She does have his eyes…
James Bond’s Aston Martin is once again on the roads. Though with elementary gadgets the machine is still very capable of refuting any badass. Tuxedo-clad Bond (Daniel Craig) driving it with a gorgeous lady beside him arrives at a gala party. “Two Vodka Martinis…shaken and not stirred”, he tells the bartender while the lady enhances her makeup.
‘No Time to Die’ the latest Bond film is supposed to be the one that bids farewell to Daniel Craig as James Bond. Craig brings a gripping performance in this movie. The storyline and the screenplay has supported him to a great extent to do it.
A mature and a retired 007 now having ‘license to love’ wants to raise a family. He has found the right match, a gorgeous lady with a little daughter. She is none other than the beautiful psychiatrist Madeleine (Lea Seydoux) whom he met in the previous Bond film ‘Spectre’.
Bond as usual is tough. However, he does not get distracted by saucy mademoiselles anymore. He is still fit as a fiddle and ready to show his six pack body in the beach or bedroom.
We saw many James Bonds over the decades serving her majesty’s secret service. Sean Connery who was Ian Fleming’s and Cubby Broccoli’s initial choice as 007 had been the top-of-the-mind Bond of old school cinemagoers. Connery actually painted a credible image as James Bond on the canvas. Among his successors, Roger Moore did a good job by inducing a different outlook to Bond. Daniel Craig having slightly similar looks to Sean Connery was however perceived by many as a grumpy James Bond.
Yet Bond filmmakers wanted to portray Craig as an old fashioned Bond who sticks to basics like Connery. ‘Skyfall’ is a good example and actually it paid dividends.
‘No Time to Die’ a sequel to the earlier Bond film ‘Spectre’ has a plot that revolves around biological weapons and sadistic individuals with twisted pasts. Bond as always is caught in the mess and he is supported by the newly appointed 007 named Nomi who happens to be a female.
Nomi once says, “I’m not just any old double-0…I’m 007. You thought they retired it” and Bond replies, “It’s just a number”.
Beautiful Moneypenny is still loyal to James and stands beside him but doesn’t seem to reckon the new female 007. While ‘M’ gives directives, ‘Q’ innovate gadgets and crunches data.
The movie has an epic outlook and an advanced presentation style than a typical Bond movie. The old Bond music track is often used with marvels of Aston Martin that reminds us of Sean Connery’s Bond movies in 1960s. Bond watching his girl bathing in a coral reef reminds us of Ursula Andres and Sean Connery in the first Bond film ‘Dr No’.
The main villain Lyutsifer is portrayed by Rami Malek of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ fame. He would remind someone of Jason in ‘Friday The 13th’ horror movie, wearing a kabuki mask in the opening scene. Another villain returning from ‘Spectre’ is Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). Malek does his part well but Waltz would have been a better villain for this Bond movie too. Waltz has proved his supremacy as an anti-hero in films such as ‘Inglorious Bastards’ and ‘Tarzan’.
‘No Time to Die’ has catchy dialogues as in other Bond films. After ridding a villain of his Bionic eye, James says to his girl, “He is Cyclops. We ran to each other and it was an eye opening experience”.
In another scene, Madeleine asks from Bond driving the Aston Martin, “Can we go faster?” and Bond replies, “We don’t need to go faster. We have all the time in the world.” (But did they find that time…?)
‘No Time to Die’ is a Bond film that rouse emotion. In the last scene, Madeleine sees missiles heading towards the lone ‘poison island’ where James is stranded. And for once she hints James that he is the father of her daughter Mathilde. On a smart phone she tells, “She does have your eyes…” and James says, “I know. You have made the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen. She is perfect! Because she came from you.”
Billie Eilish deserves three cheers for singing the theme song!
“Fool me once…fool me twice…
Are you death or Paradise…?
Now you’ll never see me cry…
There’s just no time to die…”