BEING JAMES BOND & PopcornX Review of NO TIME TO DIE
In this special 45-minute retrospective, Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
The following is my review of "No Time To Die" (FEATURES on POPCORNX), which I had bene unable to complete for some time now, but could do so with the above "Being James Bond" featurette, nicely starting the proceedings, methinks.
I reconciled with watching Daniel Craig's "James Bond" pretty early on, that this was not the double-O-seven spy films I had enjoyed as a teenager, at least in the fade memories of "Bond, James Bond", starring Sean Connery and Roger Moore, developing a certain expectation of how "007" is portrayed.
Subsequent Timothy Dalton's portrayal pulled me out of my expectations, while Pierce Brosnan's sat uncomfortable with me throughout his run, truth be told. But understandably these are my personal preferences, with obviously no disrespect to the actors who had taken up the moniker, "Bond, James Bond".
So when Daniel Craig rebooted "Casino Royale", it felt just that: A REBOOT, and as a character whose only connection to past films were his three designated numbers, and name, of course.
That said, having watched the entirety of Craig's 5 film run now, culminating in his swan song "No Time To Die", it felt more of a "Daniel Craig as Jame Bond" line of films, than said infamous moniker and numbers.
WHAT-IS: "No Time to Die is a 2021 spy film and the twenty-fifth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It stars Daniel Craig in his fifth and final outing as the fictional British MI6 agent James Bond. In this film, Bond, who has left active service with MI6, is recruited by the CIA to find a kidnapped scientist, which leads to a showdown with a powerful adversary.". (Wiki).
The film premiered 28 September 2021 at Royal Albert Hall, and 30 September 2021 in the United Kingdom, followed by 8 October 2021 in the United States.
No Time to Die was originally scheduled for release in November 2019, but was postponed to February 2020 and then to April 2020 after the film's first director Danny Boyle's departure (who left in August 2018 due to creative differences). A subsequent April 2020 premiere in China was cancelled due to the early outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
As a movie, NO TIME TO DIE - under the directorial stewardship of Cary Joji Fukunaga (from a screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Fukunaga and Phoebe Waller-Bridge) - sung loudly and majestically, as far as I am concerned. The scope and tenor of the film, was commendable and a worthy "end" to the character of James Bond. Let me rephrase that: "A fitting swan-song of Daniel Craig's James Bond".
Sure the villain and villainess' scheme is lame, but I perceive that as to the focus instead of being on Bond and his story-arch, and resolution of said 5-film-arc, than yet another "save the world"-plot. I have to think this, otherwise I'd have easily told the film to "go fk it's pompous-self", innit?
The Eye-ball on a cushion, enemy spies partying, designed killer nanobots, all Powerpuff Girls' party tricks, innit? So now, it is not mind-bending plot(s) that we need to engage in, or be convinced about, methinks.
They tease and tempt us with a Ana de Armas "Paloma"-appetiser, and failed to deliver a good steak, instead we are content with the sauce, and the sauce was tasty with feelings and tears.
Aside, the good steak was served with Casino Royale and Skyfall, by my personal taste preferences, cheers.
But no, we get instead the emotional burden and weight from Vespa Lyn, that has burrowed its way into James heart and life. And when her tomb exploded, you do feel the anguish.
And in the end, James gave up everything to save the daughter with his eyes (good one this), and let's Madeline take up the slack. A heroes journey, ultimately sacrificing himself for the fruit of his loins.
And herein lies the one thing that I had been unfamiliar with in past 007-films, pre-Craig, was the emotional attachments to what would be fantasy-manifestations "to be a spy", when you grew up.
I've always remembered the celluloid incarnations to "007" to be pretty self-serving. He might not have a "heart of gold", but he still has a beating heart, but seemingly strong enough to brush away the negatives, and sweep up the ladies. He was a living fantasy of a heterosexual male hero, and in more ways that I'd not expected, he was both and not Daniel Craig's "James Bond". I will miss Craig's Bond. I wonder what new self-serving incarnation will next take the number...?
This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Comments
Post a Comment