The 355

Originally published on social media on March 3rd, 2022

Daniel Craig when asked about whether or not a woman should ever play James Bond responded with, “Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”

While I don’t see “The 355” ever gaining as much popularity as James Bond, I think that the women of this film encapsulate some of the Bond like qualities in the most socially responsible way. Basically, these women are clever and can kick ass just as good as James Bond could. In a way, this film is a sign of progress for the expansion of what a women can do on the big screen, and how she doesn’t need to be James Bond in order to be significant.

Why bring up Bond again? Well, some of my friends from the James Bond class Miss Bond just as much as I do. Also, watching this film, I did observe distinct themes that the Bond franchise created.

For instance, Lupita Nyong’o is a MI6 agent. Not only that, but her knowledge base is very similar to Q’s. Also, if you watch a film where a Bond girl is fighting, she is always in heels and a dress. That is definitely a common fight practice in this film. One specific theme displayed in the film is the idea that a spy can never love because it will always lead to death or betrayal. If those weren’t enough, they literally talk about James Bond in the film at one point.

All that being said, I enjoyed this film more than I thought I would. The acting was great, the friendship chemistry developed at a normal rate amongst the women, and the story was interesting. There was a good balance between action, dialogue, and interesting scenery. The only thing I will say is that this is not a film I would want to watch on the big screen, and the reason is that watching it on there would make me nauseous. If you are someone like me who can get nauseous from too many twists and turns of the camera, then you will need to watch this at home where the motion of the camera won’t be noticeable on a smaller screen.

If you want to watch films about women and progress as a way of celebrating #womenshistorymonth, then I definitely recommend watching this.