No Time to Die (2021)

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Stars: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Rami Malek
Runtime: 163 minutes

Synopsis: James Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Verdict: On paper, “No Time to Die” is far from being the best Bond movie in the franchise. It suffers from pacing issues, a formula we’ve grown accustomed to, structural inconsistencies, and a rather unmemorable villain in Rami Malek’s Lyutsifer Safin. But with this being Daniel Craig’s last hoorah in the role of 007, closing his arc was always going to be the film’s main focus, a mission that was handled effectively without sacrificing the essence of what these movies are all about.

Built upon Billie Eilish’s award-winning theme and Hans Zimmer’s score, “No Time to Die” tells what is perhaps the most emotional and personal chapter of the secret agent’s hectic life. It’s a beautiful tribute to an actor who was committed to the role for a record-breaking 15 years, and a worthy conclusion to a journey that saw him go through heartbreak and loneliness, giving him a complexity unknown to the men who played the character before him.

Set against the backdrop of a political fracture between Britain and the United States and with the main threat being a deadly and contagious man-made disease, “No Time to Die” also works in being reflective of the times we’re currently living in. It’s not a perfect film by any means, but it’s the perfect film to release in 2021 as it acts as sort of a time capsule of the world’s present climate.

I’m curious to see what the franchise has in store for its fans next. As for the next Bond? Many names are floating around but I'd love to see either Richard Madden, Dev Patel, or Daniel Kaluuya hold a license to kill. Daniel Craig’s run in the role earned him a place in the history books, and I’m glad he received the send-off he deserved for his efforts.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10