Laura’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
The latest installment in the James Bond movie franchise and the last of the Bond films to feature Daniel Craig, No Time To Die is now showing only in theaters. I was lucky enough to catch a screening at the Melody 49 Twin drive-in theater outside Dayton, Ohio!
The Analysis:
It’s tricky to do a synopsis for this movie without spoilers so I’ll be brief: James Bond is enjoying retirement when there is a crisis involving a bioweapon that can target very specific victims. After the scientist that developed the technology is kidnapped, an old friend asks Bond for his help on the mission. In order to get answers and hunt down whoever is behind the kidnapping, 007 will have to deal with demons from his past.
No Time To Die featured many elements of classic Bond, including the iconic gun barrel sequence in the opening, heavy use of the Bond theme music, and a tricked out car with fancy gadgets. This film even added in some occasional humor, which was refreshing considering the intensity of Craig’s portrayal as Bond. The first third to half of the movie is fantastic and entertaining, but it just fell apart at the end for me. I understand that filmmakers have to keep a character fresh, yet much of the end of the movie felt like a betrayal of the James Bond character that has been built up over many years. The fact that over 25 movies have been made focusing on a similar persona feels like a sign to not mess with the formula too much.
Daniel Craig’s performance as Bond was enjoyable as usual, and I absolutely loved Ana De Armas in the movie, although I wish she had gotten a bit more screen time. On the other hand, nothing excited me about Léa Seydoux as Madeleine and I expected so much more from Rami Malek as the villain. Overall, I have mixed feelings about No Time To Die. The movie was entertaining and I would still tell fans of Bond to see the film, but I didn’t love the direction of the plot and the cast averaged out for me.
Photos from the Melody 49 Drive In:
Try out your best Bond impression at the mural by Safehouse in Milwaukee, WI!
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