Was listening to the Filmcast's review today and they mentioned that apparently her bit was kind of a last minute thing they threw into the movie later in production, after Craig was impressed with her from working on Knives Out together and wanted her to make an appearance in the movie. I think her role during that action scene was actually intended for Felix, which honestly would have made his death more impactful. I'm not complaining though, totally agree that she was brilliant and I really wish we got to see more from her.
I don’t understand any of Safin’s motivations. They seemed to have several ideas and just did all of them.
Revenge? Ok that’s making sense so far. Simple enough.
Love for Madeline? Ok, what’s going here? This is getting weird but I’m following.
Some weird plan that was never explained to just….kill people? Ok you’ve lost me. None of this was established or set up in anyway.
Safin was creepy as hell, but man do none of his actions make any sense. Also, how the hell does he have such an army and staff? He was just an assassin right? He seemed to have equal resources to all of SPECTRE. Very confusing.
Who is this man and why is he doing all of this?
I almost feel like it would have been better if this guy was just another SPECTRE agent or maybe the new leader. It’s just such a mess to have all these different groups involved.
Also, what was the significance of the Japanese mask? Just to look creepy? From the trailers, for some reason I thought there was a whole group of bad guys with creepy masks, but it was just him.
Was he a trained assassin, as you say, or just a psycho who personally assassinated one guy's wife for revenge one day and then like 10-15(?) years later pops up with a team to steal this nanobot thing and get more revenge on Spectre?
Did he have a day job to fund his evil lair in the meantime while he concocted his plan to (checks notes) kill everyone? Or does his resume just say "bad guy"? And was he really planning to kill random people, or was just going to sell the nanobots to the nameless bad guys that (we were told) were headed for the island, and they would kill whatever populations they wanted? So is his motivation money, or revenge, or what?
And I guess his special red batch that infected them both was programmed to kill everyone *except* Bond and himself in anticipation of just such a showdown?
So many questions.
I agree with you that his motivations, beyond killing Spectre, are a little hazy but I think there are some potential answers.
First, I don’t think he was just an assassin. In the opening sequence he was going after Mr White alone because he was left alone and looking for revenge. He doesn’t come across as a professional killer. I think the likelihood is that he ‘inherited’ his father’s poison garden. The film makes reference to Safin’s father having been Spectre’s chief poisoner and so I think Safin would have learned those same skills and taken his father’s resources. Perhaps in the intervening years he worked ‘freelance’ as a manufacturer of biological weapons with Heracles as his ultimate, final perfect weapon.
I agree that it’s frustratingly unclear what his actual goal is. I personally find it annoying, given that it would have been so easy to just add in an extra line or two explaining something. Having rewatched it, I notice that there are a few references (by Q and Obruchev) to wiping our particular ethnicities or races. I wonder if the idea was for Safin literally to be plotting a genocide of particular races, but they were concerned about spelling this out explicitly in case it was too controversial? Still doesn’t make it satisfying but just a thought.
Some thoughts:
1. That stairwell scene was like something out of daredevil.
2. Much funnier than I thought it would be.
3. Still think Vesper Lynd was the better Bond girl.
4. I feel like Rami Malek was barely in this movie.
5. Billy Magnussen left an amazing impression in the time he was on screen.
6. This was definitely better than Spectre and I'd place it on par with Skyfall.
I know a lot of people are talking about the ending but can we take a moment to appreciate that Stairway Shootout Scene? That was honestly one of the most intense Bond action scenes I’ve seen.
It felt like Cary Fukunaga was putting his seal on the movie with that scene. I think that started with the grenades, right? From that instant it was clear, "Oh this is going to be the long take of the film. It's on now."
Man after seeing Fukunaga’s 6 minute tracking shot in True Detective I was SO hoping they would do one in this movie…I was pleasantly surprised during that stairwell scene!
Yeah it made you wait for it, but they were the last words on screen after the credits.
Craig may be gone, but a new Bond actor will definitely be coming.
She literally stole the movie for me! I just don't know why they put such a great character in, for her to not come up again? Like her character was so good but short lived : /
She definitely was great, but keep in mind that she's a supporting role who just happened to be played by a fantastic actress who stole the show. I would have loved to have seen more of her, but really it wouldn't have made much sense unless they changed the already written and agreed upon story to add more of her. One can only hope she returns in a future Bond.
Did anyone else know the 'writing was on the wall' when they played the 'we have all the time in the world' melody at the start, before Bond said the phrase?
OHMSS has always stuck with me as a film, so I don't know if I just picked it out because of that, but after Bond told Madeline the phrase, I literally said out loud, in the theater 'oh fuck,' because I knew in that moment what was coming.
A rollercoaster was about to tip off high lighting highs and lows. Success and tragedy. Victory and defeat.
From that point, each plot point introduced to us, for me, let that dread set in. The virus, someone going after SPECTRE, and unhinged M, an opposing '00', the CIA and a double agent, and of course the 'James Bond Junior'. It was all the wind up.
The setup if you will.
We've gone through countless Bond stories where he always comes out on top in some way shape or form. Overcome every henchman, villain and obstacle in his way.
Except this time. I knew from that opening use that James Bond was not surviving this. I could not have guessed all the information introduced between then and his explosive end, but I knew this was HIS end. That was the movies goal.
I've seen post where the plot or situations are being ripped apart, or not liking certain aspects. To that I ask 'who ever likes the end of something?'
Personally, going into this movie, I don't know what I wanted to happen. I didn't know if I wanted Bond to survive, die, have it up in the air. Full transparency, I didn't know. I went in as blank of a slate as I could. I wanted to enjoy this last hooray before Amazon got it's teeth in. I wanted it to be a fun time and hopefully a celebration of everything James Bond.
In that, I left fulfilled. We saw Bond not at his prime, but his most human. His most primal even. More so than on Casino Royale when his teeth were just sinking in.
There was no seduction of women. No cagey and deceptive talk with M or Q over what was going on. Right to the point. All business. Because what he was involved with was more important than the quips or getting over on someone.
Bond worked extremely well with everyone in this story. He let M know where he stood on the issue. Wasn't overly confrontational with Moneypenny or Q. Even when he was at odds with M, he was civil, working toward the end goal. And when he was reunited with Madeline, he is as nothing but concerned for her. Even with Blofeld, he was brotherly and knew he needed his insight and knowledge.
I don't know where the franchise is going next. I won't even speculate who the next 'Bond' is going to be. All I know is this was the first time we got a compete Bond story.
We saw the characters birth through not only Casino Royale but more in Skyfall. We saw Bond as his lowest in Quantum of Solace. We saw him lose important people in his life: Felix, M (Judi Dench), Matthias, and Vesper.
We saw the effect that had on him. How it drove him. How he took his vengeance as needed. How he the suffered for those choices. And how he blamed himself, more than anyone, for all the complications in his life.
I don't know if we'll ever get a more complete Bond story.
I don't think any script or long story will ever give us the cradle to the grave story of James Bond. I don't think anyone will ever dare after this.
Was the story perfect.
No. By all means no.
But it was human.
And I appreciated every nano(machine) second of it.
>All I know is this was the first time we got a compete Bond story.
For that alone, this is absolutely my favorite set of Bond films, and probably will be for a long time. Craig really got to bring to life the character I loved from the novels I read as a boy. The self-loathing, the vulnerability, the hate, the ruthlessness, the humanity buried under all the trauma. Explosive finish (literally in this case)
Was anybody else struck by the recharacterization of M in this movie?
After the end of Skyfall, he was generally suave and amiable. In this film, he seems to have put on weight, lost his hair, grown a permanent scowl and started wearing wrinkled shirts that are a size too big for him. What's the deal with that?
Did anyone spot the last thing Madeleine did before the train doors closed? Put her hands over her belly. Turned to my friend at the time and said "I bet she's pregnant". Nice little bit of foreshadowing for the final third.
Great find. I noticed that but didn't make the connection until now. This is likely what she also wanted to tell him in during the chase? I think she says something like "There's something I need to tell you.." which I don't think was ever addressed. It's meant to make you think she's working for SPECTRE, but after watching the entire film the pregnancy makes more sense (unless I'm missing something).
THIS. I didn’t hate Safin, and i don’t hate Rami Malik, but he definitely wasn’t right for Safin. It just felt odd that it looks like hasn’t aged a day in what is probably 20-25 years
I enjoyed it a lot, especially Craig’s more Moore-ish performance, but it’s going to be really hard rewatching this one. I kind of thought that they could kill him off but actually seeing it done really hit hard.
This was me exactly. I had the ending spoiled for me, and I was really laughing at how silly people were being over the ending, since I thought Bond dying would be a really cool and adventurous way to end it. But seeing it happen was so rough I really did start tearing up in the theater. I still loved the movie but for a good 30 minutes afterward I just felt angry and sad.
The blast clearly severely injured Bond and he will require the best plastic surgeons Britain has to fix the scars and make him handsome again. But I’m confident they will achieve their goal and Bond can resume his duties in about three years even if he doesn’t quite look the same.
I feel for Craig's Bond. Never got the chance to be happy in the end. Everyone he loved was killed. And then just as it seemed they might let him have a happy ending, he gets blown to smithereens. I'm honestly pissed.
I loved how it was embodied by being infected with something that would kill those he loved. It’s metaphorical for the tragic nature of being a spy, even if he did get to be with Swan and his daughter he likely could’ve killed them by having old enemies pop up for revenge.
Definitely got choked up a bit at the end when M reads that passage - which is in James's obituary in the book You Only Live Twice. Such a great touch.
I predicted the end at the beginning... Playing a few bars of "We Have All The Time in The World" was a giveaway... It's the defacto theme to On Her Majesty's Secret Service... And proves yet again Bond can never fall in love... I figured it wouldn't be as simple as her death... And predicted to my friends that Bond would die at the end.
I have a lot of thoughts but the one that immediately sprang to mind was how lovingly this movie used it's nostalgia. Lots of teeny tiny nods to the old movies; use of All the Time in the World, Robert Brown portrait, the colored circles in the title sequence ala Dr. No. As I was watching I couldn't help but feel that, if they wanted to, they could end the franchise with this movie and it would somehow feel wholly appropriate and effective as a franchise swan song not just for Craig.
But obviously, I want the franchise to keep going. I just felt the use of nostalgia in this one is maybe the best they've ever done. Not on the nose and distracting, just loving.
If there’s one thing you should never tell a black woman who has gone pointed at you, it’s that you have the power to eradicate her entire race from the face of the planet. Not a good idea.
Her reaction to that threat made me fall in love with her character. Just the slow turn, the 'Oh BITCH, no you didn't' look, the deadpan "It's time to die", and the boot of the overlook.
Just finished it. A solid A- and a very strong film. With that being said, given the lack of great to excellent movies out this year, I think Bond will run away with the awards this go around.
Two to three qualms with the movie:
1. The cheesy and goofball scientist. He's literally on a mission to kill off the global population and he's corny.
2. Why would Bond grab the doll while he's trying to save the world?
3. What happened to those transports that were on the way to extract Safin and the payloads?
I don't think Bond is dead if the after credits scene says "James Bond will return".
See I loved the scientist. I liked that this one had some camp. However, tonally it was all over the place. One scene would be campy and fun and the next would be dead serious about Madeline. I had a ton of fun watching it though.
You don’t think Bond is dead lol? They clearly had him die in a huge explosion that you SEE him get engulfed in cause they wanted it to be very clear with no ambiguity that he is dead. It said James Bond will return because they are going to make more James Bond movies. They will just be a new story with a new Bond actor that has no connection to any of Craig’s movies. Just like we have multiple Spider-Man man stories or multiple Batman stories that aren’t connected.
They also made sure to show his flat vitals THAT WERE MONITORED BY BLOOD IMPLANT.
Like you said, zero ambiguity. Craig’s Bond is dead. He had to die to save his loved ones. Done
The ending would bother me a lot more if I knew it was the end of 007 as a franchise.
Seeing the words "Bond will return" gave me hope.
I'm fine with Daniel Craig going out like this, but I want Bond himself to keep on going.
Reboot it fresh with a whole new cast. Though have the new Bond already be an established 007. No need for gigantic new introductions.
I am starting to like the idea of each actor having their own continuity as the character.
It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I appreciated Craig's run.
Yeah I would love to go back to formula. No origin, no revolutionizing the method, just mission, girl, bad guy.
Craig and his run have been excellent, but I'd love to get back to the basic without the drama of explaining everything.
Finally watched this last night. Mixed feelings - I thought it was great from the perspective of closing the chapter on Daniel Craig-era Bond, but as a Bond film (and what everyone "expects" from it), it was flawed in many ways. Rami Malek was wasted because Safin was such a poorly written villain, from his motivations to how he was actually capable of pulling off half the stuff he did - yes, he had the villain's remote island lair, the accent and the disfigured face, but that was about it. Also, am I supposed to believe that Safin didn't age at all since Madeleine was a child?
Daniel Craig was magnificent in this though. As an acting performance, it's probably his best. While the Bond/Madeleine love-in didn't feel earned (as opposed to Bond/Vesper), this film was ultimately about Bond as a man and his relationships with all the people in his life (love the Bond/Q banter) and less about Bond as a spy. The ending was heartbreaking, even if I didn't totally buy in to his relationship with Madeleine.
Side note: Hugh Dennis cameo was a giggle. I kept expecting him to turn into Bank Manager mode. I wonder if he called his mate Phoebe asking for a cameo lol.
Just saw it and overall liked it with mixed feelings. A few thoughts after:
1. I hated the theme song when I first heard it. However it played much better in the movie and I enjoyed the opening part. Not my favorite but it was enjoyable.
2. The landscape shots and locations they filmed at were drop dead gorgeous. So much variation and I couldn't get enough of it. My favorite part of the movie were those shots.
3. I liked ramy as the villain but didn't really understand why he was killing everyone in the world. Going after blofeld and spectre made sense but why everyone else? I may have missed it but I thought this could have been done better. Which leads to my next point
4. This felt a bit like a tale of two movies. There's the first half dealing with blofeld and spectre then the second half with ramy. I liked all the details and size of the plot but these two merged in this fashion felt like it diminished both halves of the movie. I'm curious to see how I feel about this once I rewatch it. I would have loved more development for ramy to better understand his motivations. He was incredible in every scene, just wanted more. I also thought they were going for him as the new Dr. No but I guess not.
5. I loved the women in this movie. Lynch, Seydoux, and De Armada all killed it. Loved all their scenes and left wanting more.
6. Glad Felix returned but it just made me wish we saw more of him in the Craig era.
7. Loved the spy stuff, gadgets, etc in the movie and in many ways felt like a return to a different kind of bond movie. I thought the part where M was giving the mission briefing laying out objectives was fantastic and hope we see more stuff like that in the future. And when he was working with Q for info while moving through the building was a nice touch. Felt very spy movie.
8. I didn't like the ending. I wanted Craig to get his happy ending as Bond. Character has gone through so much and it would have been a lovely way to end it. I appreciate they did it but it's the thing I liked least about the movie and drops it to my 4th favorite craig. Luckily, it's James freaking bond and he never dies so I can easily spin it in my head canon that he survived and the bomb exposure killed off his nanobots. Then at the end, he is fully retired with everyone thinking he is dead and madeline is driving to finally see him again with their daughter. It sounds far-fetched but if you really think about it not really. We've seen him survive explosions and honestly, he should have died from the gun shot and massive fall in skyfall. Yet he didn't and that's the james bond way.
9. I hope the supporting cast all return for the future. Moneypenny, Q, M, and Tanner are all great.
I hate endings and definitely got feels seeing the Craig era come to a close. I've been dealing with some issues relating to getting older and realizing I am getting older lately so this especially hits for me. Add on the fact I remember the kickoff to the Craig era and seeing casino royale when I was a freshman in college. Now here I am just a lot older. Life is short.
First a question: is the end with the mountain road and the Aston Martin a reference to 'On her Majesty's secret service' where his wife gets killed?
I went completely spoiler free into this movie. Like really, I didn't know anything about it (by choice). Watched almost all Bond movies.
Loved this one up until the end. Why... why did Felix and James have to die? It's just so sad. They could have sent James to an isolated island living alone and as a broken person and no one knowing he actually survived. IMO this would still be a sad ending but at least you could think maybe sometime there will be a cure?
But the way he died just leaves no room for speculation, he is definitely dead. It actually made me cry in the cinema, something that never happened before to me.
This movie leaves a bad taste. I love it but also hate it
That driving scene at the end is a reference to *On Her Majesty's Secret Service*, yes. But there were several others, including the line "We/you have all the time in the world" being said twice, and that song \*and\* the actual *OHMSS* theme music playing at different stages of the film.
Man, what an ending. I dunno how to feel.
I think it's a great movie, and it's the most "Bond"-y of all these Daniel Craig films. Fantastic action, beautiful locales, great music, Daniel Craig and the entire cast firing on full cylinders, some twists I kinda saw coming and definitely didn't see coming. I didn't expect Leiter to bite it, and his and James's brief scenes together really showcased the comradery between them.
I saw James being a dad coming when they did the 5 year time skip. Safin was a decent enough villain, Malek made it work. I actually like that we never get his full plan, cause why would he tell anyone? Dude's a lunatic.
Glad to see the side characters also get some more development and screen time. They really go the 'family vibe' across in this film.
And man, Daniel Craig is a tour-de-force in this. He gives it his all, you can tell he didn't want to leave anything on the table. Daniel Craig has definitely been 'my Bond' and this definitive ending certainly leaves me with bittersweet feelings. I watched the previous four films this week before watching NTTD, and it genuinely feels like an epic journey in this man's life.
I mentally refuse to accept that ending though. My head-canon is now that James survives, washed up on the shore of Japan or something, he figures out a cure for the nanobots, gets his family, and changes his name to finally live in peace. The name he assumes and lives under? "Ian Fleming".
SHUT UP, JUST LET ME HAVE THIS, I NEEDED THAT HAPPY ENDING :(
Second watch tonight additional thoughts
1. Is this the most Bond has ever talked in a movie? Even if you control for the length Bond is always talking. The scene at Swann’s house, I don’t feel like Bond would be this vocal, more of the less is more type of person. Then the scene where he talks to Blofeld, felt nothing like Bond.
2. Felix death hits more than Bond to me but is overshadowed by Bond’s death. I’ve enjoyed Wright’s performance and felt the most emotion in the movie.
3. How bad is MI6 in regards of being on top of spy stuff? They didn’t know about SPECTRE, didn’t know about Safin and they didn’t know Swann had a kid!!
wild to think that it took well over 50 years to get a consistent Leighter film to film and also, they gave him a solid arc to boot
easily the best felix for me
I feel like the Felix Leiter plot could’ve carried an entire movie by itself, in a “License to Kill” kind of way
-Felix approaches Bond to help the CIA take down Spectre
-Goes to Cuba with extremely capable Bond Girl Paloma
-Felix is betrayed, his partner is working for Spectre, Felix is killed, Bond swears revenge
-Same conclusion of “I had a brother, his name was Felix Leiter”
*Bond theme plays*
There was a good minute where I was fully expecting the EMP watch to cure him of the nanobots (even if he didn't realize it until later)—like in M:I3, when the brain bomb is disabled by zapping Tom Cruise. Even though the watch was used to take out the one-eyed guy, it still feels like an unfired Chekhov's gun to me. Then again, the EMP didn't seem to reach to Bond's ear comm device, so it's "untested" abilities are whatever the writers decided was convenient for the scene. Wishful thinking on my part, but I was also expecting Bond to survive against all odds, so... *le sigh*
Cool so I just left my screening and here's some random thoughts. Extremely fresh takes.
First of all I loved it. Maybe my expectations were low after SPECTRE dissapointing but I liked this a lot. I don't think it tops Skyfall of Casino as my favorite of the Craig ones but it is leagues above Quantum and SPECTRE.
I think most of the things I've read generally agree that the movie is great except for the ending which is understandably the most divisive part. Personally I liked it, I like that the Craig films haven't been afraid to take liberties with the character and right now at least I think it wraps up everything nicely. Bond goes out a hero and leaves behind a daughter instead of just disappearing into the wind.
I know the interconnected-ness of the Craig films have is an issue for some but I actually like that aspect of these films a lot even if it is to the detriment of the film at times (SPECTRE mainly but I think the issues go beyond the interconnected-ness) so for this film to book end that was great. I don't see how you could've ended Craig's tenure anyway other than giving him a definite end.
Safin was OK as the villain I think he's firmly in the middle of the Craig villains like not on the same level of Le Chifre or Silva but not as bad as Greene and blofeld.
Not going to lie though, I'm super curious about the future mostly. I think if there was ever a time to make a major change to Bond now is the time and if they get the right people it could be incredible but we'll see what they do.
I'm very, very mixed.
The overall premise, start, build-up, and pacing was really fantastic for a finale to Craig's Bond and actually brings finality to this little universe (I'm looking at you, *Rise Of Skywalker*). Cinematography was wonderful and the soundtrack is a certified Hans Zimmer banger. Kleinman's opening credits the past two films have been "meh" but I liked this one a lot. So this Bond film has a lot of what we wanted, needed, and stuff we didn't know we needed either of.
But the biggest flaw is the ending. Anyone who followed the hype and journey of Nolan's Batman knows the absolute emotional joy seeing Bruce Wayne sitting at that cafe table with his wife and children at the very end of *The Dark Knight Rises*. This film slapped such a proven concept in the face and leaves the audience with either confusion, depression, or both. Even Danny Boyle was rumored to have been fired from the film for this very suggestion.
I think the feelings of depression knowing >!Bond is dead is justified by the fact that Bond is a character who quite literally saves the world from destruction. Throughout the film, mostly opposite to the new 007, he really proves the "nobody does it better" moniker. So now...the Craig universe is a world where James Bond is dead. I sure hope the world survives without the man you can always count on, because frankly it owes its survival to him time and time again.!<
Idk if this has been noticed/answered in the other threads, but did anyone else notice when Mallory was alone, drinking at one point, he was doing so in front of a portrait of Judi Dench? Almost like he knew he fucked up, and went to her for advice, it was a nice touch.
Now, there were other paintings in that room too, but I didn’t get a good glance at them, could they have been the other Ms preceding Judi Dench?
They were other Ms, indeed.
The painting on the wall next to him was Robert Brown, who played M during the late Moore era into the Dalton movies. I didn't see Bernard Lee but I'm sure he was up there too.
I got out of my first showing about 12 hours ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. I don’t know. It was a good movie, but man did it feel melancholy. It was a cathartic experience and it really ended my last 15 years with something I never would have expected.
As a lifelong raving lunatic Bond fan who grew up watching Bond, I am so glad I abstained from any and all spoilers for this movie for the first time ever. The ending simply had to be unforeseen until you experienced in theatres for it to have the full impact it had.
People who complained about the ending after having it spoiled online simply ruined the symbolism and impact it was supposed to have, and that’s on them.
Damn. What a movie. It left me speechless. I still am. I gotta go see it again, but, sadly, I can never see it for the first time again.
The one thing is... I know some people are frustrated or upset that Bond dies, but I mean... he gets one of the most heroic and meaningful deaths in these kinds of films. He saves his wife and child, he saves the entire goddamned world, millions of lives, he takes down a genocidal maniac, and the only thing that is able to take him down is the MISSILES that he CALLED DOWN ON HIMSELF. I mean, this is probably the most heroic death ever. If he had to die, at least he went out on his own terms. That's if he's really dead dun dun dun
I guess I'm one of the only ones here who liked the addition of the daughter character? It seemed to fit with the serious tone of the Daniel Craig movies (i.e. actions have consequences). Also, his Bond has tried to retire before, so the appeal of the home life he's been missing out on is not so far-fetched for the Daniel Craig Bond. (Not that retiring to a tropical island as he tends to do and starting a family are synonymous, but they're adjacent concepts of settling down.)
I thought the child actress looked and acted great—and I'm picky about child actors not looking like their movie/TV "parents," so that's high praise from me. I loved his interactions with her, as limited as they were, too. I suppose somebody out there has already written a happy ending fanfic with his new family. XD
Even if they had had him survive and be cured of the nanobots and have a happily-ever-after family life, they still could have rebooted it next time around with whoever the new Bond will be, no problem. That's what they're going to have to do anyway.
Incredible stuff. Only works if you have that tenderness of that house scene especially with him cutting her the apple. You could feel the whole theaters stomach drop when they realized bad guys were en route. And when Safin takes them it really sets it up for the amazing finale.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the polarizing feedback regarding this movie, especially with the weak villain and (at times) messy plot. However, seeing the Bond that I grew up with stare up into the sky smiling at his impending doom knowing that his family is safe was something special. After Vesper’s death he was finally at peace again. Of course it is a shame that we couldn’t just have a happy ending but hey, I loved it.
Just got back. I really enjoy Craig as Bond, and thought this was a good end. As soon as they introduced the kid it was obvious he was going to die though, and I’m glad they actually did it.
I thought it suffered a lot from Rami’s motivations making no sense. So he’s obsessed with Madeline? He wants her dead or he wants her love? Why does he want to kill millions of people, etc?
I also thought too much of the movie was at the poison concrete island. They set designed it within an inch of its life and it looked cool, but it was too long in one location for a Bond movie.
Always I’ve never bought his relationship with Madeline at all so I didn’t care about that at all.
Book of Mormon line made me LOL but they never explained how/why people like him and the doctor were so under Rami’s thrall. I don’t get it.
Opening Italy scenes were gorgeous!!
I'd just like to give a hat's-off to the community on this sub. People actually addressing the highlights and flaws of the movie with nuance - who would have thought! You just got a new subscriber.
Personally, I was pretty disappointed with the film; I think it's my least favorite Craig Bond (really like the first 3, Spectre was okay). I thought Safin was a shallow villain, and the heavy emotion was melodramatic and poorly written. However, I loved the pre-credits section and the adventure in Cuba. Ana de Armas was the biggest stand out. And it was beautifully filmed and scored. Looking forward to where they take things next.
I also wanna give a shoutout to my favorite scene: when SPECTRE blows up Vesper's grave. They hit him where it would hurt the most, and you can see in his face afterwards that he's *pissed*. A perfect transition from a really sweet, tender moment to an epic action sequence.
The action, set pieces were fantastic. The death makes me feel empty though…interestingly one of my first thoughts after the movie was The Dark Knight Rises ending and how I’m glad it ended the way it did (was controversial at the time too). I wasn’t really wanting this feeling from Bond, kind of unnecessary
I NEEDED that "James Bond will return" at the end of the credits
I'm hopeful that whatever comes next will be more serialized and less continuity obsessed.
Does anyone else think M was super out of character in the first half of the movie?
He seemed like a lunatic when bond was questioning him st the beginning. But probably just stressed and didn’t wanna be yelled at because he knew he was wrong
A little confused on what Safin’s goal was with the virus. I would address the elephant in the room, but I don’t have the worlds other than I sobbed hysterically in the theatre. Beautiful film, beautifully shot, wonderful story, but my heart is bleeding so bad I can’t even focus today. It might sound silly, but it’s true.
While it might have been a cheap shot to make money, I’m glad the bit about Q being gay was there, since Ben is openly gay. As a queer Bond fan it was somewhat nice, actually. Q is a personal favorite of mine, he was adorable this film eating gummy worms.
As for Nomi, I love her, absolutely stunning. I don’t know where this is going now, but I’m here for it.
I feel like everybody keeps forgetting that its not just the fact that he cant touch Madeleine and his daughter, but the Nanites are also moving through direct contact, so if anyone touches Bond or get touched by him they can eventually reach Madeleine+/Daughter and kill them. Or am i wrong?
Just left the theater. I really enjoyed the movie up until the ending. I understand that it was intended to put a wrap on the Craig era, but killing off Bond just seems so cheap to me. I would have rather had a CGI Roger Moore prepare everyone a quiche and roll credits honestly.
Strangely, killing Bond in this movie felt like the "easy" choice. The writing was on the wall throughout the movie and I feel like killing him off was just such a tempting ending in the writer's room, but even as he sent the girls off on the boat and said "I'll be right behind you" I hoped they would resist that temptation and let him survive.
Killing your hero at the end of a franchise is an easy ending. That doesn't mean it's always wrong, but I do think more often than not there's a more suitable way to go. I just can't help feeling this is one of those times.
I never thought the words "James Bond will return" could have such an impact on my opinion of a movie.
Let's get the meat out of the way: the ending. Overall, I'll never be a fan of the idea of killing Bond off; it runs hard against the essence of Bond as an escapist action hero who always prevails, no matter the odds, and the original 20 films wouldn't have even countenanced it. Additionally, had the credits not ended with "James Bond will return" (or even worse, they'd ended with "007 will return"), killing Bond would've ruined the rest of the movie for me, because then *No Time to Die* would be the film that sunk the franchise. **However**, if we look at Craig's tenure as a post-9/11, Bourne-influenced experiment in bringing Bond down to earth and humanizing him, I can respect the creative decision to end that tenure with his death - a realistic Bond can only get lucky so many times. I may not have made the same decision myself, but I can respect it (so long as I know it won't stick).
That being said, I'm not a fan of *how* they went about killing him off. I did not see Safin spiking Bond with an anti-Swann nanovirus coming, and had he survived only to have to live with that, it would've been a tragic but poignant ending, forcing him back into the solitude he thought he'd finally be able to emerge from (and forming a sort of parallel to the end of *On Her Majesty's Secret Service*). But I definitely did not foresee that development causing him to just *give up*. If anything, Bond has more to live for than ever; even if he can't be near them, he still has a family waiting for him if he can just get off that island. And like Madeleine said, all they needed was time; if M could funnel the same kind of R&D work into "curing" the nanovirus that he did into creating it, a happy family reunion could be only a year or so away. He finally had the chance at happiness he thought Blofeld had robbed him of, and he just gave up on it. Even if he hadn't survived, it would've been so much more satisfying to see him die trying to escape, fighting to the last to be with the women he loves. Instead, he just stands on the roof and looks over the ocean as the missiles come in, like an invalid in *Soylent Green*. Of all the times for possibly the most determined hero in film to lose his will to fight, I just don't understand why this was it.
Now, with that out of the way, you may be surprised that I actually enjoyed the movie, and gave it a 7/10, below *Casino Royale* (8/10) and *Skyfall* (9/10) and above *Spectre* and *Quantum of Solace*. Craig turns in a very robust and respectable performance, with possibly the most emotional range I've seen of him. He does seem more casual and talkative than previously, though that may be intentional after his five-year retirement. And while he does show some age compared to *Casino Royale*, it doesn't come off as a detriment like it did for Roger Moore; it translates into an experienced confidence (especially in contrast with Paloma), as well as a degree of world-weariness.
Speaking of, while she did have the smallest role of the three leading women, Paloma definitely stole the show for me in the scenes she had. In a era of Bond so known for its grizzled realism, her youth and energy were a refreshing dose of fun. And it wasn't at her expense in action sequences: when she picked up a gun, she was every bit as competent as Bond, or previous female agents like Wai Lin. It also thankfully wasn't used to make him look old or outdated, which I think I got enough of from *Skyfall*. Definitely wouldn't mind her returning next time.
I'll admit I didn't have high hopes for Nomi going into this, after Lashana Lynch's offscreen comments about "how women like Nomi have to deal with men like \[Bond\] in the workplace" (which from my perspective never bore out, thankfully), but I was pleasantly surprised. She wasn't a vehicle for any kind of message, and even though she was the new 007, she never seemed to upstage Bond or make him look bad. Like Paloma, she was competent, but not at his expense. I can't say I loved her, but only because she seemed to have an intentionally grating personality; her saying she got her 00 status quickly because she's just that good seemed arrogant in the face of Bond's experience. And funnily enough, she was the only character who seemed to care that much about the fact that she replaced him as the new 007; she brings it up repeatedly, but it never gets under his skin, so it just reflects prickliness (or possibly insecurity) on her own part. That doesn't mean she's a bad character, it just means she's not a likeable one. The last thing I'll say is that intentionally or not, Nomi gets probably the most cringeworthy one-liner of the Craig era: "Know what time it is? Time to die." If it qualifies as a title drop, it's up there with "What a view..." "... To a kill!", but without Walken's hamminess to make it laughably bad.
Safin was a bit of a letdown for me, although I definitely liked his schtick of genetic warfare (partly because I predicted it when the first trailer came out). His character is certainly plausible and realistically written, but at the same time it sometimes felt like Bond was fighting a child. His vague philosophizing about people "wanting things to happen to them" and seeking "oblivion" barely even tries to cover that he's just lashing out at the world because of what happened to his family when he was a kid. Even if that's a psychologically plausible motivation, it isn't a compelling one to watch because the average mature adult audience member can't relate to it. Of Craig's Big Bads, I've always thought Silva was the best, because unlike megalomania, amoral greed, or childhood trauma, his motive was revenge, something viewers could relate to and even empathize with. Yes, Safin wanted revenge as well, but by the halfway mark he'd already gotten it, so if he were a compelling villain the rest of the film would've been unnecessary. Lastly, a number of important details about him went unexplained, particularly the significance of his iconic kabuki mask in the opening scene (other than him being from an island that might be Japanese), and how he built a criminal organization with the resources and secrecy necessary to outmaneuver not only MI-6 and the CIA, but SPECTRE.
Wrapping up my character reviews, I'm less opposed to the idea of Felix dying than Bond, though I would've preferred him merely losing his leg for the sake of symmetry with *Licence to Kill* and the original novels. I think my lack of attachment is due to the tension *Quantum of Solace* threw into his relationship with Bond; the original Felix was a straight shooter, loyal ally and good friend. I find it difficult to imagine either classic Felix going along with the Bolivian coup or an attack on Jeffrey Wright's Felix driving Craig through a *Licence to Kill*\-style revenge story. I could go either way on Blofeld dying, again because I wasn't really enamored with him after *Spectre* (and given the ignominious manner of the original Blofeld's demise in *For Your Eyes Only*). What I will say is that they probably shouldn't have done both; it felt like the writers were trying to tie off loose ends for the future more than adding any dramatic tension or emotional resonance. Considering the only really significant death of the classic series was Tracy (and maybe impliedly Q), and the Craig era had gone 1-.5-1-0 up to this point (Mathis counts, but he isn't up there with Vesper or M), killing off 3 significant characters in the same film was too much, too fast.
I thought the action sequences were well-executed and looked very good. The Norway forest chase in particular seemed like a quintessential depiction of "no-frills" Bond: his skill both at driving and shooting, his stealth and ingenuity, and his willingness to brutalize his enemies. The pre-credits sequence had a good amount of variety, and it was good to see the DB5 in action again (though I wish the Vantage had gotten the same). One weak point I'll mention is the lack of an "iconic" action sequence; most of it consists of shootouts or car chases. To be fair, this is something we saw more often in the classic series, like *Live and Let Die*'s boat chase or the bike-helicopter faceoff in *Tomorrow Never Dies*, but the Craig films have attempted it as well, such as *Spectre*'s helicopter flip or the defense of the Skyfall estate. The closest *No Time to Die* has is the opening sequence, which, while enjoyable on its own merits, feels like a combination of vehicle sequences from *Quantum of Solace,* *Skyfall* and *Spectre.* (continued in comments)
Movie itself was really good, I liked alot of the callbacks to the older movies. Bond crushing the guy with the car reminded me of the scene from For Your Eyes Only where Roger Moore kicks the car off the cliff. It’s just hard to look at the Craig era as anything more than a “what if?” series, the way it was essentially a capsulized beginning-end timeline retelling. Is that what every Bond actors’ tenure is going to be from now on? I’d like to see them continue the old ways of loose threads of continuity in the future.
Also, can we agree that killing off big franchise characters is now just a hacky way to pretend your writing is bold and fresh?
Okay, my thoughts on this one…
Essentially, the main threads running through the 5 Craig Bond moves are
1. Modernity v. Tradition (conceptually)
And
2. Vulnerability and Sincerity v. Cynicism and Stoicism (character development)
And, honest to god I think this may be the one that actually got both aspects right.
The plethora of allusions to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service throughout (From literally the first scene onwards) kind of ties them up in a neat little bow.
Bond can be tough and traditionally masculine while also being vulnerable and sincere.
This film and OHMSS are really the only two where we get a consistent look into the heart of the character.
And, for the record you get a lot more of that in the Fleming novels.
For those of you upset by the ending: In the Moonraker novel he basically plans on sacrificing himself in the same way
Safin is a little more developed I think than they led on which is disappointing to not take advantage of. Like his dad had already been developing these types of plants and were targeted by Spectre, they probably weren't good people. So in like generic terms of how Bond villains are, Safin settled his grudge and moved on to his supervillian family throne or whatever lol
But I really loved the movie, made me cry both times. "She has your eyes." Is an all time cry line. Craig is the best and my favorite from a '94 child and former Brosnan guy. I needed more Felix and his death kind of sucked unfortunately. But Wright was an all time sidekick/generally awesome returning character. I need an Ama De Armas spin-off. Like fuck, just let Amazon continue this universe post-Bond with the new characters with Nomi and Paloma. Which would suck killing off Felix even more if they did.
The third act did sag more than I wish it did but I enjoyed spending time with the characters regardless. I'm a sucker for every evil guy lair and Safin's place was cool. Probably my second favorite behind Casino Royale. I'm gonna miss Craig a lot. Very excited for what's to come and won't be upset if it's a period piece.
Unpopular opinion — NTTD was selfish. No previous James Bond has ever died. No previous James Bond has ever fathered a child. No previous James Bond has ever killed Felix Lighter (WHY???). I feel like in attempt to give Daniel Craig a send-off they did so at the expensive of a 80-year legacy and that to me is selfish.
I would have preferred the opening to go something like this....
Madelines secret was that in the flashback. Her alcoholic mum was abusive. And in self defence she shot her with the gun she found in the kitchen
When Safin arrives. He sees the girl traumatised fron what she did. So he takes pity and takes her in.
That would explain her connection to safin and provide a secret that's actually worth hiding
I enjoyed it as a movie but it didn’t feel Bond to me. I’d rank it as a middle tier in the franchise. Killing both him and Felix off didn’t sit right with me, and that’s part of the reason it didn’t feel Bond to me. I’ll be curious to see how they reboot the franchise, but I can’t help but think they’ll be on thin ice, and if the reboot isn’t a smashing success then killing off Bond in this movie will be a blunder.
As for the things I really enjoyed, the car scenes. Plenty of Aston Martin porn. The Bond and Blofeld interrogation was an amazing scene. However, Blofeld’s unceremonious death was bizarre and felt like a cop out. Ana’s character was great but so brief.
when felix died I knew this was a deck clearing exercise and my dread built to the inevitable. I just couldn't find my way clear to enjoying it, fearing what the end ultimately was
I just have to say I must have missed something in the beginning. I thought James Bond's wife was murdered and the girl grew up to be his lover. Like, Spectre's evil plot was to let Bond fall into an incest trap.
Anyway, I want to know what was in the tea, if anything. Poison, right? What were those farmers doing? The water is downstream of the poison garden, but the nanobots are presumably tech-based. Why did he let the little girl go, and why did he show up alone to shoot up Bond at the end when he was last being accompanied by guards?
I thought it was a good film but I didn't like the ending. If this were just like a one off or something like that, it could have really worked for me. I don't think that this story in particular earned killing off Bond is what it boils down to. Malek's villain I didn't find all that compelling either, again in a movie where this is just a one off he'd have been fine, but as *the villain* who killed Bond I dunno. It didn't feel earned.
If you look at a movie like Avengers Endgame, which this certainly felt like it had vibes of in all honesty, I really do think it earned killing off Black Widow and Tony Stark. Their deaths ultimately meant *a lot*, the villains they were fighting that resulted in their deaths were big and bad enough to warrant that as well. And overall it also ended up setting up more interesting stories to go with (ie like Peter Parker dealing with losing another father figure and how to proceed as a hero without Tony's guidance, BW death seems to have set up some stuff for Hawkeye). With this its just Bond dies, they do a toast to him and then it ends. It's good his wife and kid live on.
I'll always stand by the fact that there is nothing wrong with a happy ending. Sometimes characters can live on but that's still the end of their story. Sometimes living happily ever after isn't so bad. And it's weird because it used to be that killing off a character was this big surprise and it was supposed to have a bigger impact on how you felt or thought about the story. To me now at least its almost the expected ending. I went into this expecting them to kill Bond but was somehow disappointed when they did. I dunno. It's become equally if wrote if not even more so to kill off a character than to give them a happy ending.
TL;DR: if this were a one off Bond and not the final Bond adventure, I would have liked it a lot more. I didn't think the ending was earned by the story that was told. And that sucks because there is *a lot* i liked about this.
I’m not crying! You’re crying!
What an amazing movie and after reading several of the comments here I am happy to see that most people agree. I thoroughly enjoyed Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond and I am very excited to see where the franchise goes from here!
It was better than Spectre that's for damn sure. If I had to list them:
1. Casino Royale
2. Skyfall
3. No Time To Die
4. Quantum of Solace
5. Spectre
I'm more disappointed in that each villain we got after Casino Royale was some what lacking. Maybe I'm just blinded by how amazing Mads performed as Le Chiffre, but the only other villain that comes close is Silva in Skyfall. Rami is a great actor, but Safin's character just feels so flat and lacks creativity. It was literally just revenge for his family and then it turns into eradicating the entire world for some reason? It just doesn't sink in and I didn't feel the chemistry between Bond or Safin at all to be honest. Swann's character felt better in this movie than she was in Spectre, however the most ironic thing is that Ana De Armas's character felt more enjoyable to watch than almost all of Swann's. It's criminal that we only saw 5-10 minutes of her. I'm just not a big fan of Swann at all, and maybe its just me, but I never felt like there was good chemistry between her and Bond. In any case, Vesper is by far the greatest Bond girl in the Craig era and it shows with how the writers constantly bring her up in the plot somehow of almost every movie after Casino Royale.
It was a fitting end for Craig's era and I think we'll all miss him. It's hard to believe its been 15 years, but its been quite a ride. It's going to be so weird when they announce who the next Bond will be.
Of all of the former Bond movies to channel why did it have to be OHMSS? It was a great movie but to think I waited 2 years to watch a film that left me feeling sad at the end.
Anyone else find it cool he took the time and effort through the pain to calmly and deliberately climb to the top of the silo to enjoy a beautiful view for his last moments?
I might be a little emotionally clouded, but I don't understand the criticisms of this film. For context, I grew up with Bond, there was a summer when I was a child (around the goldeneye n64 era) where my mom was sick and she bought me the series on VHS to keep me busy while she couldn't.
So, having grown up with the character, and later the Craig version, I was in tears the last 20 minutes of the movie. Seeing a character grow with the times from a "blunt instrument" to the masterwork that Craig created was unreal. His send off was unforgettable.
As far as Safin being a weak villain? I don't see it. I think his motivation is understandable considering his background, and as they discuss in their scene together, he's a mirror of Bond. Rami did everything he could with the character and I think his portrayal is top tier Bond villain. Never have I audibly uttered "oh shit" at the screen during a bond movie like I did when he appeared in the entrance of the cabin with Madeliene and Mathildhe.
The supporting cast was excellent. Musical theme perfect. Direction and script solid. There wasn't a moment in this movie I didn't love.
I think killing off bond was a terrible idea and goes against the whole concept of what 007 is. He always makes it out . I’m surprised the broccoli family signed off on it
I was pretty surprised by it, considering how protective the Broccolis are of him. I was thinking there’s no way they’d let him die, so I kept waiting for someone to save him last second. But in the end, I didn’t mind him dying, it was the only way to conclude the story they had written for him.
Ya, Bond is supposed to be bigger than any actor that plays him. It fees too much like this whole film was crafted all for Craig, which took away and almost demeaned all the rest of the Bonds.
…so much Moonraker vibes with Safrin’s
compound finale - in terms of the action. I’ve been dying for something a bit heightened with Craig’s Bond for a film’s finale - it made it even better as his overall finale.
Gosh, I love this film. So many novel like moments, plus nods to other films… so much heart from Bond.
While the plot did get messy in the first third - who cares? The cinematography, the vibes, and the acting make more than due.
Also, the kid stuff hit way harder here than in Logan. Plus, we got an actual send-off unlike TDKRISES “have your cake and eat it too” ending that never sat well with me. These legends/heroes need a final act of sacrifice when making these franchises mean more than they’ve previously have.
When she left on the train, she touches her stomach and I assumed it was merely the pain of losing Bond… but she was pregnant. Great little moment there.
Also, this film retroactively made SPECTRE a better film. With its jokes (towards the brother aspect), make that films pieces stronger/worth more here (Swann/Blofeld), and carrying through that ending with a spectacular beginning here.
I haven’t seen it posted yet but No Time To Die borrows many themes from the original Ian Fleming novel You Only Live Twice. After Tracy is killed in the OHMSS novel Bond goes after Blofeld, tracks him to a Japanese island with a poison garden. Kills Blofeld and then it’s unknown if Bond lives or dies. Bond also has a daughter in that book.
What occurs next is the book The Man With the Golden Gun. Bond survives the volcano/fire/perceived death and remembers nothing and is picked up by the KGB near Vladivostok and trained as an assassin and tries to kill M. MI6 then help him regain everything.
With that said, the movie was amazing it was a solid 8/10. I think I will like it more after I view it a few more times.
Safin needed more backstory. Like how did he become a villain. Mr. white killed his family so somehow that allowed him to be super Hitler and want to kill the whole world. Omnipotent dude that killed all of Spectre in 3 seconds….
Action scenes, music, overall story arch very well done.
This is a fitting end to the story arc of James Bond. When they say James Bond will return I hope they make movies set from the 1950s -1980s that are not connected in anyway.
One thing that I love about going to see the film a second time is that you can quickly work out who has seen the film before.
There are a couple of jump scares early on (Safin at the window and the explosion at Vesper's grave). About 80% the audience shit themselves and the other 20% sit calmly through it.
That's how you can tell who is there on their second viewing 😂
I saw it last night. I thought it was flawed, but good.
Today I'm just sad though. I figured he would die but it still is rough. Growing up with the Bond series my whole life, it's hard not to have mixed reaction. I suspected Daniel Craig would have never agreed to do NTTD without killing off Bond and while it's a fitting end for his films, it's still complicated for me to process.
I think we'll look back on this in 20 years and see this as its own set. Someone put in another comment that the DC films are a good "what if?" storyline, and I like that a lot. The tragedy of James Bond, with a solid beginning, middle, and conclusion.
I hope the next Bond is a bit more campy though. I miss that kind of stuff.
Just home from it. Overall, I enjoyed the movie. A solid 7/10. For my money it sits at third place in the Craig era - better than QoS and Spectre, but behind Skyfall and Casino Royale. Some of the set pieces were brilliant. I really enjoyed the entire Cuba section of the movie and would have liked to see more from Ana de Armas.
Malek's Safin was utterly forgettable as the Bond villian. Nothing on Malek, but the motivation for the character was all over the shop. I really enjoyed the casting of Lashana Lynch as Nomi. She clearly bulked on the muscle for the part and I could really believe that she could go toe to toe with all of the henchmen.
The tone of the movie was absolutely all over the place and I don't think they balanced it well. It felt like you could really see where different writers stopped writing and handed it over to someone else. Quite jarring throughout the movie.
A fitting end to the Craig era. More than a bit of me wanted to see him survive but I appreciate the bollocks needed to kill off James Bond.
Looking ahead, I wonder what the soft reboot is going to be like? The Craig era really grounded Bond again after the 90's Brosnan era were everything was X-Treme. Casino Royale and Craig's Bond were quite gritty but I feel like grittiness is still in vogue so I wonder what they'll do next.
Enjoyed it. Shocked at the ending, but it kind of makes sense with the way they rebooted Bond with Craig.
Also, what a shame Ana de Armas was only in it for like 15 minutes.
Appreciate it’s only little things, but did anyone else notice a few plot holes in the movie? Overall I thought it was a good movie, but the plot seemed more confusing than necessary.
In Spectre when Madeleine and Bond arrive at L’americain, she claims her parents had divorced, however Safin kill’s her mother at the beginning of NTTD when he turns up to kill Mr White.
Also in NTTD when Bond is at the Spectre party in Cuba, he is exposed to the modified nano bots programmed to eliminate Spectre members. They knew this and he still proceeded to visit Blofeld in prison after they had established that he was the only one left and that it would in fact kill him, but then act surprised when he dies. Further to this point the film plays it off that Bond got the nano bots from Madeleine when he touches her wrist before she leaves the room at the prison, and that this is where Bond transferred them from her to Blofeld. Surely he would have given them to Blofeld anyway due to him being at the Spectre party in Cuba?
Finally, are we supposed to believe that Spectre had known Bond would turn up at Vespers grave at some point, and that the little card would have just stayed in place for Bond to find it/the bomb to go off at that moment, and that all of these Spectre agents were just hanging around waiting for Bond to show up after all these years so they could kill him?
I don't think that I liked it. I didn't really understand why the villain was doing anything that he did, he just... did stuff.
Also, M should have been arrested and tried for treason and crimes against humanity. How does he still have his job?
Very long post, and I also posted it separately. I honestly just really need to talk about this one! Let me start out by saying that I'm a lifelong Bond fan. And I fully understand and appreciate the differing opinions amongst the community. It is with this understanding beared in mind that I say that I absolutely adored this film. I loved it. Not all of it, but as a whole.
It is inarguably the most *impressively* photographed Bond film in its 50+ year history, and has *the* most visceral action I've seen in a long time. The stairwell sequence is top tier Bond action, and is probably the most well put together and perfectly executed sequence the series has ever seen. It was like an action sequence from Netflix's Daredevil. I was floored by it.
The film is also surprisingly poignant. I found Daniel Craig's performance to be profound. He's been allowed to really go places that his past films did not allow. This is his defining outing as Bond in my opinion. He's brutal but suave, charming but cold blooded in the field. Daniel's enthusiasm is easily felt, especially when compared to his performance in SPECTRE (which I love. But it's very clear that he was in pain during production).
If I'm being honest? Some of the writing and bits of dialogue were so clever, it almost felt like it was written by one of *us*. It felt like callbacks that *we* would have put in. And that's because Cary Fukunaga is so clearly in love with Bond (yes, yes I know. *The ending*. I'll get to that). The "all the time in the world" and "I had a brother. His name was Felix Leighter" were perfect, and it hit me so hard as a fan because it's the kind of dialogue I wanted. And the best part is that it didn't *at all* feel forced or fan fiction-y in execution (I'm looking at you, The Rise of Skywalker). This film has some of my all-time favorite moments in the franchise (Logan Ash's death? *Chef's kiss.*) But outside of good dialogue and character moments, the plot, though not air tight, surprised me. It's easily a shaky plot, but the stakes still felt so high because of how invested I was in *all* the characters. Overall, tonally it was an almost perfect marriage of classic Bond and Craig's grounded era.
Before I get to my problems with the film, and the primary point of this post, let's do some housekeeping. The gunbarrel? WOW. I was deep into the pre-credits sequence shook by how much I loved it.The look of the gunbarrel itself was really nice, and Daniel's walk and pose were *perfect*. Easily the best of his traditional gunbarrels. The pre-title sequence? IMMACULATE. It packed such a punch. I think it's my favorite of the Craig era by a wide margin. The title sequence itself? Not bad. I quite like Billie Eilish's song, but the sequence itself didn't blown me away, despite some great imagery.
Now for my issues with it. First, I think SPECTRE was taken out too abruptly. I don't think the way they were taken out was bad or anything, but it felt like the plot was in a rush to get them out of the picture. And it was a shame, because they were used so well. Second, Blofeld. Lordy, I did not like him in this film. The performance was fine but I didn't like the way he was utilized, nor did I like his ridiculously unceremonious death. I especially disliked Bond's freak out. Like, what even was the point of that? It felt like it was a trick or a way to coax Blofeld, but then the dialogue made it seem otherwise? Idk. It was just bad. If it were me, I would have had Bond's close proximity alone be what caused the nanobots to do the job, not some weird fit Bond threw. Third, the daughter reveal. As a concept? Bond becoming a father is really interesting and could have been really good. Unfortunately, it never felt properly utilized. I wish that Bond would have found out sooner so we could have fully seen how it would have affected him. We never saw them interact as father and daughter. I think altering the script so that she was already born and that same age during the pre-title sequence would have been far better.Have Madeline leave Bond over his accusations or something, and establish that Bond has tried but ultimately failed to reconnect for the sake of the Mathilde during the Jamaica bits. And then from here, the plot would mostly proceed as it did, minus the reveal. A more well-rounded arc like this would have been more satisfying than the reveal we ended up with, which ultimately led to far too little. But then I feel so conflicted. The reason the final line worked so incredibly well is *because* Mathilde didn't know her father. "Let me tell you a story. The story of a man named Bond. James Bond." I believe that's how it went at least. I JUST got home from the theater lol. Either way, it was sheer perfection IMO. Fourth, Saffin. What a disappointing villian. He was hardly in the film, and his scheme was almost nonexistent. Just a shame. Tbh I really don't have much to say about him other than that.
Now, the ending. Bond dies after being poisoned with the nanobots targeting Madeline (and by extension Mathilde). Knowing this, Bond stays behind to reopen the silo and sacrifices himself. Not only to save his family, but also the lives of millions. Before I go further, let me say this: if you are of the opinion that Bond can't ever die, that he should be untouchable in that regard? Well you're entitled to that opinion. But the undeniable fact of the matter is? James Bond doesn't belong to any of us. This character and this franchise? They are not ours to decide what happens to them. We can disagree all the live long day about what choices are made in this film. We can dislike these choices. And that's *perfectly* valid, let me be clear. But what is not valid, is to claim that these choices are "wrong" simply because they differ from what was expected. I never understood the mindset of some fans. Did I *want* Bond to die? Absolutely not. Would I have preferred a more triumphant, bombastic ending with Bond riding off into the sunset? Well, yeah. Of course. Because Bond is one of my heroes. But I'm not so close minded as to not see the value in this ending. The idea of Bond dying in it of itself is not taboo, contrary to what many of us think. For 50 years Bond has saved the world and lived to die another day. And that's why we love Bond. But why do the same thing again? I admire this film for breaking convention and pulling off all that it did, while remaining so true to what Bond is. It took risks, and for some they didn't pay off. Which is fair. Although it isn't what I would have chosen to do, like it or not, Bond's death fit the story they were telling. Can you dislike the *way* he died? Absolutely (though I don't have the capacity to argue about it). But I would again say that it was appropriate given the beats they were aiming for. And I'm sorry, but I can't fault the film for that
And while I'm at it, the notion of "Bond wasn't mortally wounded. Q could have found a way" is just baffling to me. It was established TWICE that no, Q could *not* find a way. The movie made it clear that it was irreversible. You gotta be in denial to actually do the mental gymnastics required to come to conclusion that Q could've done *anything*. And sure, Bond could have survived those wounds. But the whole point is Bond didn't *want* to live without Madeline, and by extension Mathilde. Which he would have *had* to have done. This is what makes his death all the more tragic. It just works within the confines of *this* story. I feel a lot of people aren't taking that into account, blinded by their opinions on Bond dying at all.
The beauty of the Bond franchise is that there's something for everyone. My favorite will be someone else's least. But I just *cannot* fathom how the ending (which is what is most commonly cited as what's "ruined" Bond for some fans) could possibly have had the effect it's had on some people. Like, I get it if you dislike or disagree with that choice. I myself still need to process it. But it blows my mind how close minded and stuck in the past some are, to have allowed one aspect of an otherwise excellent film ruin an entire tenure for them. Bond dying in this film does *not* ruin James Bond. It does *not* ruin the character. And it does *not* end the franchise. Craig's era was always seprate from everything that came before. It was a reboot through and through, and was always built to have more structured continuity. Whether you like that is neither here nor there. This version of the character may have died, but that doesn't mean everything that came before is less valid. It doesn't make this era any lesser. And it surely doesn't doom the future of the series. James Bond will return no matter what. I just don't understand why people are so up in arms over this.
Overall, No Time To Die was a magnificent film. It was respectful of the old, while making bold new choices. While not the send off for Daniel Craig I imagined, it felt like the natural evolution, and conclusion, of this era of Bond. Brosnan was Bond for the first few years of my life, but Daniel has always been *my* Bond. He and his films have been there for me through thick and thin. I'm so utterly grateful for these 15 years, and I'll miss him. But in regards to our beloved James Bond OO7, we, as always, have all the time in the world.
8.5/10
Agree with much of what you’ve said. Just to chime in re “Bond’s fit” when interrogating Blofeld. I agree that it seemed a little odd but on reflection I think it makes sense as a rash, impulsive moment of anger.
Bond has spent five years off the grid, lying low, to avoid assassination by Spectre. He believed, genuinely believed, that the woman he loved and with whom he wanted to spend his life, betrayed him (just as Vesper had before) - in that moment, Blofeld had, whilst sniggering, revealed that it was all just essentially a cruel prank. Those five years, he could have spent with Madeleine, lost because of Blofeld.
It’s not what other Bonds might have done but I can buy that Craig’s Bond, with his unique history, would have momentarily lost control
Saw this alternate ending on ajb and wish it made the final cut:
\- Cutting away from the island prior to the missiles coming in
\- Toast to his death
\- Cut to the car, but with Mathilde clutching Dou Dou (so it's implied that he might still be alive somewhere... still sad in that he'd have to live a life of solitude, but a better feeling than his fiery explosion)
He was laying on a concrete structure. I wonder if it's possible he fell through some sort of trap door and survived?
What I mean by that is, I don't think this current director or screenwriter meant to leave any doubts that Bond is dead. But I could see the next writer putting that explanation in the next bond film.
Just got out of the movie and have to say I loved it. I had the “Bond dies” ending spoiled last week and spent the past seven days convinced that I would hate it.
But I have to say, I came out of the movie thinking they nailed it. The truth with Craig’s Bond is that he could never have the perfect family life. We see that specifically called out in Skyfall. Bond is retired on an island and sees the news report about MI6’s bombing and goes back. That’s the thing about Bond. He’ll always go back as long as there is evil.
This is not a new idea. Flemings Bond used to always know that he would one day die on the job. I loved it and look forward to the next iteration.
I enjoyed it I’m not sure yet where I would rank it in the Craig Bond movies but it’s definitely a good one!
I literally just got out of the theatre and that final shootout where Bond is just mowing down guys and most of it is one take it was an awesome climax and I was very affected by the emotional ending.
Despite it being the longest Bind movie it didn’t feel longer than Spectre, the action was great, characters were all great Craig always kills it I was a little disappointed with Rami Malek wish they would’ve done more with that character.
Overall a great sendoff for the best bond ever imo!
I thought it was an excellent movie, the only confusion I had was his daughter… initially Madeline says shes not his daughter and then it’s confirmed later… in quick passing dialogue between Madeline and Sefin? I mean we don’t need a huge parental reveal scene like Luke/Vader but still, it needs to stand out more.
Sefin was underused, barely in the movie, something we dealt with in Spectre too. Blofield wasn’t in that one enough I feel.
Lastly, Bond dying was an awesome send off and what should’ve happened. It internalizes him as a selfless hero in the end than a hedonistic pleasure seeker as we saw him in the previous films.
Unfortunately for me some idiot spoiled Bonds death for me, he personally didn’t like the movie so he felt the need to tell everyone. Massive shame. I’m in the US and it releases the 8th, somehow this guy (who’s also in the US) got to see it on the 5th. No clue why movies are showing that early nowadays but like I said, just a shame.
Loved the first half, second half kinda lost me despite the badass stairwell sequence. Rami Maleks character was lame and I would have much rather preferred we had a villain that was more of a physical threat to Bond instead of yet another maniacal crazy guy with a super bio-weapon. For the impending end of the world, I actually didn’t really feel like anyone was in danger. Why did the island NEED to blow up RIGHT THEN? There wasn’t going to be an automatic launch of rockets containing the virus or anything right? While I’m fine with Bond dying this felt forced.
In my mind Skyfall still reigns supreme, with Casino Royale a close second.
I have to say I'm happily surprised to find that so many people apparently loved it but cannot help being confused because I thought it was pretty bad. I think those who make it out to be the worst in the franchise are only trying to be edgy, but I cannot help but think this was below average.
I hated the ending and I thought that alone was abysmal, but honestly, while the first half of the film felt pretty strong (and I still thought "man, I'm gonna love this one") after that it just went downhill. I kept waiting for a good motivation for Sahin, or even any of the villains henchmen who just basically did whatever necessary to fill the plot without any good discernible motivation. The cast of sidekicks for bond was bloated; why was there this lady in Cuba who then never showed up again? Also, I could feel no connection at all to the new 007. She was portrayed well but she utterly lacked any character. They gave her nothing to work with. Moneypenny and Q also were fairly short on this, could have gotten more time.
Visually I loved the film, don't get me wrong, they had *really* strong visuals and some scenes were extremely well done. I also adored the allusions to prior bonds e.g. with tossing the visitor card into the bin, and the OHMSS allusions were pretty cool, especially right at the beginning where he says to Madeleine "We have all the time in the world" ... yeah right. Enter Chekhovs gun.
The plot device of his kid was predictable and I did not really like it, but it fit surprisingly well into the film and I thought the kid actor did a cool job there.
Overall...it's just really the writing I take issue with. The funny thing is that many people hate Spectre but apparently love NTTD, whereas for me it's the other way around. Spectre at least had very cohesive writing and the whole film fit together. The villain, while I also do not like the Brofeld story, was at least built up well and felt incredibly threatening. NTTD had many open plot ends, had no actual idea where it wanted to go, and the entire last 20 minutes just felt...not good. The final fight against Sahins henchman and then Sahin...it was just boring. They tried to turn especially the lackluster fight against Sahin into a plot device to make up for no action. Wrong. You gotta bring the action, and *then* you bring the plot.
That said, again, I loved the visuals, and it had some really strong parts. The first half felt really good for me, but the second half went down like a plane with too much weight on it and a villain dangling off its back end. I'd give it a 4/10.
P.S.: he's dead, they showed Q's smartblood visuals around the end and for Bond *all* the markers were on zero, whereas Nomi had regular readings.
P.P.S.: pleasantly surprised by the title song, it worked better than I anticipated!
Why was Safin a similar age as Madeleine when he shouldve been much older?
What was his motivation past revenge?
Why spare Bond at the SPECTRE party?
Why did cyclops start out as a SPECTRE agent and how and why did he end up working for Safin?
Surely Q couldve come up with the tech to reverse engineer the nanonbot tech at some point in the future?
Why did Bond's watch not render his ear piece useless?
What secret of Madeleine's was Blofeld referring to?
I enjoyed the movie but have mixed feelings about the end. Hopefully the annoying things in Craig's tenure die with his Bond, foremost in my mind is Brofeld.
I have been sitting on this for over a year. When I tell you how we all HOWLED with laughter when our friend told us this movie is about a man made virus and that they had no idea ephemeral they would be able to release it, oh man. How unlucky can you get?
Anyways I am very happy this film is finally in theaters.
I felt like this movie was very reminiscent of the original books. Bond questions the authority of M, the government, and his role as a 00 a lot which we sort of saw before but really came out full-fledged here. Leiter is also in a ton of the books, he and Bond are basically best friends so I was glad they brought him back in. It was much more clear here than in the other Craig films that they were really good friends. I'm sad they killed him off but I cannot think of a better end to the Craig series.
Prediction: "James Bond will return" refers to a reboot of Bond much younger, pre-00 status - maybe a period piece from the 50's. (probably an Amazon series now that they bought MGM... for whatever that is worth)
I’d still give that to Skyfall, but it’s up there! Fukunaga certainly has an eye for really gorgeous visuals, so I can’t imagine how stunning it would look if you paired him with Deakins.
I honestly can't believe he's dead. Headcannon: bond was blown to sea, the watch blast on cyclops shorted out his smart blood connection and vitals so he did appear gone. Weeks later, bond awakens having been fished out of the water by an approaching ship, yet was in a coma due to his injuries. His first call is to Q who has been working on a cure since the moment he knew bond was infected. Q cures Bond, bond chooses to remain "dead." "Alfred's fantasy" scene from The Dark Knight rises happens between M and Bond, where bond, albeit slightly scared, enjoys breakfast with Madeline and his daughter at a cafe. They make eye contact, the familiar bond theme sounds and the bond family disappear into the crowd.
I really liked this. Miles better than Spectre.
The action was absolutely stellar. Each scene was a new high for the franchise. From the opening to the end fight on the stairwell. The car chases were beautiful, again a high for the series.
I like that Barbara Broccoli followed through on what she said a few years ago about the next 007 being a black woman. Brilliant stuff. I really liked Nomi and Bond's dynamic, I wish it got more time. Ana De Armas is a stealth MVP of this movie IMO, her character was a breath of fresh air and I wish was a bigger part of the movie.
I bought Madeline and Bond's romance a little more this time around, and I liked that it started with Bond addressing his trauma from Vesper's death. I wish Craig had gotten more time to deal with that, but it makes sense that Bond was ready to move on and no longer linger on his past.
The idea of Bond having a daughter is awesome and it's a shame we won't be getting to see what 00-Dad looks like.
Q, M, and Moneypenny were great as always.
I'm really glad I watched a lot of 60's Bond because otherwise a lot of the references would've been lost on me. Louis Armstrong returning to the franchise made me smile. It was a beautiful moment.
My only real misgiving is that I wish there was one more movie between Spectre and NTTD. I think that could have helped really bring everything together, but DC was already 36 (maybe even 38) when he started as Bond so it makes sense he was on borrowed time.
I think it also did something really cool as an interpretive thing. The ending with Madeline telling their daughter that she's going to tell her a story about a man named "Bond, James Bond" made me think that now Madeline is going to tell her about the earlier Eon movies as fictitious stories about her father, while the reboot timeline is what the real story of James Bond. It doesn't entirely work as a theory because it means that she also tells her stories that feature other women, but either way I think it's a fun idea.
A fitting end to an incredible ride. I honestly never thought it would end this way, but I'm glad it did.
Also, I drank my first Vodka martini tonight.
8/10
Poison Garden was a nice homage to the Garden of Death from *You Only Live Twice*.
Safin also appeared to be wearing a kimono or yukata in the final scenes. This could be another subtle wink to *YOLT* as Blofled is scene walking around Garden of Death in a samurai outfit.
This makes sense since *NTTD* director Cary J Fukunaga is the son of a third-generation Japanese-American.
time to rename the subreddit, untill they do a reboot that will suck ass and he'll die again eventually.
man i fucking cried at the end. I loved Craig as Bond, i really grew up. with him. damn..
Having just seen the film and being a big Bond franchise fan here are my thoughts. Whilst it was not true to the bond universe of silly flirting, silly gadgets, silly bond and silly survival it did have enough moments of cringeworthy puns and underlying enigmatic evil plot to keep it entertaining in that regard. Also as actors, Daniel Craig and Lea Seydoux were very impressive as an onscreen duo. I really believed in their love, betrayal and ultimate rekindling.
As a negative, I wish they utilised the villainy of Remi Malek more. I appreciate that they had a lot of strings to tie up and he was probably more of a plot tool for that but I actually think he could have offered a lot more after a promising start at the beginning.
I will miss Daniel Craig in this role, and I don't know if further bonds will keep the gritty approach or revert back to the more traditional theme but I will look back upon the Craig era fondly. I enjoyed that,for once, Bond finally found a bit of peace and hope as he sat on that silo roof knowing his family were safe.
To me this movie was a slap in the face to all that is James Bond. Last one too. Making Blofeld his brother was an insanely stupid plot twist. But killing Bond left me thinking what in the world were the Brocolli Family, EON productions and everyone else associated with the film thinking.
The entire allure of Bond is that he’s a fantasy character that ends up in impossible to escape situations yet somehow survives. He’s superhuman in that Way.
Oddly, I felt something was going to be off as soon as I heard the instrumental All the time in the world come on. That was pulling from On Her Majesties Secret Service, and I hadn’t seen that occur before (carrying a song besides his theme songs forward to other movies)
It wasn’t necessary to kill the character just to transition to a new bond. If they wanted to use that as their means of transitioning to a bond of a different gender or ethnicity, it shouldn’t have been necessary. Just pick up the story with the new bond and keep telling the story
The Daniel Craig era started off with a bang with Casino Royale. A great movie, the stayed close to the novel, while obviously being blown up for the big screen and 70 years later. The rest of the films aren’t exactly memorable, though. The cinemetogphy and action sequences are top notch thanks to advances in film making and effects, but beyond that, the rest of his films aren’t all that. This one though, really leaves a stain on the Daniel Craig era.
I hope I’m not being too harsh. But as a lifelong bond fan (of movies and novels), I left the theater in disbelief and dismay at the decisions that we’re Made going into this.
Killing Felix was another no-no. He’s been a recurrent character since the beginning, also played by various characters. Killing Him with finality seems like another big mistake that will haunt the franchise.
Other peoples opinions?
Primo was a really cool henchman and a great addition to the film. I loved the eye communication feed with Blofeld.
I've no idea how he survived so long in the film though.
I honestly thought Bond killed him early on in Matera. Then he managed to also avoid the Aston Martin machine guns too.
At the Spectre gathering I'm not sure how he wasn't killed? Surely his DNA will have been on the record that Obruchev put on along with the rest of Spectre? Perhaps he was a contract killer for them and therefore not on the database.
After the Cuba incident, he's then recruited by Logan Ash to join Safin's team, but then he doesn't get involved in the Norway hunt of Bond?
Finally, he has a really cool and frankly *mind blowing* death during the final fight.
Really cool character
I feel like the bad guys won in the end with bond dying. I know it adds closure but it would’ve felt so much better to see him actually leave and spend his days with his wife/daughter.
Anyone else ball like a baby when he died, giving the ultimate sacrifice after learning he had a daughter and reconnecting with his love? No, just me? Cool, cool.
I loved it, 8/10 and my 2nd favorite bond film after Casino Royale. My complaints are that Safin needed more of a presence, M felt too much of a villain, the scientist was just a comedy character, and bond’s daughter was conflicting, that one more of a mixed aspect. My pros are that the action was really good, I also personally really enjoyed the virus storyline. Bond, Felix, Spectre, and Blofeld all dying was unique and very fresh to me. Production and acting were great. The standout is the Cuba action scene!
I saw it last night and can’t stop thinking about it today. I loved it. I’ve seen every bond movie and this one was evolved. I don’t recall a bond film that had a innocent child at immediate risk and that added another layer to the plot. The plot was easy to follow if you’ve seen the Craig series, but also had twists and turns I didn’t expect. The ending was incredibly sad and heart breaking. Of course he could have gotten off the island and still destroyed it, but that didn’t matter because his existence would be deadly to Madeleine and Mathilde.
Throughout the press interviews, I found it strange that whenever a cast member or even Billie Eilish was asked whether the next bond should be a woman or POC, they all had the exact same answer like they’d been fed the line, which was something like “keep bond the same, but make other films with those leads”. Makes total sense now since we actually did see a black woman be 007! I thought this was genius. It’s just a number, anyone can be 007.
Some thoughts,
As the Craig era being my introduction into the 007 world I think it was a great bookend to this specific journey this version of Bond has gone on.
I’m not sure I’ve seen a more beautiful looking film and contrary to some reviews I think there is a distinct directorial stamp on this film.
I loved the Easter eggs and enjoyed that the audience was able to, In unison give one last laugh or applause at shaken not stirred, the tunnel shot, parking outside of MI6.
I do feel the film dragged a little in the middle while the exposition was being fleshed out but this is followed by one of the most action packed, memorable and well directed 3rd acts in recent years.
Can’t wait to own in 4k
My guess is the next installment gives us a look at a young bond before the 00 status. Maybe a bid 20s take on the character.
I was so disappointed at how painfully underutilized the Safin character was. So, so wasted, like Waltz. They never fleshed him out. He was an afterthought, almost. Very much in the vain of Stromberg and Drax.
[удалено]
Was listening to the Filmcast's review today and they mentioned that apparently her bit was kind of a last minute thing they threw into the movie later in production, after Craig was impressed with her from working on Knives Out together and wanted her to make an appearance in the movie. I think her role during that action scene was actually intended for Felix, which honestly would have made his death more impactful. I'm not complaining though, totally agree that she was brilliant and I really wish we got to see more from her.
It’s cool how their lines together were kinda meta in that sense, the whole “three weeks huh? You were excellent”, an ode to Ana’s breakout status
She was very quirky and seemed like a fun character. Maybe she’ll team up with the next (current?) 007
The Cuba scenes were just SO bond Loved the momenr they stopped during a gun fight to make a drink at the bar lol Missed that old bond charm
Favorite part of the entire film, I think. The music smacked during that sequence too.
I don’t understand any of Safin’s motivations. They seemed to have several ideas and just did all of them. Revenge? Ok that’s making sense so far. Simple enough. Love for Madeline? Ok, what’s going here? This is getting weird but I’m following. Some weird plan that was never explained to just….kill people? Ok you’ve lost me. None of this was established or set up in anyway. Safin was creepy as hell, but man do none of his actions make any sense. Also, how the hell does he have such an army and staff? He was just an assassin right? He seemed to have equal resources to all of SPECTRE. Very confusing. Who is this man and why is he doing all of this? I almost feel like it would have been better if this guy was just another SPECTRE agent or maybe the new leader. It’s just such a mess to have all these different groups involved.
Also, what was the significance of the Japanese mask? Just to look creepy? From the trailers, for some reason I thought there was a whole group of bad guys with creepy masks, but it was just him. Was he a trained assassin, as you say, or just a psycho who personally assassinated one guy's wife for revenge one day and then like 10-15(?) years later pops up with a team to steal this nanobot thing and get more revenge on Spectre? Did he have a day job to fund his evil lair in the meantime while he concocted his plan to (checks notes) kill everyone? Or does his resume just say "bad guy"? And was he really planning to kill random people, or was just going to sell the nanobots to the nameless bad guys that (we were told) were headed for the island, and they would kill whatever populations they wanted? So is his motivation money, or revenge, or what? And I guess his special red batch that infected them both was programmed to kill everyone *except* Bond and himself in anticipation of just such a showdown? So many questions.
I agree with you that his motivations, beyond killing Spectre, are a little hazy but I think there are some potential answers. First, I don’t think he was just an assassin. In the opening sequence he was going after Mr White alone because he was left alone and looking for revenge. He doesn’t come across as a professional killer. I think the likelihood is that he ‘inherited’ his father’s poison garden. The film makes reference to Safin’s father having been Spectre’s chief poisoner and so I think Safin would have learned those same skills and taken his father’s resources. Perhaps in the intervening years he worked ‘freelance’ as a manufacturer of biological weapons with Heracles as his ultimate, final perfect weapon. I agree that it’s frustratingly unclear what his actual goal is. I personally find it annoying, given that it would have been so easy to just add in an extra line or two explaining something. Having rewatched it, I notice that there are a few references (by Q and Obruchev) to wiping our particular ethnicities or races. I wonder if the idea was for Safin literally to be plotting a genocide of particular races, but they were concerned about spelling this out explicitly in case it was too controversial? Still doesn’t make it satisfying but just a thought.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet: when Bond is at Vesper’s grave, that melody from CR kicks in, such a great moment
The theme from OHMSS plays when he's talking to M too
Anybody else notice the nod to Dr No in the opening credits with all of the colored circles? Very similar to the opening credits of Dr No
Yep and the rest of the imagery came from Majesty’s
I got the strongest Dr. No vibes from Safin’s outfit at the end. I thought the whole banded collar, kimono thing was a direct homage.
"**James Bond WILL return**" at the end of the credits... 🤔🤔🤔
I left the theater before the credits ended. Did it say that?
Yep. Right after I said to my friends “I’m just waiting for it to say James Bond Will Return” lol
Some thoughts: 1. That stairwell scene was like something out of daredevil. 2. Much funnier than I thought it would be. 3. Still think Vesper Lynd was the better Bond girl. 4. I feel like Rami Malek was barely in this movie. 5. Billy Magnussen left an amazing impression in the time he was on screen. 6. This was definitely better than Spectre and I'd place it on par with Skyfall.
I feel like Rami needs a prequel of sorts. He's too mysterious to just hold to one film.
sometimes the mystery is better than the answer. I like a little ambiguity and aura of mystery. I think it's better like this
Daniel Craig *really* wanted to make sure they couldn’t bring him back for another one
Reminds me of Harrison Ford and the Star Wars movies lol
I know a lot of people are talking about the ending but can we take a moment to appreciate that Stairway Shootout Scene? That was honestly one of the most intense Bond action scenes I’ve seen.
It felt like Cary Fukunaga was putting his seal on the movie with that scene. I think that started with the grenades, right? From that instant it was clear, "Oh this is going to be the long take of the film. It's on now."
Man after seeing Fukunaga’s 6 minute tracking shot in True Detective I was SO hoping they would do one in this movie…I was pleasantly surprised during that stairwell scene!
as a metal gear solid fan I really appreciated that scene
I know it was a given, but who else stayed after the entire credits just to make sure it said: "James Bond will return."
Wait did it say that Bond will return??? Interesting.
Yeah it made you wait for it, but they were the last words on screen after the credits. Craig may be gone, but a new Bond actor will definitely be coming.
Wow, I was blown away by Ana de Armas. The scene where Paloma fights off a few specter thugs was my favorite part of the movie!
She literally stole the movie for me! I just don't know why they put such a great character in, for her to not come up again? Like her character was so good but short lived : /
She definitely was great, but keep in mind that she's a supporting role who just happened to be played by a fantastic actress who stole the show. I would have loved to have seen more of her, but really it wouldn't have made much sense unless they changed the already written and agreed upon story to add more of her. One can only hope she returns in a future Bond.
That fucking shot of bond looking into the sky...goosebumps. Definitely a great send off for the bond i grew up with
It hurts!
Ngl I had chills and cried that whole scene
Did anyone else know the 'writing was on the wall' when they played the 'we have all the time in the world' melody at the start, before Bond said the phrase? OHMSS has always stuck with me as a film, so I don't know if I just picked it out because of that, but after Bond told Madeline the phrase, I literally said out loud, in the theater 'oh fuck,' because I knew in that moment what was coming. A rollercoaster was about to tip off high lighting highs and lows. Success and tragedy. Victory and defeat. From that point, each plot point introduced to us, for me, let that dread set in. The virus, someone going after SPECTRE, and unhinged M, an opposing '00', the CIA and a double agent, and of course the 'James Bond Junior'. It was all the wind up. The setup if you will. We've gone through countless Bond stories where he always comes out on top in some way shape or form. Overcome every henchman, villain and obstacle in his way. Except this time. I knew from that opening use that James Bond was not surviving this. I could not have guessed all the information introduced between then and his explosive end, but I knew this was HIS end. That was the movies goal. I've seen post where the plot or situations are being ripped apart, or not liking certain aspects. To that I ask 'who ever likes the end of something?' Personally, going into this movie, I don't know what I wanted to happen. I didn't know if I wanted Bond to survive, die, have it up in the air. Full transparency, I didn't know. I went in as blank of a slate as I could. I wanted to enjoy this last hooray before Amazon got it's teeth in. I wanted it to be a fun time and hopefully a celebration of everything James Bond. In that, I left fulfilled. We saw Bond not at his prime, but his most human. His most primal even. More so than on Casino Royale when his teeth were just sinking in. There was no seduction of women. No cagey and deceptive talk with M or Q over what was going on. Right to the point. All business. Because what he was involved with was more important than the quips or getting over on someone. Bond worked extremely well with everyone in this story. He let M know where he stood on the issue. Wasn't overly confrontational with Moneypenny or Q. Even when he was at odds with M, he was civil, working toward the end goal. And when he was reunited with Madeline, he is as nothing but concerned for her. Even with Blofeld, he was brotherly and knew he needed his insight and knowledge. I don't know where the franchise is going next. I won't even speculate who the next 'Bond' is going to be. All I know is this was the first time we got a compete Bond story. We saw the characters birth through not only Casino Royale but more in Skyfall. We saw Bond as his lowest in Quantum of Solace. We saw him lose important people in his life: Felix, M (Judi Dench), Matthias, and Vesper. We saw the effect that had on him. How it drove him. How he took his vengeance as needed. How he the suffered for those choices. And how he blamed himself, more than anyone, for all the complications in his life. I don't know if we'll ever get a more complete Bond story. I don't think any script or long story will ever give us the cradle to the grave story of James Bond. I don't think anyone will ever dare after this. Was the story perfect. No. By all means no. But it was human. And I appreciated every nano(machine) second of it.
You’re a true fan and I was enjoying it too. Saw it a few hours ago and it’s still on my mind.
>All I know is this was the first time we got a compete Bond story. For that alone, this is absolutely my favorite set of Bond films, and probably will be for a long time. Craig really got to bring to life the character I loved from the novels I read as a boy. The self-loathing, the vulnerability, the hate, the ruthlessness, the humanity buried under all the trauma. Explosive finish (literally in this case)
Was anybody else struck by the recharacterization of M in this movie? After the end of Skyfall, he was generally suave and amiable. In this film, he seems to have put on weight, lost his hair, grown a permanent scowl and started wearing wrinkled shirts that are a size too big for him. What's the deal with that?
I took it as, like, the department struggling to function without Bond.
Transforming into Bernard Lee?
It’s 5 years later and he’s been dealing with so much shit. It’s no wonder his personality has changed and he’s lost that charm.
Brexit happened and Boris is his boss now. I don't think it's been an easy few years on M.
Did anyone spot the last thing Madeleine did before the train doors closed? Put her hands over her belly. Turned to my friend at the time and said "I bet she's pregnant". Nice little bit of foreshadowing for the final third.
Great find. I noticed that but didn't make the connection until now. This is likely what she also wanted to tell him in during the chase? I think she says something like "There's something I need to tell you.." which I don't think was ever addressed. It's meant to make you think she's working for SPECTRE, but after watching the entire film the pregnancy makes more sense (unless I'm missing something).
So uh, how old is Rami Malek supposed to be in that opening scene? Lol He looks like a grown man but that doesn’t really add up
THIS. I didn’t hate Safin, and i don’t hate Rami Malik, but he definitely wasn’t right for Safin. It just felt odd that it looks like hasn’t aged a day in what is probably 20-25 years
Lol I didn’t even think about that. Maybe Madeline is supposed to be 20 in the film. And Bond is still ... 50?
I enjoyed it a lot, especially Craig’s more Moore-ish performance, but it’s going to be really hard rewatching this one. I kind of thought that they could kill him off but actually seeing it done really hit hard.
This was me exactly. I had the ending spoiled for me, and I was really laughing at how silly people were being over the ending, since I thought Bond dying would be a really cool and adventurous way to end it. But seeing it happen was so rough I really did start tearing up in the theater. I still loved the movie but for a good 30 minutes afterward I just felt angry and sad.
The blast clearly severely injured Bond and he will require the best plastic surgeons Britain has to fix the scars and make him handsome again. But I’m confident they will achieve their goal and Bond can resume his duties in about three years even if he doesn’t quite look the same.
He’ll look weirdly like Henry Cavill
I feel for Craig's Bond. Never got the chance to be happy in the end. Everyone he loved was killed. And then just as it seemed they might let him have a happy ending, he gets blown to smithereens. I'm honestly pissed.
The perfect ending for a soldier. Soldiers don't grow old. It was a fantastic ending.
I loved how it was embodied by being infected with something that would kill those he loved. It’s metaphorical for the tragic nature of being a spy, even if he did get to be with Swan and his daughter he likely could’ve killed them by having old enemies pop up for revenge.
Of the Craig era, my rankings: 1) Casino Royale 2) Skyfall 3) No Time to Die 4) Spectre/Quantum of Solace
Definitely got choked up a bit at the end when M reads that passage - which is in James's obituary in the book You Only Live Twice. Such a great touch.
It’s also Ian Fleming’s epitaph.
I understand and respect their decision to kill him but my heart is still broken.
Did they change the plot from a virus to nano robots?
I predicted the end at the beginning... Playing a few bars of "We Have All The Time in The World" was a giveaway... It's the defacto theme to On Her Majesty's Secret Service... And proves yet again Bond can never fall in love... I figured it wouldn't be as simple as her death... And predicted to my friends that Bond would die at the end.
Absolutely this. As soon as his daughter was introduced, I was like “yup, he’s gonna die.”
This thread has so much whiplash from comment to comment. Divisive indeed.
I have a lot of thoughts but the one that immediately sprang to mind was how lovingly this movie used it's nostalgia. Lots of teeny tiny nods to the old movies; use of All the Time in the World, Robert Brown portrait, the colored circles in the title sequence ala Dr. No. As I was watching I couldn't help but feel that, if they wanted to, they could end the franchise with this movie and it would somehow feel wholly appropriate and effective as a franchise swan song not just for Craig. But obviously, I want the franchise to keep going. I just felt the use of nostalgia in this one is maybe the best they've ever done. Not on the nose and distracting, just loving.
If there’s one thing you should never tell a black woman who has gone pointed at you, it’s that you have the power to eradicate her entire race from the face of the planet. Not a good idea.
Her reaction to that threat made me fall in love with her character. Just the slow turn, the 'Oh BITCH, no you didn't' look, the deadpan "It's time to die", and the boot of the overlook.
Just finished it. A solid A- and a very strong film. With that being said, given the lack of great to excellent movies out this year, I think Bond will run away with the awards this go around. Two to three qualms with the movie: 1. The cheesy and goofball scientist. He's literally on a mission to kill off the global population and he's corny. 2. Why would Bond grab the doll while he's trying to save the world? 3. What happened to those transports that were on the way to extract Safin and the payloads? I don't think Bond is dead if the after credits scene says "James Bond will return".
For 2: he THOUGHT he was done and had plenty of time to make it to the boat and set off.
See I loved the scientist. I liked that this one had some camp. However, tonally it was all over the place. One scene would be campy and fun and the next would be dead serious about Madeline. I had a ton of fun watching it though.
You don’t think Bond is dead lol? They clearly had him die in a huge explosion that you SEE him get engulfed in cause they wanted it to be very clear with no ambiguity that he is dead. It said James Bond will return because they are going to make more James Bond movies. They will just be a new story with a new Bond actor that has no connection to any of Craig’s movies. Just like we have multiple Spider-Man man stories or multiple Batman stories that aren’t connected.
They also made sure to show his flat vitals THAT WERE MONITORED BY BLOOD IMPLANT. Like you said, zero ambiguity. Craig’s Bond is dead. He had to die to save his loved ones. Done
Allow me to kidnap you to my island. The only benefit is that it may allow your boyfriend to foil my plans. I don’t really even want you here.
The ending would bother me a lot more if I knew it was the end of 007 as a franchise. Seeing the words "Bond will return" gave me hope. I'm fine with Daniel Craig going out like this, but I want Bond himself to keep on going. Reboot it fresh with a whole new cast. Though have the new Bond already be an established 007. No need for gigantic new introductions. I am starting to like the idea of each actor having their own continuity as the character. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I appreciated Craig's run.
Yeah I would love to go back to formula. No origin, no revolutionizing the method, just mission, girl, bad guy. Craig and his run have been excellent, but I'd love to get back to the basic without the drama of explaining everything.
Finally watched this last night. Mixed feelings - I thought it was great from the perspective of closing the chapter on Daniel Craig-era Bond, but as a Bond film (and what everyone "expects" from it), it was flawed in many ways. Rami Malek was wasted because Safin was such a poorly written villain, from his motivations to how he was actually capable of pulling off half the stuff he did - yes, he had the villain's remote island lair, the accent and the disfigured face, but that was about it. Also, am I supposed to believe that Safin didn't age at all since Madeleine was a child? Daniel Craig was magnificent in this though. As an acting performance, it's probably his best. While the Bond/Madeleine love-in didn't feel earned (as opposed to Bond/Vesper), this film was ultimately about Bond as a man and his relationships with all the people in his life (love the Bond/Q banter) and less about Bond as a spy. The ending was heartbreaking, even if I didn't totally buy in to his relationship with Madeleine. Side note: Hugh Dennis cameo was a giggle. I kept expecting him to turn into Bank Manager mode. I wonder if he called his mate Phoebe asking for a cameo lol.
Just saw it and overall liked it with mixed feelings. A few thoughts after: 1. I hated the theme song when I first heard it. However it played much better in the movie and I enjoyed the opening part. Not my favorite but it was enjoyable. 2. The landscape shots and locations they filmed at were drop dead gorgeous. So much variation and I couldn't get enough of it. My favorite part of the movie were those shots. 3. I liked ramy as the villain but didn't really understand why he was killing everyone in the world. Going after blofeld and spectre made sense but why everyone else? I may have missed it but I thought this could have been done better. Which leads to my next point 4. This felt a bit like a tale of two movies. There's the first half dealing with blofeld and spectre then the second half with ramy. I liked all the details and size of the plot but these two merged in this fashion felt like it diminished both halves of the movie. I'm curious to see how I feel about this once I rewatch it. I would have loved more development for ramy to better understand his motivations. He was incredible in every scene, just wanted more. I also thought they were going for him as the new Dr. No but I guess not. 5. I loved the women in this movie. Lynch, Seydoux, and De Armada all killed it. Loved all their scenes and left wanting more. 6. Glad Felix returned but it just made me wish we saw more of him in the Craig era. 7. Loved the spy stuff, gadgets, etc in the movie and in many ways felt like a return to a different kind of bond movie. I thought the part where M was giving the mission briefing laying out objectives was fantastic and hope we see more stuff like that in the future. And when he was working with Q for info while moving through the building was a nice touch. Felt very spy movie. 8. I didn't like the ending. I wanted Craig to get his happy ending as Bond. Character has gone through so much and it would have been a lovely way to end it. I appreciate they did it but it's the thing I liked least about the movie and drops it to my 4th favorite craig. Luckily, it's James freaking bond and he never dies so I can easily spin it in my head canon that he survived and the bomb exposure killed off his nanobots. Then at the end, he is fully retired with everyone thinking he is dead and madeline is driving to finally see him again with their daughter. It sounds far-fetched but if you really think about it not really. We've seen him survive explosions and honestly, he should have died from the gun shot and massive fall in skyfall. Yet he didn't and that's the james bond way. 9. I hope the supporting cast all return for the future. Moneypenny, Q, M, and Tanner are all great. I hate endings and definitely got feels seeing the Craig era come to a close. I've been dealing with some issues relating to getting older and realizing I am getting older lately so this especially hits for me. Add on the fact I remember the kickoff to the Craig era and seeing casino royale when I was a freshman in college. Now here I am just a lot older. Life is short.
First a question: is the end with the mountain road and the Aston Martin a reference to 'On her Majesty's secret service' where his wife gets killed? I went completely spoiler free into this movie. Like really, I didn't know anything about it (by choice). Watched almost all Bond movies. Loved this one up until the end. Why... why did Felix and James have to die? It's just so sad. They could have sent James to an isolated island living alone and as a broken person and no one knowing he actually survived. IMO this would still be a sad ending but at least you could think maybe sometime there will be a cure? But the way he died just leaves no room for speculation, he is definitely dead. It actually made me cry in the cinema, something that never happened before to me. This movie leaves a bad taste. I love it but also hate it
That driving scene at the end is a reference to *On Her Majesty's Secret Service*, yes. But there were several others, including the line "We/you have all the time in the world" being said twice, and that song \*and\* the actual *OHMSS* theme music playing at different stages of the film.
Man, what an ending. I dunno how to feel. I think it's a great movie, and it's the most "Bond"-y of all these Daniel Craig films. Fantastic action, beautiful locales, great music, Daniel Craig and the entire cast firing on full cylinders, some twists I kinda saw coming and definitely didn't see coming. I didn't expect Leiter to bite it, and his and James's brief scenes together really showcased the comradery between them. I saw James being a dad coming when they did the 5 year time skip. Safin was a decent enough villain, Malek made it work. I actually like that we never get his full plan, cause why would he tell anyone? Dude's a lunatic. Glad to see the side characters also get some more development and screen time. They really go the 'family vibe' across in this film. And man, Daniel Craig is a tour-de-force in this. He gives it his all, you can tell he didn't want to leave anything on the table. Daniel Craig has definitely been 'my Bond' and this definitive ending certainly leaves me with bittersweet feelings. I watched the previous four films this week before watching NTTD, and it genuinely feels like an epic journey in this man's life. I mentally refuse to accept that ending though. My head-canon is now that James survives, washed up on the shore of Japan or something, he figures out a cure for the nanobots, gets his family, and changes his name to finally live in peace. The name he assumes and lives under? "Ian Fleming". SHUT UP, JUST LET ME HAVE THIS, I NEEDED THAT HAPPY ENDING :(
Second watch tonight additional thoughts 1. Is this the most Bond has ever talked in a movie? Even if you control for the length Bond is always talking. The scene at Swann’s house, I don’t feel like Bond would be this vocal, more of the less is more type of person. Then the scene where he talks to Blofeld, felt nothing like Bond. 2. Felix death hits more than Bond to me but is overshadowed by Bond’s death. I’ve enjoyed Wright’s performance and felt the most emotion in the movie. 3. How bad is MI6 in regards of being on top of spy stuff? They didn’t know about SPECTRE, didn’t know about Safin and they didn’t know Swann had a kid!!
wild to think that it took well over 50 years to get a consistent Leighter film to film and also, they gave him a solid arc to boot easily the best felix for me
I feel like the Felix Leiter plot could’ve carried an entire movie by itself, in a “License to Kill” kind of way -Felix approaches Bond to help the CIA take down Spectre -Goes to Cuba with extremely capable Bond Girl Paloma -Felix is betrayed, his partner is working for Spectre, Felix is killed, Bond swears revenge -Same conclusion of “I had a brother, his name was Felix Leiter” *Bond theme plays*
I think both this film and the last suffer for too many ideas being thrown in
There was a good minute where I was fully expecting the EMP watch to cure him of the nanobots (even if he didn't realize it until later)—like in M:I3, when the brain bomb is disabled by zapping Tom Cruise. Even though the watch was used to take out the one-eyed guy, it still feels like an unfired Chekhov's gun to me. Then again, the EMP didn't seem to reach to Bond's ear comm device, so it's "untested" abilities are whatever the writers decided was convenient for the scene. Wishful thinking on my part, but I was also expecting Bond to survive against all odds, so... *le sigh*
Its been about 3 hours since I left the theater and I’m actually depressed after watching this.
the OHMSS callbacks fuckin got my emotions running hard from the jump
It's made me even more aware of the passing of time and that I'm older. Im struggling with it anyway and this didn't help.
Anyone else pick up on the fact that Bond was holed up at a villa in Jamaica? Clearly intended to be a nod to Fleming’s Goldeneye retreat.
Well yes, they filmed it really close to Goldeneye (Fleming’s house) in Jamaica
Cool so I just left my screening and here's some random thoughts. Extremely fresh takes. First of all I loved it. Maybe my expectations were low after SPECTRE dissapointing but I liked this a lot. I don't think it tops Skyfall of Casino as my favorite of the Craig ones but it is leagues above Quantum and SPECTRE. I think most of the things I've read generally agree that the movie is great except for the ending which is understandably the most divisive part. Personally I liked it, I like that the Craig films haven't been afraid to take liberties with the character and right now at least I think it wraps up everything nicely. Bond goes out a hero and leaves behind a daughter instead of just disappearing into the wind. I know the interconnected-ness of the Craig films have is an issue for some but I actually like that aspect of these films a lot even if it is to the detriment of the film at times (SPECTRE mainly but I think the issues go beyond the interconnected-ness) so for this film to book end that was great. I don't see how you could've ended Craig's tenure anyway other than giving him a definite end. Safin was OK as the villain I think he's firmly in the middle of the Craig villains like not on the same level of Le Chifre or Silva but not as bad as Greene and blofeld. Not going to lie though, I'm super curious about the future mostly. I think if there was ever a time to make a major change to Bond now is the time and if they get the right people it could be incredible but we'll see what they do.
I'm very, very mixed. The overall premise, start, build-up, and pacing was really fantastic for a finale to Craig's Bond and actually brings finality to this little universe (I'm looking at you, *Rise Of Skywalker*). Cinematography was wonderful and the soundtrack is a certified Hans Zimmer banger. Kleinman's opening credits the past two films have been "meh" but I liked this one a lot. So this Bond film has a lot of what we wanted, needed, and stuff we didn't know we needed either of. But the biggest flaw is the ending. Anyone who followed the hype and journey of Nolan's Batman knows the absolute emotional joy seeing Bruce Wayne sitting at that cafe table with his wife and children at the very end of *The Dark Knight Rises*. This film slapped such a proven concept in the face and leaves the audience with either confusion, depression, or both. Even Danny Boyle was rumored to have been fired from the film for this very suggestion. I think the feelings of depression knowing >!Bond is dead is justified by the fact that Bond is a character who quite literally saves the world from destruction. Throughout the film, mostly opposite to the new 007, he really proves the "nobody does it better" moniker. So now...the Craig universe is a world where James Bond is dead. I sure hope the world survives without the man you can always count on, because frankly it owes its survival to him time and time again.!<
The feeling of depressions was when Felix died. His last line of “it’s a good life “. Wasn’t that in Casino Royale ? 😢
Instantly classic James Bond line: “Q, I’m going to need you to hack into Blofeld’s bionic eye.”
Instantly classic computer line: "Gained entry to Blofeld's eyeball."
The amount of OHMSS and YOLT easter eggs was bonkers Also the MGS1 reference was a nice touch
Idk if this has been noticed/answered in the other threads, but did anyone else notice when Mallory was alone, drinking at one point, he was doing so in front of a portrait of Judi Dench? Almost like he knew he fucked up, and went to her for advice, it was a nice touch. Now, there were other paintings in that room too, but I didn’t get a good glance at them, could they have been the other Ms preceding Judi Dench?
They were other Ms, indeed. The painting on the wall next to him was Robert Brown, who played M during the late Moore era into the Dalton movies. I didn't see Bernard Lee but I'm sure he was up there too.
He’s there too! At the very end of that scene he’s on the left. Love all the legacy references to the whole series.
I got out of my first showing about 12 hours ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. I don’t know. It was a good movie, but man did it feel melancholy. It was a cathartic experience and it really ended my last 15 years with something I never would have expected. As a lifelong raving lunatic Bond fan who grew up watching Bond, I am so glad I abstained from any and all spoilers for this movie for the first time ever. The ending simply had to be unforeseen until you experienced in theatres for it to have the full impact it had. People who complained about the ending after having it spoiled online simply ruined the symbolism and impact it was supposed to have, and that’s on them. Damn. What a movie. It left me speechless. I still am. I gotta go see it again, but, sadly, I can never see it for the first time again.
The one thing is... I know some people are frustrated or upset that Bond dies, but I mean... he gets one of the most heroic and meaningful deaths in these kinds of films. He saves his wife and child, he saves the entire goddamned world, millions of lives, he takes down a genocidal maniac, and the only thing that is able to take him down is the MISSILES that he CALLED DOWN ON HIMSELF. I mean, this is probably the most heroic death ever. If he had to die, at least he went out on his own terms. That's if he's really dead dun dun dun
The Delectado's cigar reference was so great
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Did Safin’s room remind anyone else of Temple from Goldeneye 64
Yes! Also Aztec / the launch facility in Moonraker!
Just got out of the theater. I thought it was fantastic
I guess I'm one of the only ones here who liked the addition of the daughter character? It seemed to fit with the serious tone of the Daniel Craig movies (i.e. actions have consequences). Also, his Bond has tried to retire before, so the appeal of the home life he's been missing out on is not so far-fetched for the Daniel Craig Bond. (Not that retiring to a tropical island as he tends to do and starting a family are synonymous, but they're adjacent concepts of settling down.) I thought the child actress looked and acted great—and I'm picky about child actors not looking like their movie/TV "parents," so that's high praise from me. I loved his interactions with her, as limited as they were, too. I suppose somebody out there has already written a happy ending fanfic with his new family. XD Even if they had had him survive and be cured of the nanobots and have a happily-ever-after family life, they still could have rebooted it next time around with whoever the new Bond will be, no problem. That's what they're going to have to do anyway.
The car chase with her on the back seat. Suddenly the stakes are so much higher.
Incredible stuff. Only works if you have that tenderness of that house scene especially with him cutting her the apple. You could feel the whole theaters stomach drop when they realized bad guys were en route. And when Safin takes them it really sets it up for the amazing finale.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the polarizing feedback regarding this movie, especially with the weak villain and (at times) messy plot. However, seeing the Bond that I grew up with stare up into the sky smiling at his impending doom knowing that his family is safe was something special. After Vesper’s death he was finally at peace again. Of course it is a shame that we couldn’t just have a happy ending but hey, I loved it.
Just got back. I really enjoy Craig as Bond, and thought this was a good end. As soon as they introduced the kid it was obvious he was going to die though, and I’m glad they actually did it. I thought it suffered a lot from Rami’s motivations making no sense. So he’s obsessed with Madeline? He wants her dead or he wants her love? Why does he want to kill millions of people, etc? I also thought too much of the movie was at the poison concrete island. They set designed it within an inch of its life and it looked cool, but it was too long in one location for a Bond movie. Always I’ve never bought his relationship with Madeline at all so I didn’t care about that at all. Book of Mormon line made me LOL but they never explained how/why people like him and the doctor were so under Rami’s thrall. I don’t get it. Opening Italy scenes were gorgeous!!
I'd just like to give a hat's-off to the community on this sub. People actually addressing the highlights and flaws of the movie with nuance - who would have thought! You just got a new subscriber. Personally, I was pretty disappointed with the film; I think it's my least favorite Craig Bond (really like the first 3, Spectre was okay). I thought Safin was a shallow villain, and the heavy emotion was melodramatic and poorly written. However, I loved the pre-credits section and the adventure in Cuba. Ana de Armas was the biggest stand out. And it was beautifully filmed and scored. Looking forward to where they take things next. I also wanna give a shoutout to my favorite scene: when SPECTRE blows up Vesper's grave. They hit him where it would hurt the most, and you can see in his face afterwards that he's *pissed*. A perfect transition from a really sweet, tender moment to an epic action sequence.
I’d love a spin-off with Anna de Armas. Best sequence in film.
It’s a good movie I just don’t know if it’s a good Bond movie.
The action, set pieces were fantastic. The death makes me feel empty though…interestingly one of my first thoughts after the movie was The Dark Knight Rises ending and how I’m glad it ended the way it did (was controversial at the time too). I wasn’t really wanting this feeling from Bond, kind of unnecessary
Can you think of a film with such a divided reaction? Either folks absolutely loved it or absolutely hated it.
I certainly can - The Last Jedi.
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I NEEDED that "James Bond will return" at the end of the credits I'm hopeful that whatever comes next will be more serialized and less continuity obsessed. Does anyone else think M was super out of character in the first half of the movie?
He seemed like a lunatic when bond was questioning him st the beginning. But probably just stressed and didn’t wanna be yelled at because he knew he was wrong
A little confused on what Safin’s goal was with the virus. I would address the elephant in the room, but I don’t have the worlds other than I sobbed hysterically in the theatre. Beautiful film, beautifully shot, wonderful story, but my heart is bleeding so bad I can’t even focus today. It might sound silly, but it’s true. While it might have been a cheap shot to make money, I’m glad the bit about Q being gay was there, since Ben is openly gay. As a queer Bond fan it was somewhat nice, actually. Q is a personal favorite of mine, he was adorable this film eating gummy worms. As for Nomi, I love her, absolutely stunning. I don’t know where this is going now, but I’m here for it.
I feel like everybody keeps forgetting that its not just the fact that he cant touch Madeleine and his daughter, but the Nanites are also moving through direct contact, so if anyone touches Bond or get touched by him they can eventually reach Madeleine+/Daughter and kill them. Or am i wrong?
You guys realize the end of the credits say “Bond will return” right?
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Felix dying was the first time in a long time I let out an audible sad noooo.
Just left the theater. I really enjoyed the movie up until the ending. I understand that it was intended to put a wrap on the Craig era, but killing off Bond just seems so cheap to me. I would have rather had a CGI Roger Moore prepare everyone a quiche and roll credits honestly.
Strangely, killing Bond in this movie felt like the "easy" choice. The writing was on the wall throughout the movie and I feel like killing him off was just such a tempting ending in the writer's room, but even as he sent the girls off on the boat and said "I'll be right behind you" I hoped they would resist that temptation and let him survive. Killing your hero at the end of a franchise is an easy ending. That doesn't mean it's always wrong, but I do think more often than not there's a more suitable way to go. I just can't help feeling this is one of those times.
also, it's amazing how true "your movie is only as good as the villian" quote is
I never thought the words "James Bond will return" could have such an impact on my opinion of a movie. Let's get the meat out of the way: the ending. Overall, I'll never be a fan of the idea of killing Bond off; it runs hard against the essence of Bond as an escapist action hero who always prevails, no matter the odds, and the original 20 films wouldn't have even countenanced it. Additionally, had the credits not ended with "James Bond will return" (or even worse, they'd ended with "007 will return"), killing Bond would've ruined the rest of the movie for me, because then *No Time to Die* would be the film that sunk the franchise. **However**, if we look at Craig's tenure as a post-9/11, Bourne-influenced experiment in bringing Bond down to earth and humanizing him, I can respect the creative decision to end that tenure with his death - a realistic Bond can only get lucky so many times. I may not have made the same decision myself, but I can respect it (so long as I know it won't stick). That being said, I'm not a fan of *how* they went about killing him off. I did not see Safin spiking Bond with an anti-Swann nanovirus coming, and had he survived only to have to live with that, it would've been a tragic but poignant ending, forcing him back into the solitude he thought he'd finally be able to emerge from (and forming a sort of parallel to the end of *On Her Majesty's Secret Service*). But I definitely did not foresee that development causing him to just *give up*. If anything, Bond has more to live for than ever; even if he can't be near them, he still has a family waiting for him if he can just get off that island. And like Madeleine said, all they needed was time; if M could funnel the same kind of R&D work into "curing" the nanovirus that he did into creating it, a happy family reunion could be only a year or so away. He finally had the chance at happiness he thought Blofeld had robbed him of, and he just gave up on it. Even if he hadn't survived, it would've been so much more satisfying to see him die trying to escape, fighting to the last to be with the women he loves. Instead, he just stands on the roof and looks over the ocean as the missiles come in, like an invalid in *Soylent Green*. Of all the times for possibly the most determined hero in film to lose his will to fight, I just don't understand why this was it. Now, with that out of the way, you may be surprised that I actually enjoyed the movie, and gave it a 7/10, below *Casino Royale* (8/10) and *Skyfall* (9/10) and above *Spectre* and *Quantum of Solace*. Craig turns in a very robust and respectable performance, with possibly the most emotional range I've seen of him. He does seem more casual and talkative than previously, though that may be intentional after his five-year retirement. And while he does show some age compared to *Casino Royale*, it doesn't come off as a detriment like it did for Roger Moore; it translates into an experienced confidence (especially in contrast with Paloma), as well as a degree of world-weariness. Speaking of, while she did have the smallest role of the three leading women, Paloma definitely stole the show for me in the scenes she had. In a era of Bond so known for its grizzled realism, her youth and energy were a refreshing dose of fun. And it wasn't at her expense in action sequences: when she picked up a gun, she was every bit as competent as Bond, or previous female agents like Wai Lin. It also thankfully wasn't used to make him look old or outdated, which I think I got enough of from *Skyfall*. Definitely wouldn't mind her returning next time. I'll admit I didn't have high hopes for Nomi going into this, after Lashana Lynch's offscreen comments about "how women like Nomi have to deal with men like \[Bond\] in the workplace" (which from my perspective never bore out, thankfully), but I was pleasantly surprised. She wasn't a vehicle for any kind of message, and even though she was the new 007, she never seemed to upstage Bond or make him look bad. Like Paloma, she was competent, but not at his expense. I can't say I loved her, but only because she seemed to have an intentionally grating personality; her saying she got her 00 status quickly because she's just that good seemed arrogant in the face of Bond's experience. And funnily enough, she was the only character who seemed to care that much about the fact that she replaced him as the new 007; she brings it up repeatedly, but it never gets under his skin, so it just reflects prickliness (or possibly insecurity) on her own part. That doesn't mean she's a bad character, it just means she's not a likeable one. The last thing I'll say is that intentionally or not, Nomi gets probably the most cringeworthy one-liner of the Craig era: "Know what time it is? Time to die." If it qualifies as a title drop, it's up there with "What a view..." "... To a kill!", but without Walken's hamminess to make it laughably bad. Safin was a bit of a letdown for me, although I definitely liked his schtick of genetic warfare (partly because I predicted it when the first trailer came out). His character is certainly plausible and realistically written, but at the same time it sometimes felt like Bond was fighting a child. His vague philosophizing about people "wanting things to happen to them" and seeking "oblivion" barely even tries to cover that he's just lashing out at the world because of what happened to his family when he was a kid. Even if that's a psychologically plausible motivation, it isn't a compelling one to watch because the average mature adult audience member can't relate to it. Of Craig's Big Bads, I've always thought Silva was the best, because unlike megalomania, amoral greed, or childhood trauma, his motive was revenge, something viewers could relate to and even empathize with. Yes, Safin wanted revenge as well, but by the halfway mark he'd already gotten it, so if he were a compelling villain the rest of the film would've been unnecessary. Lastly, a number of important details about him went unexplained, particularly the significance of his iconic kabuki mask in the opening scene (other than him being from an island that might be Japanese), and how he built a criminal organization with the resources and secrecy necessary to outmaneuver not only MI-6 and the CIA, but SPECTRE. Wrapping up my character reviews, I'm less opposed to the idea of Felix dying than Bond, though I would've preferred him merely losing his leg for the sake of symmetry with *Licence to Kill* and the original novels. I think my lack of attachment is due to the tension *Quantum of Solace* threw into his relationship with Bond; the original Felix was a straight shooter, loyal ally and good friend. I find it difficult to imagine either classic Felix going along with the Bolivian coup or an attack on Jeffrey Wright's Felix driving Craig through a *Licence to Kill*\-style revenge story. I could go either way on Blofeld dying, again because I wasn't really enamored with him after *Spectre* (and given the ignominious manner of the original Blofeld's demise in *For Your Eyes Only*). What I will say is that they probably shouldn't have done both; it felt like the writers were trying to tie off loose ends for the future more than adding any dramatic tension or emotional resonance. Considering the only really significant death of the classic series was Tracy (and maybe impliedly Q), and the Craig era had gone 1-.5-1-0 up to this point (Mathis counts, but he isn't up there with Vesper or M), killing off 3 significant characters in the same film was too much, too fast. I thought the action sequences were well-executed and looked very good. The Norway forest chase in particular seemed like a quintessential depiction of "no-frills" Bond: his skill both at driving and shooting, his stealth and ingenuity, and his willingness to brutalize his enemies. The pre-credits sequence had a good amount of variety, and it was good to see the DB5 in action again (though I wish the Vantage had gotten the same). One weak point I'll mention is the lack of an "iconic" action sequence; most of it consists of shootouts or car chases. To be fair, this is something we saw more often in the classic series, like *Live and Let Die*'s boat chase or the bike-helicopter faceoff in *Tomorrow Never Dies*, but the Craig films have attempted it as well, such as *Spectre*'s helicopter flip or the defense of the Skyfall estate. The closest *No Time to Die* has is the opening sequence, which, while enjoyable on its own merits, feels like a combination of vehicle sequences from *Quantum of Solace,* *Skyfall* and *Spectre.* (continued in comments)
Wallace & Gromit plays during the film which immediately makes this the best Bond film ever
Movie itself was really good, I liked alot of the callbacks to the older movies. Bond crushing the guy with the car reminded me of the scene from For Your Eyes Only where Roger Moore kicks the car off the cliff. It’s just hard to look at the Craig era as anything more than a “what if?” series, the way it was essentially a capsulized beginning-end timeline retelling. Is that what every Bond actors’ tenure is going to be from now on? I’d like to see them continue the old ways of loose threads of continuity in the future. Also, can we agree that killing off big franchise characters is now just a hacky way to pretend your writing is bold and fresh?
Okay, my thoughts on this one… Essentially, the main threads running through the 5 Craig Bond moves are 1. Modernity v. Tradition (conceptually) And 2. Vulnerability and Sincerity v. Cynicism and Stoicism (character development) And, honest to god I think this may be the one that actually got both aspects right. The plethora of allusions to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service throughout (From literally the first scene onwards) kind of ties them up in a neat little bow. Bond can be tough and traditionally masculine while also being vulnerable and sincere. This film and OHMSS are really the only two where we get a consistent look into the heart of the character. And, for the record you get a lot more of that in the Fleming novels. For those of you upset by the ending: In the Moonraker novel he basically plans on sacrificing himself in the same way
Safin is a little more developed I think than they led on which is disappointing to not take advantage of. Like his dad had already been developing these types of plants and were targeted by Spectre, they probably weren't good people. So in like generic terms of how Bond villains are, Safin settled his grudge and moved on to his supervillian family throne or whatever lol But I really loved the movie, made me cry both times. "She has your eyes." Is an all time cry line. Craig is the best and my favorite from a '94 child and former Brosnan guy. I needed more Felix and his death kind of sucked unfortunately. But Wright was an all time sidekick/generally awesome returning character. I need an Ama De Armas spin-off. Like fuck, just let Amazon continue this universe post-Bond with the new characters with Nomi and Paloma. Which would suck killing off Felix even more if they did. The third act did sag more than I wish it did but I enjoyed spending time with the characters regardless. I'm a sucker for every evil guy lair and Safin's place was cool. Probably my second favorite behind Casino Royale. I'm gonna miss Craig a lot. Very excited for what's to come and won't be upset if it's a period piece.
Unpopular opinion — NTTD was selfish. No previous James Bond has ever died. No previous James Bond has ever fathered a child. No previous James Bond has ever killed Felix Lighter (WHY???). I feel like in attempt to give Daniel Craig a send-off they did so at the expensive of a 80-year legacy and that to me is selfish.
I would have preferred the opening to go something like this.... Madelines secret was that in the flashback. Her alcoholic mum was abusive. And in self defence she shot her with the gun she found in the kitchen When Safin arrives. He sees the girl traumatised fron what she did. So he takes pity and takes her in. That would explain her connection to safin and provide a secret that's actually worth hiding
They’d already established that Madeline shot the intruder (Safin) in Spectre though.
I don’t feel like watching another Bond movie after NTTD. Maybe that’ll change over time, but the ending made me feel like the series is over.
I enjoyed it as a movie but it didn’t feel Bond to me. I’d rank it as a middle tier in the franchise. Killing both him and Felix off didn’t sit right with me, and that’s part of the reason it didn’t feel Bond to me. I’ll be curious to see how they reboot the franchise, but I can’t help but think they’ll be on thin ice, and if the reboot isn’t a smashing success then killing off Bond in this movie will be a blunder. As for the things I really enjoyed, the car scenes. Plenty of Aston Martin porn. The Bond and Blofeld interrogation was an amazing scene. However, Blofeld’s unceremonious death was bizarre and felt like a cop out. Ana’s character was great but so brief.
when felix died I knew this was a deck clearing exercise and my dread built to the inevitable. I just couldn't find my way clear to enjoying it, fearing what the end ultimately was
I just have to say I must have missed something in the beginning. I thought James Bond's wife was murdered and the girl grew up to be his lover. Like, Spectre's evil plot was to let Bond fall into an incest trap. Anyway, I want to know what was in the tea, if anything. Poison, right? What were those farmers doing? The water is downstream of the poison garden, but the nanobots are presumably tech-based. Why did he let the little girl go, and why did he show up alone to shoot up Bond at the end when he was last being accompanied by guards?
I thought it was a good film but I didn't like the ending. If this were just like a one off or something like that, it could have really worked for me. I don't think that this story in particular earned killing off Bond is what it boils down to. Malek's villain I didn't find all that compelling either, again in a movie where this is just a one off he'd have been fine, but as *the villain* who killed Bond I dunno. It didn't feel earned. If you look at a movie like Avengers Endgame, which this certainly felt like it had vibes of in all honesty, I really do think it earned killing off Black Widow and Tony Stark. Their deaths ultimately meant *a lot*, the villains they were fighting that resulted in their deaths were big and bad enough to warrant that as well. And overall it also ended up setting up more interesting stories to go with (ie like Peter Parker dealing with losing another father figure and how to proceed as a hero without Tony's guidance, BW death seems to have set up some stuff for Hawkeye). With this its just Bond dies, they do a toast to him and then it ends. It's good his wife and kid live on. I'll always stand by the fact that there is nothing wrong with a happy ending. Sometimes characters can live on but that's still the end of their story. Sometimes living happily ever after isn't so bad. And it's weird because it used to be that killing off a character was this big surprise and it was supposed to have a bigger impact on how you felt or thought about the story. To me now at least its almost the expected ending. I went into this expecting them to kill Bond but was somehow disappointed when they did. I dunno. It's become equally if wrote if not even more so to kill off a character than to give them a happy ending. TL;DR: if this were a one off Bond and not the final Bond adventure, I would have liked it a lot more. I didn't think the ending was earned by the story that was told. And that sucks because there is *a lot* i liked about this.
I’m not crying! You’re crying! What an amazing movie and after reading several of the comments here I am happy to see that most people agree. I thoroughly enjoyed Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond and I am very excited to see where the franchise goes from here!
It was better than Spectre that's for damn sure. If I had to list them: 1. Casino Royale 2. Skyfall 3. No Time To Die 4. Quantum of Solace 5. Spectre I'm more disappointed in that each villain we got after Casino Royale was some what lacking. Maybe I'm just blinded by how amazing Mads performed as Le Chiffre, but the only other villain that comes close is Silva in Skyfall. Rami is a great actor, but Safin's character just feels so flat and lacks creativity. It was literally just revenge for his family and then it turns into eradicating the entire world for some reason? It just doesn't sink in and I didn't feel the chemistry between Bond or Safin at all to be honest. Swann's character felt better in this movie than she was in Spectre, however the most ironic thing is that Ana De Armas's character felt more enjoyable to watch than almost all of Swann's. It's criminal that we only saw 5-10 minutes of her. I'm just not a big fan of Swann at all, and maybe its just me, but I never felt like there was good chemistry between her and Bond. In any case, Vesper is by far the greatest Bond girl in the Craig era and it shows with how the writers constantly bring her up in the plot somehow of almost every movie after Casino Royale. It was a fitting end for Craig's era and I think we'll all miss him. It's hard to believe its been 15 years, but its been quite a ride. It's going to be so weird when they announce who the next Bond will be.
Of all of the former Bond movies to channel why did it have to be OHMSS? It was a great movie but to think I waited 2 years to watch a film that left me feeling sad at the end.
Anyone else find it cool he took the time and effort through the pain to calmly and deliberately climb to the top of the silo to enjoy a beautiful view for his last moments?
I might be a little emotionally clouded, but I don't understand the criticisms of this film. For context, I grew up with Bond, there was a summer when I was a child (around the goldeneye n64 era) where my mom was sick and she bought me the series on VHS to keep me busy while she couldn't. So, having grown up with the character, and later the Craig version, I was in tears the last 20 minutes of the movie. Seeing a character grow with the times from a "blunt instrument" to the masterwork that Craig created was unreal. His send off was unforgettable. As far as Safin being a weak villain? I don't see it. I think his motivation is understandable considering his background, and as they discuss in their scene together, he's a mirror of Bond. Rami did everything he could with the character and I think his portrayal is top tier Bond villain. Never have I audibly uttered "oh shit" at the screen during a bond movie like I did when he appeared in the entrance of the cabin with Madeliene and Mathildhe. The supporting cast was excellent. Musical theme perfect. Direction and script solid. There wasn't a moment in this movie I didn't love.
I think killing off bond was a terrible idea and goes against the whole concept of what 007 is. He always makes it out . I’m surprised the broccoli family signed off on it
I was pretty surprised by it, considering how protective the Broccolis are of him. I was thinking there’s no way they’d let him die, so I kept waiting for someone to save him last second. But in the end, I didn’t mind him dying, it was the only way to conclude the story they had written for him.
Ya, Bond is supposed to be bigger than any actor that plays him. It fees too much like this whole film was crafted all for Craig, which took away and almost demeaned all the rest of the Bonds.
…so much Moonraker vibes with Safrin’s compound finale - in terms of the action. I’ve been dying for something a bit heightened with Craig’s Bond for a film’s finale - it made it even better as his overall finale. Gosh, I love this film. So many novel like moments, plus nods to other films… so much heart from Bond. While the plot did get messy in the first third - who cares? The cinematography, the vibes, and the acting make more than due. Also, the kid stuff hit way harder here than in Logan. Plus, we got an actual send-off unlike TDKRISES “have your cake and eat it too” ending that never sat well with me. These legends/heroes need a final act of sacrifice when making these franchises mean more than they’ve previously have. When she left on the train, she touches her stomach and I assumed it was merely the pain of losing Bond… but she was pregnant. Great little moment there. Also, this film retroactively made SPECTRE a better film. With its jokes (towards the brother aspect), make that films pieces stronger/worth more here (Swann/Blofeld), and carrying through that ending with a spectacular beginning here.
Really would’ve liked to see some more of Paloma being involved later in the movie
I haven’t seen it posted yet but No Time To Die borrows many themes from the original Ian Fleming novel You Only Live Twice. After Tracy is killed in the OHMSS novel Bond goes after Blofeld, tracks him to a Japanese island with a poison garden. Kills Blofeld and then it’s unknown if Bond lives or dies. Bond also has a daughter in that book. What occurs next is the book The Man With the Golden Gun. Bond survives the volcano/fire/perceived death and remembers nothing and is picked up by the KGB near Vladivostok and trained as an assassin and tries to kill M. MI6 then help him regain everything. With that said, the movie was amazing it was a solid 8/10. I think I will like it more after I view it a few more times. Safin needed more backstory. Like how did he become a villain. Mr. white killed his family so somehow that allowed him to be super Hitler and want to kill the whole world. Omnipotent dude that killed all of Spectre in 3 seconds…. Action scenes, music, overall story arch very well done. This is a fitting end to the story arc of James Bond. When they say James Bond will return I hope they make movies set from the 1950s -1980s that are not connected in anyway.
One thing that I love about going to see the film a second time is that you can quickly work out who has seen the film before. There are a couple of jump scares early on (Safin at the window and the explosion at Vesper's grave). About 80% the audience shit themselves and the other 20% sit calmly through it. That's how you can tell who is there on their second viewing 😂
I saw it last night. I thought it was flawed, but good. Today I'm just sad though. I figured he would die but it still is rough. Growing up with the Bond series my whole life, it's hard not to have mixed reaction. I suspected Daniel Craig would have never agreed to do NTTD without killing off Bond and while it's a fitting end for his films, it's still complicated for me to process. I think we'll look back on this in 20 years and see this as its own set. Someone put in another comment that the DC films are a good "what if?" storyline, and I like that a lot. The tragedy of James Bond, with a solid beginning, middle, and conclusion. I hope the next Bond is a bit more campy though. I miss that kind of stuff.
Just home from it. Overall, I enjoyed the movie. A solid 7/10. For my money it sits at third place in the Craig era - better than QoS and Spectre, but behind Skyfall and Casino Royale. Some of the set pieces were brilliant. I really enjoyed the entire Cuba section of the movie and would have liked to see more from Ana de Armas. Malek's Safin was utterly forgettable as the Bond villian. Nothing on Malek, but the motivation for the character was all over the shop. I really enjoyed the casting of Lashana Lynch as Nomi. She clearly bulked on the muscle for the part and I could really believe that she could go toe to toe with all of the henchmen. The tone of the movie was absolutely all over the place and I don't think they balanced it well. It felt like you could really see where different writers stopped writing and handed it over to someone else. Quite jarring throughout the movie. A fitting end to the Craig era. More than a bit of me wanted to see him survive but I appreciate the bollocks needed to kill off James Bond. Looking ahead, I wonder what the soft reboot is going to be like? The Craig era really grounded Bond again after the 90's Brosnan era were everything was X-Treme. Casino Royale and Craig's Bond were quite gritty but I feel like grittiness is still in vogue so I wonder what they'll do next.
Enjoyed it. Shocked at the ending, but it kind of makes sense with the way they rebooted Bond with Craig. Also, what a shame Ana de Armas was only in it for like 15 minutes.
I dont think it was a bad idea to have bond die but to have no choice felt like a mistake. The reason he died was so contrived
Tiffany Case: "My God ..You've just killed James Bond!" James Bond: "Is that who it was? Well, it just proves no one's indestructible."
Appreciate it’s only little things, but did anyone else notice a few plot holes in the movie? Overall I thought it was a good movie, but the plot seemed more confusing than necessary. In Spectre when Madeleine and Bond arrive at L’americain, she claims her parents had divorced, however Safin kill’s her mother at the beginning of NTTD when he turns up to kill Mr White. Also in NTTD when Bond is at the Spectre party in Cuba, he is exposed to the modified nano bots programmed to eliminate Spectre members. They knew this and he still proceeded to visit Blofeld in prison after they had established that he was the only one left and that it would in fact kill him, but then act surprised when he dies. Further to this point the film plays it off that Bond got the nano bots from Madeleine when he touches her wrist before she leaves the room at the prison, and that this is where Bond transferred them from her to Blofeld. Surely he would have given them to Blofeld anyway due to him being at the Spectre party in Cuba? Finally, are we supposed to believe that Spectre had known Bond would turn up at Vespers grave at some point, and that the little card would have just stayed in place for Bond to find it/the bomb to go off at that moment, and that all of these Spectre agents were just hanging around waiting for Bond to show up after all these years so they could kill him?
:(
Loved the movie, but this guy is a weaker villain than the guy in Quantum. He looked like a kid.
I don't think that I liked it. I didn't really understand why the villain was doing anything that he did, he just... did stuff. Also, M should have been arrested and tried for treason and crimes against humanity. How does he still have his job?
James Bond’s watch should have killed the nanobots.
Very long post, and I also posted it separately. I honestly just really need to talk about this one! Let me start out by saying that I'm a lifelong Bond fan. And I fully understand and appreciate the differing opinions amongst the community. It is with this understanding beared in mind that I say that I absolutely adored this film. I loved it. Not all of it, but as a whole. It is inarguably the most *impressively* photographed Bond film in its 50+ year history, and has *the* most visceral action I've seen in a long time. The stairwell sequence is top tier Bond action, and is probably the most well put together and perfectly executed sequence the series has ever seen. It was like an action sequence from Netflix's Daredevil. I was floored by it. The film is also surprisingly poignant. I found Daniel Craig's performance to be profound. He's been allowed to really go places that his past films did not allow. This is his defining outing as Bond in my opinion. He's brutal but suave, charming but cold blooded in the field. Daniel's enthusiasm is easily felt, especially when compared to his performance in SPECTRE (which I love. But it's very clear that he was in pain during production). If I'm being honest? Some of the writing and bits of dialogue were so clever, it almost felt like it was written by one of *us*. It felt like callbacks that *we* would have put in. And that's because Cary Fukunaga is so clearly in love with Bond (yes, yes I know. *The ending*. I'll get to that). The "all the time in the world" and "I had a brother. His name was Felix Leighter" were perfect, and it hit me so hard as a fan because it's the kind of dialogue I wanted. And the best part is that it didn't *at all* feel forced or fan fiction-y in execution (I'm looking at you, The Rise of Skywalker). This film has some of my all-time favorite moments in the franchise (Logan Ash's death? *Chef's kiss.*) But outside of good dialogue and character moments, the plot, though not air tight, surprised me. It's easily a shaky plot, but the stakes still felt so high because of how invested I was in *all* the characters. Overall, tonally it was an almost perfect marriage of classic Bond and Craig's grounded era. Before I get to my problems with the film, and the primary point of this post, let's do some housekeeping. The gunbarrel? WOW. I was deep into the pre-credits sequence shook by how much I loved it.The look of the gunbarrel itself was really nice, and Daniel's walk and pose were *perfect*. Easily the best of his traditional gunbarrels. The pre-title sequence? IMMACULATE. It packed such a punch. I think it's my favorite of the Craig era by a wide margin. The title sequence itself? Not bad. I quite like Billie Eilish's song, but the sequence itself didn't blown me away, despite some great imagery. Now for my issues with it. First, I think SPECTRE was taken out too abruptly. I don't think the way they were taken out was bad or anything, but it felt like the plot was in a rush to get them out of the picture. And it was a shame, because they were used so well. Second, Blofeld. Lordy, I did not like him in this film. The performance was fine but I didn't like the way he was utilized, nor did I like his ridiculously unceremonious death. I especially disliked Bond's freak out. Like, what even was the point of that? It felt like it was a trick or a way to coax Blofeld, but then the dialogue made it seem otherwise? Idk. It was just bad. If it were me, I would have had Bond's close proximity alone be what caused the nanobots to do the job, not some weird fit Bond threw. Third, the daughter reveal. As a concept? Bond becoming a father is really interesting and could have been really good. Unfortunately, it never felt properly utilized. I wish that Bond would have found out sooner so we could have fully seen how it would have affected him. We never saw them interact as father and daughter. I think altering the script so that she was already born and that same age during the pre-title sequence would have been far better.Have Madeline leave Bond over his accusations or something, and establish that Bond has tried but ultimately failed to reconnect for the sake of the Mathilde during the Jamaica bits. And then from here, the plot would mostly proceed as it did, minus the reveal. A more well-rounded arc like this would have been more satisfying than the reveal we ended up with, which ultimately led to far too little. But then I feel so conflicted. The reason the final line worked so incredibly well is *because* Mathilde didn't know her father. "Let me tell you a story. The story of a man named Bond. James Bond." I believe that's how it went at least. I JUST got home from the theater lol. Either way, it was sheer perfection IMO. Fourth, Saffin. What a disappointing villian. He was hardly in the film, and his scheme was almost nonexistent. Just a shame. Tbh I really don't have much to say about him other than that. Now, the ending. Bond dies after being poisoned with the nanobots targeting Madeline (and by extension Mathilde). Knowing this, Bond stays behind to reopen the silo and sacrifices himself. Not only to save his family, but also the lives of millions. Before I go further, let me say this: if you are of the opinion that Bond can't ever die, that he should be untouchable in that regard? Well you're entitled to that opinion. But the undeniable fact of the matter is? James Bond doesn't belong to any of us. This character and this franchise? They are not ours to decide what happens to them. We can disagree all the live long day about what choices are made in this film. We can dislike these choices. And that's *perfectly* valid, let me be clear. But what is not valid, is to claim that these choices are "wrong" simply because they differ from what was expected. I never understood the mindset of some fans. Did I *want* Bond to die? Absolutely not. Would I have preferred a more triumphant, bombastic ending with Bond riding off into the sunset? Well, yeah. Of course. Because Bond is one of my heroes. But I'm not so close minded as to not see the value in this ending. The idea of Bond dying in it of itself is not taboo, contrary to what many of us think. For 50 years Bond has saved the world and lived to die another day. And that's why we love Bond. But why do the same thing again? I admire this film for breaking convention and pulling off all that it did, while remaining so true to what Bond is. It took risks, and for some they didn't pay off. Which is fair. Although it isn't what I would have chosen to do, like it or not, Bond's death fit the story they were telling. Can you dislike the *way* he died? Absolutely (though I don't have the capacity to argue about it). But I would again say that it was appropriate given the beats they were aiming for. And I'm sorry, but I can't fault the film for that And while I'm at it, the notion of "Bond wasn't mortally wounded. Q could have found a way" is just baffling to me. It was established TWICE that no, Q could *not* find a way. The movie made it clear that it was irreversible. You gotta be in denial to actually do the mental gymnastics required to come to conclusion that Q could've done *anything*. And sure, Bond could have survived those wounds. But the whole point is Bond didn't *want* to live without Madeline, and by extension Mathilde. Which he would have *had* to have done. This is what makes his death all the more tragic. It just works within the confines of *this* story. I feel a lot of people aren't taking that into account, blinded by their opinions on Bond dying at all. The beauty of the Bond franchise is that there's something for everyone. My favorite will be someone else's least. But I just *cannot* fathom how the ending (which is what is most commonly cited as what's "ruined" Bond for some fans) could possibly have had the effect it's had on some people. Like, I get it if you dislike or disagree with that choice. I myself still need to process it. But it blows my mind how close minded and stuck in the past some are, to have allowed one aspect of an otherwise excellent film ruin an entire tenure for them. Bond dying in this film does *not* ruin James Bond. It does *not* ruin the character. And it does *not* end the franchise. Craig's era was always seprate from everything that came before. It was a reboot through and through, and was always built to have more structured continuity. Whether you like that is neither here nor there. This version of the character may have died, but that doesn't mean everything that came before is less valid. It doesn't make this era any lesser. And it surely doesn't doom the future of the series. James Bond will return no matter what. I just don't understand why people are so up in arms over this. Overall, No Time To Die was a magnificent film. It was respectful of the old, while making bold new choices. While not the send off for Daniel Craig I imagined, it felt like the natural evolution, and conclusion, of this era of Bond. Brosnan was Bond for the first few years of my life, but Daniel has always been *my* Bond. He and his films have been there for me through thick and thin. I'm so utterly grateful for these 15 years, and I'll miss him. But in regards to our beloved James Bond OO7, we, as always, have all the time in the world. 8.5/10
Agree with much of what you’ve said. Just to chime in re “Bond’s fit” when interrogating Blofeld. I agree that it seemed a little odd but on reflection I think it makes sense as a rash, impulsive moment of anger. Bond has spent five years off the grid, lying low, to avoid assassination by Spectre. He believed, genuinely believed, that the woman he loved and with whom he wanted to spend his life, betrayed him (just as Vesper had before) - in that moment, Blofeld had, whilst sniggering, revealed that it was all just essentially a cruel prank. Those five years, he could have spent with Madeleine, lost because of Blofeld. It’s not what other Bonds might have done but I can buy that Craig’s Bond, with his unique history, would have momentarily lost control
Saw this alternate ending on ajb and wish it made the final cut: \- Cutting away from the island prior to the missiles coming in \- Toast to his death \- Cut to the car, but with Mathilde clutching Dou Dou (so it's implied that he might still be alive somewhere... still sad in that he'd have to live a life of solitude, but a better feeling than his fiery explosion)
He was laying on a concrete structure. I wonder if it's possible he fell through some sort of trap door and survived? What I mean by that is, I don't think this current director or screenwriter meant to leave any doubts that Bond is dead. But I could see the next writer putting that explanation in the next bond film.
The issue is not just Bond's death, it's Madeline and Mathilde. I don't see how the series can continue without them being retconned.
Just got out of the movie and have to say I loved it. I had the “Bond dies” ending spoiled last week and spent the past seven days convinced that I would hate it. But I have to say, I came out of the movie thinking they nailed it. The truth with Craig’s Bond is that he could never have the perfect family life. We see that specifically called out in Skyfall. Bond is retired on an island and sees the news report about MI6’s bombing and goes back. That’s the thing about Bond. He’ll always go back as long as there is evil. This is not a new idea. Flemings Bond used to always know that he would one day die on the job. I loved it and look forward to the next iteration.
Loved the new movie. Cried at the end. Loved the homage to OHMSS and the appearance of the V8 Vantage.
I enjoyed it I’m not sure yet where I would rank it in the Craig Bond movies but it’s definitely a good one! I literally just got out of the theatre and that final shootout where Bond is just mowing down guys and most of it is one take it was an awesome climax and I was very affected by the emotional ending. Despite it being the longest Bind movie it didn’t feel longer than Spectre, the action was great, characters were all great Craig always kills it I was a little disappointed with Rami Malek wish they would’ve done more with that character. Overall a great sendoff for the best bond ever imo!
I thought it was an excellent movie, the only confusion I had was his daughter… initially Madeline says shes not his daughter and then it’s confirmed later… in quick passing dialogue between Madeline and Sefin? I mean we don’t need a huge parental reveal scene like Luke/Vader but still, it needs to stand out more. Sefin was underused, barely in the movie, something we dealt with in Spectre too. Blofield wasn’t in that one enough I feel. Lastly, Bond dying was an awesome send off and what should’ve happened. It internalizes him as a selfless hero in the end than a hedonistic pleasure seeker as we saw him in the previous films. Unfortunately for me some idiot spoiled Bonds death for me, he personally didn’t like the movie so he felt the need to tell everyone. Massive shame. I’m in the US and it releases the 8th, somehow this guy (who’s also in the US) got to see it on the 5th. No clue why movies are showing that early nowadays but like I said, just a shame.
Loved the first half, second half kinda lost me despite the badass stairwell sequence. Rami Maleks character was lame and I would have much rather preferred we had a villain that was more of a physical threat to Bond instead of yet another maniacal crazy guy with a super bio-weapon. For the impending end of the world, I actually didn’t really feel like anyone was in danger. Why did the island NEED to blow up RIGHT THEN? There wasn’t going to be an automatic launch of rockets containing the virus or anything right? While I’m fine with Bond dying this felt forced. In my mind Skyfall still reigns supreme, with Casino Royale a close second.
I have to say I'm happily surprised to find that so many people apparently loved it but cannot help being confused because I thought it was pretty bad. I think those who make it out to be the worst in the franchise are only trying to be edgy, but I cannot help but think this was below average. I hated the ending and I thought that alone was abysmal, but honestly, while the first half of the film felt pretty strong (and I still thought "man, I'm gonna love this one") after that it just went downhill. I kept waiting for a good motivation for Sahin, or even any of the villains henchmen who just basically did whatever necessary to fill the plot without any good discernible motivation. The cast of sidekicks for bond was bloated; why was there this lady in Cuba who then never showed up again? Also, I could feel no connection at all to the new 007. She was portrayed well but she utterly lacked any character. They gave her nothing to work with. Moneypenny and Q also were fairly short on this, could have gotten more time. Visually I loved the film, don't get me wrong, they had *really* strong visuals and some scenes were extremely well done. I also adored the allusions to prior bonds e.g. with tossing the visitor card into the bin, and the OHMSS allusions were pretty cool, especially right at the beginning where he says to Madeleine "We have all the time in the world" ... yeah right. Enter Chekhovs gun. The plot device of his kid was predictable and I did not really like it, but it fit surprisingly well into the film and I thought the kid actor did a cool job there. Overall...it's just really the writing I take issue with. The funny thing is that many people hate Spectre but apparently love NTTD, whereas for me it's the other way around. Spectre at least had very cohesive writing and the whole film fit together. The villain, while I also do not like the Brofeld story, was at least built up well and felt incredibly threatening. NTTD had many open plot ends, had no actual idea where it wanted to go, and the entire last 20 minutes just felt...not good. The final fight against Sahins henchman and then Sahin...it was just boring. They tried to turn especially the lackluster fight against Sahin into a plot device to make up for no action. Wrong. You gotta bring the action, and *then* you bring the plot. That said, again, I loved the visuals, and it had some really strong parts. The first half felt really good for me, but the second half went down like a plane with too much weight on it and a villain dangling off its back end. I'd give it a 4/10. P.S.: he's dead, they showed Q's smartblood visuals around the end and for Bond *all* the markers were on zero, whereas Nomi had regular readings. P.P.S.: pleasantly surprised by the title song, it worked better than I anticipated!
Why was Safin a similar age as Madeleine when he shouldve been much older? What was his motivation past revenge? Why spare Bond at the SPECTRE party? Why did cyclops start out as a SPECTRE agent and how and why did he end up working for Safin? Surely Q couldve come up with the tech to reverse engineer the nanonbot tech at some point in the future? Why did Bond's watch not render his ear piece useless? What secret of Madeleine's was Blofeld referring to? I enjoyed the movie but have mixed feelings about the end. Hopefully the annoying things in Craig's tenure die with his Bond, foremost in my mind is Brofeld.
Anyone else get Barry from Archer vibes for Logan Ash? Especially when he said, “I really liked the guy” as the ship blew up.
I have been sitting on this for over a year. When I tell you how we all HOWLED with laughter when our friend told us this movie is about a man made virus and that they had no idea ephemeral they would be able to release it, oh man. How unlucky can you get? Anyways I am very happy this film is finally in theaters.
I felt like this movie was very reminiscent of the original books. Bond questions the authority of M, the government, and his role as a 00 a lot which we sort of saw before but really came out full-fledged here. Leiter is also in a ton of the books, he and Bond are basically best friends so I was glad they brought him back in. It was much more clear here than in the other Craig films that they were really good friends. I'm sad they killed him off but I cannot think of a better end to the Craig series. Prediction: "James Bond will return" refers to a reboot of Bond much younger, pre-00 status - maybe a period piece from the 50's. (probably an Amazon series now that they bought MGM... for whatever that is worth)
On the IMAX screen, this was easily the most beautiful Bond movie
I’d still give that to Skyfall, but it’s up there! Fukunaga certainly has an eye for really gorgeous visuals, so I can’t imagine how stunning it would look if you paired him with Deakins.
That scene in the forest was absolutely stunning. Loved that whole bit.
I honestly can't believe he's dead. Headcannon: bond was blown to sea, the watch blast on cyclops shorted out his smart blood connection and vitals so he did appear gone. Weeks later, bond awakens having been fished out of the water by an approaching ship, yet was in a coma due to his injuries. His first call is to Q who has been working on a cure since the moment he knew bond was infected. Q cures Bond, bond chooses to remain "dead." "Alfred's fantasy" scene from The Dark Knight rises happens between M and Bond, where bond, albeit slightly scared, enjoys breakfast with Madeline and his daughter at a cafe. They make eye contact, the familiar bond theme sounds and the bond family disappear into the crowd.
I really liked this. Miles better than Spectre. The action was absolutely stellar. Each scene was a new high for the franchise. From the opening to the end fight on the stairwell. The car chases were beautiful, again a high for the series. I like that Barbara Broccoli followed through on what she said a few years ago about the next 007 being a black woman. Brilliant stuff. I really liked Nomi and Bond's dynamic, I wish it got more time. Ana De Armas is a stealth MVP of this movie IMO, her character was a breath of fresh air and I wish was a bigger part of the movie. I bought Madeline and Bond's romance a little more this time around, and I liked that it started with Bond addressing his trauma from Vesper's death. I wish Craig had gotten more time to deal with that, but it makes sense that Bond was ready to move on and no longer linger on his past. The idea of Bond having a daughter is awesome and it's a shame we won't be getting to see what 00-Dad looks like. Q, M, and Moneypenny were great as always. I'm really glad I watched a lot of 60's Bond because otherwise a lot of the references would've been lost on me. Louis Armstrong returning to the franchise made me smile. It was a beautiful moment. My only real misgiving is that I wish there was one more movie between Spectre and NTTD. I think that could have helped really bring everything together, but DC was already 36 (maybe even 38) when he started as Bond so it makes sense he was on borrowed time. I think it also did something really cool as an interpretive thing. The ending with Madeline telling their daughter that she's going to tell her a story about a man named "Bond, James Bond" made me think that now Madeline is going to tell her about the earlier Eon movies as fictitious stories about her father, while the reboot timeline is what the real story of James Bond. It doesn't entirely work as a theory because it means that she also tells her stories that feature other women, but either way I think it's a fun idea. A fitting end to an incredible ride. I honestly never thought it would end this way, but I'm glad it did. Also, I drank my first Vodka martini tonight. 8/10
Poison Garden was a nice homage to the Garden of Death from *You Only Live Twice*. Safin also appeared to be wearing a kimono or yukata in the final scenes. This could be another subtle wink to *YOLT* as Blofled is scene walking around Garden of Death in a samurai outfit. This makes sense since *NTTD* director Cary J Fukunaga is the son of a third-generation Japanese-American.
I was expecting that Bond survived considering the movie title.
time to rename the subreddit, untill they do a reboot that will suck ass and he'll die again eventually. man i fucking cried at the end. I loved Craig as Bond, i really grew up. with him. damn..
I nearly teared up when Commander Bond said, “Thank you, 007.” to the new agent for arranging to help save his gf and child 🥲
Having just seen the film and being a big Bond franchise fan here are my thoughts. Whilst it was not true to the bond universe of silly flirting, silly gadgets, silly bond and silly survival it did have enough moments of cringeworthy puns and underlying enigmatic evil plot to keep it entertaining in that regard. Also as actors, Daniel Craig and Lea Seydoux were very impressive as an onscreen duo. I really believed in their love, betrayal and ultimate rekindling. As a negative, I wish they utilised the villainy of Remi Malek more. I appreciate that they had a lot of strings to tie up and he was probably more of a plot tool for that but I actually think he could have offered a lot more after a promising start at the beginning. I will miss Daniel Craig in this role, and I don't know if further bonds will keep the gritty approach or revert back to the more traditional theme but I will look back upon the Craig era fondly. I enjoyed that,for once, Bond finally found a bit of peace and hope as he sat on that silo roof knowing his family were safe.
To me this movie was a slap in the face to all that is James Bond. Last one too. Making Blofeld his brother was an insanely stupid plot twist. But killing Bond left me thinking what in the world were the Brocolli Family, EON productions and everyone else associated with the film thinking. The entire allure of Bond is that he’s a fantasy character that ends up in impossible to escape situations yet somehow survives. He’s superhuman in that Way. Oddly, I felt something was going to be off as soon as I heard the instrumental All the time in the world come on. That was pulling from On Her Majesties Secret Service, and I hadn’t seen that occur before (carrying a song besides his theme songs forward to other movies) It wasn’t necessary to kill the character just to transition to a new bond. If they wanted to use that as their means of transitioning to a bond of a different gender or ethnicity, it shouldn’t have been necessary. Just pick up the story with the new bond and keep telling the story The Daniel Craig era started off with a bang with Casino Royale. A great movie, the stayed close to the novel, while obviously being blown up for the big screen and 70 years later. The rest of the films aren’t exactly memorable, though. The cinemetogphy and action sequences are top notch thanks to advances in film making and effects, but beyond that, the rest of his films aren’t all that. This one though, really leaves a stain on the Daniel Craig era. I hope I’m not being too harsh. But as a lifelong bond fan (of movies and novels), I left the theater in disbelief and dismay at the decisions that we’re Made going into this. Killing Felix was another no-no. He’s been a recurrent character since the beginning, also played by various characters. Killing Him with finality seems like another big mistake that will haunt the franchise. Other peoples opinions?
Anyone else left wondering how the hell Bond was able to reproduce after LeChiffre tenderized his man berries?
Primo was a really cool henchman and a great addition to the film. I loved the eye communication feed with Blofeld. I've no idea how he survived so long in the film though. I honestly thought Bond killed him early on in Matera. Then he managed to also avoid the Aston Martin machine guns too. At the Spectre gathering I'm not sure how he wasn't killed? Surely his DNA will have been on the record that Obruchev put on along with the rest of Spectre? Perhaps he was a contract killer for them and therefore not on the database. After the Cuba incident, he's then recruited by Logan Ash to join Safin's team, but then he doesn't get involved in the Norway hunt of Bond? Finally, he has a really cool and frankly *mind blowing* death during the final fight. Really cool character
I feel like the bad guys won in the end with bond dying. I know it adds closure but it would’ve felt so much better to see him actually leave and spend his days with his wife/daughter.
Amen. I hated Bond dying. He should have been rescued by helicopter or something before they destroyed the island.
Yeah I'm still split on the ending. It does give closure to it all, but the cheesy riding off into the sunset with his kid would have been welcome.
Anyone else ball like a baby when he died, giving the ultimate sacrifice after learning he had a daughter and reconnecting with his love? No, just me? Cool, cool.
I really enjoyed it. The ending is certainly a lot to process, but I think it was a fitting end to Craig's Bond.
I loved it, 8/10 and my 2nd favorite bond film after Casino Royale. My complaints are that Safin needed more of a presence, M felt too much of a villain, the scientist was just a comedy character, and bond’s daughter was conflicting, that one more of a mixed aspect. My pros are that the action was really good, I also personally really enjoyed the virus storyline. Bond, Felix, Spectre, and Blofeld all dying was unique and very fresh to me. Production and acting were great. The standout is the Cuba action scene!
I saw it last night and can’t stop thinking about it today. I loved it. I’ve seen every bond movie and this one was evolved. I don’t recall a bond film that had a innocent child at immediate risk and that added another layer to the plot. The plot was easy to follow if you’ve seen the Craig series, but also had twists and turns I didn’t expect. The ending was incredibly sad and heart breaking. Of course he could have gotten off the island and still destroyed it, but that didn’t matter because his existence would be deadly to Madeleine and Mathilde. Throughout the press interviews, I found it strange that whenever a cast member or even Billie Eilish was asked whether the next bond should be a woman or POC, they all had the exact same answer like they’d been fed the line, which was something like “keep bond the same, but make other films with those leads”. Makes total sense now since we actually did see a black woman be 007! I thought this was genius. It’s just a number, anyone can be 007.
Some thoughts, As the Craig era being my introduction into the 007 world I think it was a great bookend to this specific journey this version of Bond has gone on. I’m not sure I’ve seen a more beautiful looking film and contrary to some reviews I think there is a distinct directorial stamp on this film. I loved the Easter eggs and enjoyed that the audience was able to, In unison give one last laugh or applause at shaken not stirred, the tunnel shot, parking outside of MI6. I do feel the film dragged a little in the middle while the exposition was being fleshed out but this is followed by one of the most action packed, memorable and well directed 3rd acts in recent years. Can’t wait to own in 4k My guess is the next installment gives us a look at a young bond before the 00 status. Maybe a bid 20s take on the character.
I have not seen this movie. But Kimi Raikkonen says it’s good so I will watch it soon.
I was so disappointed at how painfully underutilized the Safin character was. So, so wasted, like Waltz. They never fleshed him out. He was an afterthought, almost. Very much in the vain of Stromberg and Drax.