No Time to Die
Growing up, during holidays, I'd always be visited by an uncle. Sometimes it'd be Uncle Terry, or Uncle Paddy, or Uncle Willie, or Uncle John. But there was another uncle who would always appear - Uncle James Bond.
Yes, Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, and bank holidays, Bond was a fixture of my childhood. Even if the film wasn't particularly good, Bond himself would delight (Connery's shrug, Lazenby's grin, Moore's raised eyebrow, Dalton's double-takes, Brosnan's smirk, and Craig's bewilderment).
In terms of cinematic characters, Bond has probably had more influence on me over others. I remember letting my hair grow longer in an attempt to mimic Bronsnan's hair from
GoldenEye, and switching to a short cut and wax when Craig took over. If I saw Bond eat something, I'd want it. I wanted his watch, his suits, and his cars. Christ, the cool way Dalton smoked Lark cigarettes was probably influential as to why I used to smoke.
So you'll understand my feelings towards
NTtD. Like the rest of the Craig era, it sits in the shadow of its predecessors. One cannot go into
NTtD new, and expect the same reaction as one who has watched the other Craig films.
But like the other Craig films, it is technical tour-de-force. Like Cary Joji Fukunaga's other works, it is a visual triumph. While the cinematography may not meet the innovation of Roger Deakins's work on
Skyfall,
NTtD reminds you why seeing films at the cinema is special. The set design, colours, and lighting feel like the best of the 80s. Fukunaga has never been shy about using tracking shots, and they are used with aplomb her, But unlike Sam Mendes's showiness in
Spectre, Fukunaga and Linus Sandgren's camerawork feels natural, and doesn't demand you take notice of it.
However, as good as the camerawork and staging are, it doesn't distract from the lack of blood. Bond films are not especially violent films (excusing
Licence to Kill,
GoldenEye, and
Casino Royale), and they usually got away with it by keeping the body count low in comparison to other action heroes. Here,
John Wick is obviously looming over it. Bond mows down more henchmen than any other (to the point you almost feel sorry for them). Sadly, the lack of blood leaves it all with no impact. Bond may have just killed four goons in three seconds, but it doesn't matter because he's about to kill seven more, and another five after them.
Thankfully, Craig is wonderful. He brings genuine emotional weight to Bond during the action, and also applies a comic charm to prevent things from getting too grim. He's ably supported by the superb supporting cast (Fiennes, Harris, De Armas, Seydoux, Wright, Whishaw, Kinnear) who bring their A-game.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for Waltz and Malek. They do what they can, but the screenplay doesn't help them. Blofeld is reduced to a smirking Hannibal Lector, while Malek's Safin isn't given enough time to develop. Safin is more odd than threatening. Despite a strong introduction, Safin rarely shows up until the end, and he just muses philosophically about revenge and justice. He's capable of being an interesting character as world domination and wealth doesn't interest him, but the film never gives us any idea what does.
Safin and Blofeld's lack of development are tied to the biggest hurdle of
NTtD - the screenplay. Continuity has been a big problem with the Craig era, and it contributes to
NTtD's gargantuan running time. Unlike the one-and-done of other Bond films,
NTtD devotes a lot of its time to recapping, reintroducing, and reestablishing elements of the previous film. As much as I love hanging out with Bond and company as they chew the fat and crack jokes, you have to wonder if 40 minutes could have been shaved by not bothering with Blofeld and Spectre. It is this plotting that brings us to the major elephants in
NTtD (massive, major spoilers ahead).
SPOILER:
Set five years after the events of Spectre, Bond discovers he has a daughter. We often make jokes about the womanising Bond forced to become a parent responsibilities, and here it is. To the film's credit, it's rather sweet. Bond is out of his element for once, and doesn't even have a wisecrack to mutter. Rather than turn Bond into something he isn't, it forces him to adapt to a new position.
This new position drives the immediacy of the climax. Bond isn't saving the world - he's saving his world. A world for his family. His legacy. This is what the Craig era had been building to. NTtD's ending wouldn't have the same impact as a one-and-done. It had to build. It had to establish relationships, goals, ideals for its characters.
Of course, this brings up further complications. Bond was always about escapism. We could always count on Bond to save the world and return with a joke or two. Not any more. The end credits tell us that James Bond will return, but does that cheapen the ending? Rather than chew our nails over how Bond will escape his next laser attack, will we expect him to die? Will we feel invested in him anymore?
Whatever the future brings for Bond, I know this. As All the Time in the World played over the credits, I felt the hot tears sting my face. For my 34 years on this planet, Bond has always been there. And seeing him leave us was an overwhelming experience.
NTtD is flawed. It will probably become the most controversial film in the series, and perhaps the most divisive among fans. Even I have my qualms about it, but I cannot deny its poignancy. It's a big, beautiful blockbuster that is loud, dumb, silly, but sincere.
Salud, Mr. Bond.