By Dylan Murphy, Editor-in-Chief
Topping off the electric five-film series featuring Daniel Craig as the larger-than-life superspy James Bond, "No Time To Die" delivers on absolutely all expectations. Capping a story fifteen years in the making, Craig’s final outing as Bond has cleaned up the sour, muddled mess that 2016’s "Spectre" left behind. Presenting thrilling action, style galore, and surprisingly tender moments, the film closes out the series without leaving much in the way of loose ends.
While previous Craig films were often held back by clunky commitments to poorly-aging action film tropes ("Quantum of Solace" most of all), "No Time To Die" revitalizes the character by falling back to his roots: the quips, cars, stunts, score, and pacing are a return to form, stylistically harkening back to the classic iterations, with necessary modern fine-tuning. While "Casino Royale" succeeded with its action and suspense, and "Skyfall" with its elaborate buildups and flare for drama, "No Time To Die" attempts to pull from everything that worked well in its predecessors. The cinematography rivals that of the legendary Roger Deakins’ work with "Skyfall," succeeding in building atmosphere when the plot wavers.
That’s not to say the film is a masterpiece, by any means. A predictable plot and an expectedly underwhelming villain hold it back to a major extent. While only "Skyfall" has genuinely stood out for its villain, Craig’s last outing as Bond deserved more than another played-out archetype of a madman who wants to watch the world burn.
"No Time To Die" serves as an overall-satisfying finale to the series, appealing to a Marvel-esque climactic callback-filled roller coaster. Yet, the film also lacks much of that revolutionary creativity that set "Casino Royale" and "Skyfall" apart from the gutter-clutter of action films that stood beneath them.
For fans of Craig’s Bond, or of the decade-spanning series in general, the film is certainly worth a watch.
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