bond, No Time To Die has no time for half measures. It goes all out to give fans of the franchise the highs they are looking for and the actor who has stamped his class on the role since 2006's Casino Royale gets the send-off he deserves.

In 2006 the first Bond movie with Daniel Craig - the wonderful reboot 'Casino Royale' - was supposed to show us how Bond became who he is. But they didn't stop there. Three Bond movies followed that exploited the character, showing him as vulnerable, dealing with his past, quitting the service several times and having a hard time figuring women or life out: 'Quantum of Solace' (2008) - a fast-paced hard-to-follow shakycam thrillride, 'Skyfall' (2012) with its ludicrous plot and a villain's scheme that made no sense and the heavily graded 'Spectre' (2015) with its clumsy script.

Now, in 2021, No Time to Die, the longest Bond movie ever, is finally here after being delayed three times and oh man...this was actually great!

No Time to Die is really a real treat. It is beautifully shot (IMAX cameras were used in many scenes) and wonderful to look at. The three big setpieces work fine. But they are much, much too short. The Hans Zimmer score is the best James Bond score, since David Arnold composed 'Casino Royale', meaning bombastic and melodic, with a couple of unexpected nods to earlier Bond movies.

No Time to Die is well acted, and I have to say that Ana de Armas steals the show away from all other than Craig. Sadly her part was very small. Great chemistry between her and Bond. I hope to see her back as the half-drunk agent!

The pacing is also mostly fine, there's a fair amount of thrilling edge-of-your seat moments and the locations are varied and put to good use as they should be (especially the Italy and Norway scenes). It is also the most emotional and bold Bond movie ever attempted.

As a die-hard Bond fan, I have been pretty much disappointed with the last three, and after Terminator and Star Wars going woke I was a bit afraid that the Bond franchise would suffer the same fate. And yes...wokeness is certainly here to some extent, because in these times you can't have a suave unethical gambling self-assure single masculine womanizer roaming the silver screen. So they turned James Bond into a feminist family man who can't figure women or life out. This "alternative" take on the James Bond character may put some people off. It's not a huge issue for me though. The glamourous larger-than-life character WILL return one day. And I do miss THAT guy!

The massive team behind this last Bond movie should be very proud! Much to my surprise, and against many odds, they actually nailed it!

Craigs films peaked with Casino Royale and have slowly been depreciating from there. However, this film nicely finishes his tenure as bond and left me slightly emotional at the end, not because of the ending but saying goodbye to the best Bond ever (in my opinion).

Few key things to mention:

• Film is 30 mins too long and they could easily cut some scenes.

• It is clear the screenplay writers kept getting to late stages in the film then realising they need to adjust earlier plot lines to accommodate the storyline. Most significantly the main antagonist has a key piece of collateral over Bond and simply gives it away for no apparent reason.

• Ana de Armas character is completely pointless, which is a shame as she is a good actor. She is simply put in as eye candy and to push forward a scene.

• The plot line and how it linked to Spectre was not well devised and fell flat, which great acting and interesting fight scenes managed to keep afloat. It felt like a shoddy mission impossible rip off with the Bond style overlaying.

• Rami Maleks character was underwhelming and a shame for how good an actor he is.

Overall, Daniel Craig deserves a lot of credit for what he's done for the franchise and was a pleasure to watch him as bond.