Review of No Time to Die (2021) by Kai82 — 10 Oct 2021

Well crafted but also weaker James Bond movie. Daniel Craig and the viewers deserved a better final movie. My main complains would be of cause the ending which is garbage, the lack of good chemistry between Daniel Craig and Lea Seydoux (Vesper Lynd aka Eva Green surpassed her in all categories) and that they wasted Rami Malek who is an amazing actor.

It is however not as awful as expected but nowhere near the better James Bond movies. It is not a replacement of James Bond with a female 007 agent as many thought and the trailers made it look. By the way: I am not against female agents.

Alias is an amazing show with Jenifer Garner that work really well and I recommend. However James Bond does not transfer well into a female character. The necessary adaptations would make it something different.

Lets see how the modernization of the character will turn out for the sequel. Back to the movie: There is good action (but it could be more), satisfying stunts, the visuals are amazing, Daniel Craig delivers and it has its moments.

This was the last time Daniel Craig will be James Bond. I still remembered that the fans were up in arms when he was announced for Casino Royale. Today he is a frequent contender for best James Bond actor.

He left his mark and impact and I want to thank him for this. After a flashback the story starts with James Bond and Madeline Swann visiting a smaller Italian town where he wants to visit Vesper Lynd’s grave.

However this really turns into a fight for survival as they were attacked and a fallout happens. A few years later the past catches up to a retired James Bond when an old friend asks for a favor. So starts the story.

It is the longest James Bond so far and they could have shorten it a bit. Not all scenes are great or necessary. The rest hits more than it misses but especially the ending ruins this experience. I wont spoil anything as you can easily see this referenced by a lot of reviews aka people.

It is fresh and unique but definitely the last thing many want to see in a James Bond movie ever. Cast: Daniel Craig as James Bond might be getting older but always delivered his role and this movie is not different.

Good performance but I wished he got better final movie. Lea Seydoux is a good actress without a doubt. Sadly she has not a good chemistry with James Bond as Madeleine Swann. Nearly everyone will say that Vesper Lynd as Eva Green is the gold standard.

Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin is wasted. He has not much or enough time to shine and often disappears in the background. I might be the minority that likes Lashana Lynch as Nomi. Good performance and all the problems I put on the script.

Jeffrey Wrigth returns as Felix Leitner. I truly enjoy the actor and his role. Ben Whishaw as Q and Gareth Mallory as M are just weaker than their previous counterparts. The banter with Q and M was often an enjoyable highlight in former movies.

It is mixed here in this regard. Like I said visually the movie is amazing as are the action scenes and stunts. The soundtrack is divisive in my circle of friends. Before anyone comes to the wrong conclusion: It is not about the talents or performance of Billie Eilish.

She is talent and there are no missteps in it. We had a lot of talks and are divided. For some this is the best James Bond song or far up while others including me find it a good homage but so boring.

Overall this is hard to rate. The ending wants me to give a 1/10 as I do not believe in 0/10 outside of videogames (EA and Fallout 76 have taught me a lesson). However it is not garbage and carefully made even with the flaws.

I think a 5/10 is valid. It could have been far worse.