By Emily Rotthaler– Daniel Craig’s last appearance as James Bond takes on a complicated and unique but well thought out plot that will captivate the audience’s attention until the last second. With a running time of 2h 43mins, No Time to Die is the longest and most extensive Bond movie to this day and not an easy movie to process.
After Bond started a romance with psychotherapist Dr. Madeleine Swann in the last Bond movie Spectre, it does not come as much of a surprise that No Time to Die lays a heavy focus on their relationship. What does come as a surprise however, at least to Bond himself, is that Swann is more entangled in the world of international terrorist organizations than anyone would have thought.
But first things first: with Bond’s arch enemy from previous movies, Ernst Blofeld, locked up in a high security psychiatric facility, Bond has once again retired from his double-O life. He is enjoying his retirement with Swann until the terror organization Spectre –previously led by Blofeld – attacks him and makes him believe that Swann was behind it. Parting ways with her out of distrust, Bond disappears to a quiet hut on a beach in Jamaica.
Five years later, when a secret bio-laboratory of the MI6 is attacked and a biological weapon is stolen, Bond gets entangled in the world of ‘friend or foe’ and ‘kill or be killed’ once again. Of course, 007 cannot ignore a danger like that and sets out to find the evildoer and save the world in his very significant style. But nobody could have known what his enemies had in store for him this time.
The newest Bond-villain is Lyutsifer Safin, a man whose family was killed by a former Spectre member (Swann’s father) and who, as a result, decided to give evil-doing a try himself. He does not primarily have a feud with Bond, but they are connected through Swann, whose life Safin spared when she was a child.
No Time to Die features several familiar faces from previous movies. Characters making an appearance include Felix Leiter (Bond’s longtime friend and contact at the CIA), Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Swann, as well as Moneypenny, “M”, and “Q”.
Those who have watched all 24 previous Bond movies can also be sure to find a few more than familiar and well-loved sayings and traditions in the movie like Shaken, Not Stirred and the usual Bond, James Bond.
On the new and refreshing side, the movie includes a nervous and young, but funny, CIA agent named Paloma, a second female agent 007, and a lot of humorous banter and sassy remarks.
Adding an element of uniqueness, No Time to Die is one of the only two Bond movies in which 007 experiences major life events. The first happened back in 1969, when George Lazenby’s James Bond got married and lost his wife in the matter of one day in On her Majesty’s Secret Service.
As someone who has watched every single Bond movie and prefers the traditional older ones, I will say that No Time to Die is not in the running for my favorite Bond. Even though I enjoyed seeing 007 face new roles and show his human side, there were so many changes, characters, and plot twists involved that by the end it felt like I had watched Bond’s entire life pass by. I also did not like that – once again, major spoiler ahead – Felix Leiter died, as he has been a friend to Bond and a recurrent character since 1963’s first ever Bond movie Dr. No.
Overall, I would definitely recommend watching No Time To Die. I would suggest watching at least one of Craig’s other 4 Bond movies before, as there are quite a few follow-up scenes in this new one, which address events that happened previously. For those who want to see the movie, No Time To Die has been in theatres since October 7
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