007: No Time to Die
Originally published on January 27th, 2022
What better way to end #JamesBondJanuary then with this film: the most recent product of the Bond franchise, the film that almost feels like the end of the story, and the film that pays tribute to the classics. Everyone who has seen it has a very particular viewpoint on this film and what it does. This is my viewpoint now after studying James Bond for one month:
As every other film reviewer has stated, this is a Bond film like no other. Regardless of how you feel about the film, you can help but appreciate how easy it is to understand the complicated plot, or the cinematography that is gorgeous. There is something truly haunting about this film…all I can say is that it is a film for our era.
This film pays tribute to the Bond series in so many ways. There are many nods to the old traditions like Bond’s drink, his car, his puns, and his gadgets. Louis Armstrong’s, “We Have All the Time in the World” plays at one point as well as the classic Bond theme. Bond at one point floats on a yellow lifeboat exactly like the one from Thunderball and the evil villain's lair shares some attributes to that from Dr.No. There were also painted portraits of previous actors who played M in one of the scenes, and the beginning credit scene pays tribute to the first two bonds through a polka dot sequence.
As the phrase goes, “we have all the time in the world”. Besides the fact that this movie takes all the time in the world to end, this phrase is significant: this was issued on “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Essentially, when this phrase is used in the franchise, significant deaths are coming. I’ll say no more.
After my third time watching this film, I still do not know whether I like it or not. Half of the class thought it ended beautifully, and the other half said “fuck the ending”. Perhaps I feel both of these attitudes. With that in mind, I believe this is an almost flawless film. The only faults lie in whether or not you like an emotional Bond film or whether or not your patience can handle an almost 3 hr Bond film.