"No Time To Die”: The Return of Bond and the Blockbuster

Photo by Felipe Bustillo on Unsplash

It's been almost a year and a half since the original planned opening of the highly anticipated “No Time To Die”, the epic swan song to the Daniel Craig 007 Era. The latest installment in the James Bond series was one of the first films to be delayed by the pandemic and was continually pushed back as every preceding release date was eventually cancelled. Now, like a covertly planted C4 charge, Bond has exploded back onto the screen worldwide.

“No Time To Die” follows the events of “Spectre”, as a retired Bond must reemerge from his retirement and come to terms with not only the mysterious past of his new love Madeleine Swan, played by Lea Seydoux, but the new age of espionage that seems to have moved on without him. He faces off against Lyutsifer Safin, played by Rami Malek, a self righteous but deranged terrorist determined to eradicate millions in order to wipe the slate clean and establish a new world order. Bond is joined on his mission by his 007 replacement, Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch, who has trouble seeing eye to eye with her predecessor. Together, the two agents pursue Safin across the globe to prevent world destruction.

While seemingly cut from the same cloth as the previous films, “No Time To Die”, is an epilogue rather than a continuation. A concluding crescendo for an audience that has come to see Craig as their generation’s Bond. 

Director Cari Joji Fukanawa chose to highlight the repercussions that arise from the secret agent lifestyle rather than glorify it. Daniel Craig portrays a character more concerned with grieving over the women and people he lost than seducing new ones. At the beginning of the film, Bond visits the grave of Vesper Lynd, the Bond girl from “Casino Royale.” However, it is his mourning that results in his detection by the evil organization Spectre, triggering the events of the film. It’s this moment that makes Bond realize no matter where he goes, companionship is impossible as it would only put others in danger. When he is reinstated by MI6, his primary mission is no longer to save the world, but the people that make it worth living in. 

The stunning cinematography by Linus Sandgren highlights the brief tranquility and stillness of Bond’s moments of leisure, where we finally get a sense of who he is without the 007 title; a man yearning for peace, but tethered to all the bloodshed he’s caused. Even though the film features all the classic high tech spy gear and bombastic action set pieces, it is drenched in themes of lost love and heartbreak.

Much like Bond’s character in the film, “No Time To Die” premieres in a world more unfamiliar and harsh than the one it was conceived in. Had it been released two years ago, the film would’ve easily broken box office records and been a guaranteed commercial success. Now, still in the throes of the pandemic, it's possible that the blockbuster may have emerged from hibernation too early. 

However, the future does look promising. On a Saturday night at the Regal Galleria Mall in Poughkeepsie, Bond fans of all ages flooded the lobby with popcorn and Icees in hand. For many, this might have been one of the first films they had seen in the theaters after restrictions were lifted. With each one liner and daring stunt, the audience, submerged in the darkness and illuminated by the projection, laughed and screamed in perfect harmony. The film’s ending was followed by sporadic claps and people shuffling past each other towards the exit, all while expressing their approval or gripe for what they just saw. Even though these patrons of cinema had been barred from returning to the silver screen, it's clear their affection never left.