![\"No](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/No-Time-to-Die-2-1024x683.jpg\")
There are certain givens with James Bond movies, like the signature score, complex opening credits sequence, moody original track by a popular artist, and a whole lot of guns and car chases. All that can be found here, and in higher quantities than ever before. The 2 hours and 43 minutes this film runs is the longest Bond movie on record, outpacing the previous holder of that honor, Spectre<\/i><\/b>, by a full fifteen minutes. While it is a large chunk of time to spend in a movie theater, the only venue in which to see this long-delayed blockbuster, it doesn\u2019t feel excessive or overstuffed, instead inviting audiences along for an intensive and immersive ride that could probably have even been longer and still proven enjoyable.<\/p>\n
This film is notable because it is Craig\u2019s last appearance as the veteran spy. He is officially the longest-running Bond, with a full fifteen years between his first outing in Casino Royale<\/i><\/b> and this entry. In a good way, little has changed since he first took on the role, and he still emotes a token swagger and effortlessness to his craft that makes him endearing and a joy to watch. Even when he\u2019s living off the grid and presumably not taking care of himself, he still boasts an almost ceramic body and an ability to spring back into action at a moment\u2019s notice when he spots a tail. This departure has been a long time coming, and while it\u2019s a fitting finale, it\u2019s not as if he\u2019s squeezed all he can out of the part. He honed the character in Quantum of Solace, Skyfall<\/i><\/b>, and Spectre<\/i><\/b>, and he\u2019s showing off his best work in this swan song effort.<\/p>\n Craig is in remarkably good company with a padded ensemble, one that includes returning faces and new players. Seydoux is terrific, demonstrating Madeleine\u2019s resilience and amplifying her compelling backstory, and her scenes with Craig are electric. Malek makes for a competent, scenery-chewing mastermind who is a true believer in his cause – and that he is the hero just as much as Bond. Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, and Wright are a blast to see back as Bond\u2019s work colleagues, and Lynch is a fantastic and witty addition, as is Billy Magnussen as an overager CIA operative. Best in show, despite a small role, is Craig\u2019s Knives Out<\/i><\/b> costar Ana de Armas, who is absolutely superb as Paloma, a contact sent to aid Bond who nervously advertises her three weeks of training before completely stealing all her screentime with a highly entertaining and action-packed turn.<\/p>\n Though the decimation of the world population is a key plot point and many innocent lives are lost, not to mention the questionable timing of showcasing a targeted pathogen that can spread even more easily and quickly than a real-life virus the world knows all too well now, this film works best because it\u2019s fun. There is a great deal of humor present in Bond\u2019s interactions with all the different people – friends and foes – in his life, and it helps to drive a relatively standard narrative that fits just fine in the overarching Bond framework. Contributions like those from director Cary Joji Fukunaga, co-screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and singer-songwriter Billie Eilish enhance a functional film that should delight and enthrall Bond fans, both delivering what they want to see and keeping them on the edge of their seats.<\/p>\n Grade: B+<\/b><\/p>\n![\"No](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/No-Time-to-Die-3-1024x683.jpg\")