No Time to Die (2021)

Preceeded by: Spectre (2015)

See our full list of James Bond films.
 

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
James Bond	Daniel Craig	½
Dr. Madeleine Swann	Léa Seydoux	½
Lyutsifer Safin	Rami Malek	½
Nomi	Lashana Lynch
Q	Ben Whishaw	½
Eve Moneypenny	Naomie Harris	-
Felix Leiter	Jeffrey Wright	½
Ernst Stavro Blofeld	Christoph Waltz	-
Gareth Mallory	Ralph Fiennes
Logan Ash	Billy Magnussen	-
Paloma	Ana de Armas	-
Valdo Obruchev	David Dencik
Mathilde	Lisa-Dorah Sonnet	-

Review

By 2021, all of James Bond's vices, except his bloodthirst, have become touchy subjects, something needing revision in a postmodern sociopolitical light. If there was any blood left to drain out of the 007 series, this definitely ought to do it. But granted, they do it with some intriguing, if not exactly fresh or playful writing. The filmmakers (the usual team plus new director Cary Jojo Fukunaga) are desperate for Bond to come off as a real, modern and sensitive human being – but only in an interpersonal and sociological context. For all other intents and purposes, he is larger than life and very, very sinister – like Liam Neeson in Taken, only without Neeson's wounded-dog-look. He gets the job done, then he gets the job done again, and it sometimes looks and feels as impressive and exhilarating as Bond can and was always meant to feel. But the filmmakers are always quick to bog him down and make us feel guilty for all the pleasures we have enjoyed with him in the past. And poor Daniel Craig, who quite possibly gives his most accomplished performance as James Bond here, is made to carry the sins of 26 previous outings and 6 other Bonds before him, and we all know how that goes, biblically speaking. It's a gimmick from which there is no sane escape. For all its overcooked flaws, at least No Time to Die tries something, to ruffle some feathers and hope for the best. It may not be entertaining, but at least it's not completely irrelevant.