No Time To Die Review

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 163 minutes 

Starring: Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Ana de Armas, Rory Kinnear.

Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga

The story: James Bond is forced out of retirement when a villain threatens to unleash an advanced biochemical weapon that could kill millions.

The verdict: Much like Doctor Who, another one of our beloved British icons, we all have our James Bond. Daniel Craig was announced as Her Majesty’s finest spy back in 2005 and he has undoubtedly become my Bond. Back then, Craig with his blond hair and blue eyes was considered an unlikely choice for the role, but he has long since proved his naysayers wrong. And so with my Bond finally hanging up his golden gun, I approached No Time To Die with some trepidation - would he be given the swan song he deserved? Well after eighteen months of waiting, Bond fans can breathe a sigh of relief because No Time To Die is fantastic.

Juggling several genres successfully, No Time To Die combines all the best bits of a Bond film, the drama, the romance, the action, and elevates them all into a film that I could not tear my eyes away from. At a colossal one hundred and sixty three minutes, you could rightfully assume that there could have been at least one or two scenes cut here or there, but there was not one moment that felt unnecessary or any moment where my engagement was lessened. If anything, I felt that I could have watched on and I was disappointed when the credits began to roll.

Performance wise, there is no disputing that Craig had Bond down pat back in Casino Royale. However, No Time To Die does allow Craig to show more sides to Bond, in particular a much more emotional and vulnerable side and I really enjoyed seeing this. The supporting cast is brilliant and I cannot fault anyone. A few standouts for me in particular are a small turn from Ana de Armas as CIA agent Paloma, who I dearly hope we meet again, and Ben Whishaw as Q who provided much of the light relief. 

Visually, No Time To Die is at its best when its action is at its highest. The action is fast paced and visceral and there is one chase scene in particular that literally had me on the edge of my seat. No Time To Die does ramp up the action and doesn’t make any apologies for being big and brash with it. However, make no mistake that this film just focuses on the action, No Time To Die plays with the audience’s emotions throughout. No Time To Die will thrill you and make you laugh, but it does pack an emotional punch too.

And perhaps the most interesting thing of all is how this film concludes. Of course, no spoilers here but all I can say is that if I was curious to see where the franchise would go next - now I’m dying to know!

Overall, No Time To Die was a film worth waiting for and definitely a contender for one of the best of the year.

The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️