Mini Film Review – No Time To Die

I have just seen No Time To Die; and it was pretty good! Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and starring Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, and Léa Seydoux; No Time To Die is a spy film, and the 25th film in the James Bond film series. The film follows directly on from Spectre, with Bond enjoying his retirement; but is called back into action once more when a terrifying genetic weapon is stolen. The film begins with a bang as it sets out to reference the past, and drive forward into the future. But when we jump ahead five years, it’s like an entirely separate film has started. It is good to see the range of futuristic and state of the art gadgets finally enter the Daniel Craig era, and the film’s plot is pretty cool, as it follows the route of a crime drama than a spy film as everything in play gets revealed. The film has some cool shots and scenes that you have not seen in a Bond film before, and the soundtrack does blend seamlessly into each frame. But what is rather clever is the awkward air in every shot. Every scene has this level of awkwardness between characters, and even the audience, which creates this idea of an Elephant in each and every room possible, and it just carries on, and you just can’t shake it, until all is resolved! So for the most part, it’s a really good film, but the casting is just, well…off! There’s nothing wrong with the actors, they all play interesting parts, but there are huge gaps between scenes, and not enough built in-between to really go deep into them! Ana De Armas for instance gets about five minutes of screen time, which is a shame, especially when she is the most interesting addition in the film. I am glad that Léa Seydoux has returned, but again there is a long gap before you see her return into the frame. Regular castings such as Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Ben Whishaw, and Ralph Fiennes get fleeting appearances, to where it feels like they are unnecessary, and the two main new additions Rami Malek, and Lashana Lynch; are just inserted along the way when the plot requires them; to the point where Rami Malek’s villain becomes just an end level boss! It’s a bit of a dampener on what is a superb James Bond film, and while Bond has always been the central character, it’s these supporters that make up the life blood of the film, and to use them so sparingly, just feels like a tragedy! But, the film does make up for it’s strong shortcoming, by being on the doorstep of magnificent all the way through!