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“This is the End” . Yes, it feels like the opening lyrics of the 23rd James Bond film soundtrack , Skyfall (2012), sung by Adele are really fitting as the opening of this review
Because as we all know, the James Bond 007 film that we are going to review is the final film for the Bond actor, Daniel Craig . Indeed, if we have MGM studios or Craig’s close relatives, we will persuade him to play in 1 or 2 more Bond films.
But yes, unfortunately we are only the audience / fans from a distance. So what are you going to do next? This is the unanimous decision of the Bond actor, who is now 53 years old. So yes. Let’s just review this last Bond film.
And in reviews of No Time to Die from media and YouTube reviewers who have been, many say that this film is the best Bond film. Not only the best Bond for Craig’s version, but also the best Bond in general.
Is that really true? Just take a look at the following No Time to Die review .
Bond’s Disrupted Retirement Period
The 25th James Bond film follows the mission to capture the big boss of Specter, Erns Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) in the previous film Specter (2015).
After capturing and imprisoning his half-sister, Bond and his wife, Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) decide to leave their old life of espionage behind. The two then decided to start a new life in Italy.
Initially all went smoothly until one day when Bond was traveling to a location to forgive his past, he was hit by a huge explosion. Bond is safe.
But he just felt confused, why even though both of them were far away and had left their past, both of them still wanted to kill them. After being investigated, it turned out that the party who wanted to kill them was none other than the Specters group.
Lyutsifer Safin
Now, when he saw this, Bond had no doubt that Madeleine was the one who leaked the whereabouts of the two. Even though Madeleine has said many times that she didn’t do it, Bond still doesn’t believe it.
He then left his wife. 5 years later, a new threat arrives. Specifically, from a terrorist named Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek). Safin with the help of MI6 scientist, Valdo Obruchev (David Dencik), steals a biological weapon under the name, Project Heracles .
The purpose of the two of them stealing the dangerous weapon is to kill Safin’s main target, which turns out to be, Safin’s target has something to do with Madeleine. MI6 and the CIA are also confused about this because Safin also wants to use Heracles to kill all the human population on this earth.
Because of this, like it or not, M (Ralph Fiennes) also has to ask Bond for help again even though he has long been retired as his 007 agent. Now MI6, Bond, the CIA, the new 007 agent, Nomi (Lashana Lynch), and all his friends, must fight hard to stop Safin’s crazy actions.
Not the Best Bond Movie
Before continuing, maybe you are now feeling protest or annoyed with me who leaked that Lynch’s Nomi is the new 007 agent. Well , this is not a spoiler really. Because many people have speculated and even openly leaked this even before the film was released.
So, what can I do, this is not a spoiler at all. But what is clear, there will be a mini twist . So calm down okay? OK, back to the discussion. Honestly, I and many fans really hope that No Time to Die will become the best Bond film, as the reviews have said .
But of course I can’t just play along. I have to be objective here. And I wanted No Time to Die to be the best James Bond film, but in the end this film was okay. Not much different from the previous Bond films.
ALTHOUGH from the structure and feel of the storytelling, Bond 25 is much lighter and more fun . The complexity of the plot of the problem is not very complex like the previous films.
A Fit Cover For Bond Craig
However, through this review of No Time to Die , I can say that at the same time, this film directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga is also a very fitting closing (farewell) for Craig’s entire Bond character story.
In cool language, this cover is a full circle . The bottom line is that his breakup stays in line with the lore aspect of Craig’s Bond character from his early debut in Casino Royale (2006). Of course, I don’t want to go into more detail about this aspect of lore . Because it can be a SUPER SPOILER potential .
But if you are a fan or have watched all five of Craig’s Bond films, you will know this aspect of the lore . What is clear is that this film is a very fitting cover . And when we finally saw Craig in the ending scene , we felt very relieved and satisfied.
With the ending , whoever will become the next Bond actor, will have a heavy homework to erase our memory of Craig’s Bond.
Cool Cinematography, A Little Less Kicking Action
With shooting locations in Italy, Norway, and Jamaica, the cinematography of this film looks really beautiful. Especially in Italy. It feels when we see, we really want to get into the location.
Oh yes, Jamaica is also fun. It really feels like a nice beach. But unfortunately this is not balanced with the action aspect which is a little less kicking. Once again I emphasize, A LITTLE LESS .
Because there are some really cool action sequences . And my favorite is probably the action scenes performed by the sexy spy who became Bond’s short partner, Paloma (Ana de Armas).
Anyway, it’s sexy, fun, really badass too. Too bad once again his appearance is very short in this film. Even though in addition to badass action , Paloma’s character has a very interesting backstory . Also the chemistry with Bond here is really fun .
Maybe this chemistry was also influenced by Armas and Craig, who previously had acting in the hit mystery drama film, Knives Out (2019). Because in the film, the chemistry of the two is also very toxic. Hopefully, MGM will eventually want to make a film or spin-off series from this Paloma character.
Daniel Craig Is Much More Fun
In addition to his chemistry with Armas and other actors, the fun factor is also very visible when Craig has to do solo scenes. Yes, maybe this is the first time we see Craig is much more relaxed, fun , and even playful with his Bond role.
In the first 2 films, he still looks very serious, Skyfall , is lighter, Specter is lighter, and it looks even better in this closing film. Yes, if we think about it, it’s quite sad. Just at the finish line he just started . But better late than never right?
But make no mistake guys . Although he was much more fun , Craig still managed to show his badass as Bond. So yes, his appearance is very balanced in this film.
Lashana Lynch Is Okay As A New 007 Too
Yes again this is not a spoiler . A lot of people already know about this even though this film is still in production. And all I can say, PLEASE stop blaspheming or protesting about this.
Because besides being done, it’s also a fact that Lynch is really cool as the new 007. He looks very badass in this film. Hopefully in the future, he will increasingly consider playing more in this kind of action or spy films.
Maybe if the Mission: Impossible franchise continues until who knows what series, Tom Cruise and his team can consider the actress who plays Maria Rambeau in the MCU film, Captain Marvel (2019).
Rami Malek Salah Casting
Honestly, when I heard that Freddie Mercury in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) was chosen to play the main villain , I was really excited . Because Malek is a capable actor in every role.
The logic at that time was that if he played Freddie Mercury until he won an Oscar, it would certainly be an easy job for Malek to play a Bond villain. Well , unfortunately, what happened was the exact opposite.
It’s not Malek’s performance that’s the problem here. But it’s more of a case that doesn’t match the character. As a result, it really seems that Malek is trying his best to improve his role. But yes, the name just doesn’t fit, so it still won’t fit.
Billie Eilish’s Soundtrack That Fits the Tone of the Movie
Fortunately, the existing shortcomings were also successfully covered by the soundtrack from his Billie Eilish. Honestly, at first I didn’t really like the soundtrack . But as time goes on (perhaps because I’m also an Eilish fanboy ), after a while I just like it.
So when I finally heard about it in this film, the love became even more intense. Because for me, maybe this is the Craig-era Bond soundtrack that has a very solid relationship with the film. The last time I felt this way was when I heard (late) Chris Cornell’s ‘You Know My Name’ on the Casino Royale soundtrack .
And the cool thing is, the placement of the scene and soundtrack is quite a lot. This coherence becomes increasingly emotional when it is placed at the end of the film. When I heard and watched the scene, WOW honestly, we really felt our farewell with Mr. Daniel Craig .
Tough Task For The Next Bond Actor
In the end, we can conclude from this No Time to Die review that this film is a James Bond closing film that is okay and suitable for Daniel Craig.
And with this very fluidly cool ending, it will be a very difficult task for the next Bond actor, to replace the image of Craig from our heads.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It is evident from the era of the initial Bond actor, Sean Connery ( Dr. No ), then the era of Roger Moore ( The Spy Who Loved Me ), even the era of Pierce Bronsnan ( Golden Eye ), a new Bond actor in fact can erase the memory of his audience from the Bond actor. previously.
Most importantly, the new actor must be able to convince us and also, be able to combine well the influens of the previous Bonds so that it becomes his own version of Bond. Just like Daniel Craig (in my opinion, yes), he can be the coolest Bond because he successfully combines Connery Bond and Timothy Dalton’s version of Bond ( Licence to Kill ).
Now, he mixes this combination again with his own style. So we can see for ourselves, right?
Thank You Mr. Craig
So in the end, through this No Time to Die review , I can only say one thing. “THANK YOU MR. CRAIG FOR ALL OF YOUR AMAZING SERVICES!”
And one more thing, if you are a fan of the 007 franchise , maybe you will be a little disappointed but, of course, you still have to watch this film on the big screen. Meanwhile, for those of you who are not really fans but really want to watch the film, I suggest you to watch the previous 4 films, ok?
