Right upfront, the Daniel Craig era James Bond films tell a continuous story. If you have not already done so, watch them in order prior to viewing this film ('Casino Royale', 'Quantum of Solace', 'Skyfall', 'Spectre', and then 'No Time to Die'). The story arc carries over from one film to the next, and 'No Time to Die' will be much more impactful when you understand the plot elements and story lines set up by the prior films.
Now onto the review. The performances are once again top-notch. Daniel Craig slays as James Bond, and has really grown on me as perhaps the best actor so far to portray Bond. It's bittersweet that his tenure as Bond has come to an end, but on the other hand there's newfound excitement for the fanbase to see what the future holds for the Bond franchise. Rami Malek plays the main villain, and although his performance was great, I felt he did not have the same dominant presence as other Bond villains, such as Javier Bardem's character in 'Skyfall' or Christoph Waltz in 'Spectre'.
My biggest complaint with the previous Bond installment 'Spectre' is the film lacked depth and didn't take risks. 'No Time to Die' is the opposite. The story is filled with twists and turns at every corner. You'll find yourself completely immersed in the plot, waiting in anticipation to find out what direction the writers chose next. Without getting into spoilers, the film does a great job of really getting the audience emotionally invested in the characters and cheering them on (or rooting against them) all throughout the film.
In additional to an interesting story, the film has the typical action sequences you can expect from a James Bond movie. High speed chases using cars, boats, airplanes, motorcycles, and any other vehicle. Shootouts, hand to hand combat, etc. It's all pretty standard by this point. The action sequences in 'No Time to Die' were handled spectacularly and made excellent use of very creative camera work. One scene in particular that stood out for me was toward the end where one continuous shot was used during the a climactic action sequence.
The film also has many themes and motifs. Most obviously "Time" - the word is in the title, it's in several very important moments, Bond uses a watch as a weapon, etc. But also, there are many Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout the film that long-time fans of the franchise will be happy to notice.
I really enjoyed 'No Time to Die'. I rate it a 9/10. A very enjoyable movie, but still not as good as 'Casino Royale', but to be fair, I don't see any James Bond movies passing that film soon.
I also really enjoyed the theme song by Billie Eilish. She gets a lot of hate I think solely because she's an angsty generation Z artist, but she does have a great voice which complements the overall ambiance of the film.
Now onto the review. The performances are once again top-notch. Daniel Craig slays as James Bond, and has really grown on me as perhaps the best actor so far to portray Bond. It's bittersweet that his tenure as Bond has come to an end, but on the other hand there's newfound excitement for the fanbase to see what the future holds for the Bond franchise. Rami Malek plays the main villain, and although his performance was great, I felt he did not have the same dominant presence as other Bond villains, such as Javier Bardem's character in 'Skyfall' or Christoph Waltz in 'Spectre'.
My biggest complaint with the previous Bond installment 'Spectre' is the film lacked depth and didn't take risks. 'No Time to Die' is the opposite. The story is filled with twists and turns at every corner. You'll find yourself completely immersed in the plot, waiting in anticipation to find out what direction the writers chose next. Without getting into spoilers, the film does a great job of really getting the audience emotionally invested in the characters and cheering them on (or rooting against them) all throughout the film.
In additional to an interesting story, the film has the typical action sequences you can expect from a James Bond movie. High speed chases using cars, boats, airplanes, motorcycles, and any other vehicle. Shootouts, hand to hand combat, etc. It's all pretty standard by this point. The action sequences in 'No Time to Die' were handled spectacularly and made excellent use of very creative camera work. One scene in particular that stood out for me was toward the end where one continuous shot was used during the a climactic action sequence.
The film also has many themes and motifs. Most obviously "Time" - the word is in the title, it's in several very important moments, Bond uses a watch as a weapon, etc. But also, there are many Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout the film that long-time fans of the franchise will be happy to notice.
I really enjoyed 'No Time to Die'. I rate it a 9/10. A very enjoyable movie, but still not as good as 'Casino Royale', but to be fair, I don't see any James Bond movies passing that film soon.
I also really enjoyed the theme song by Billie Eilish. She gets a lot of hate I think solely because she's an angsty generation Z artist, but she does have a great voice which complements the overall ambiance of the film.