No Time To Die

Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. Starring Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes

As far as Bond movies go, I have never been a particular fan of them. Until I watched this film, I viewed them as a kind of relic of a past mentality of what a man is and should hope to be, and antiquated perceptions of what a woman is in relation to that man. However, this newest iteration of the Bond franchise, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, is an innovation of the longstanding character and his world.

The most outstanding feature of the film was the impressive use of special effects and action sequences. I recommend you watch the behind the scenes video made by ‘Insider’ about the creation of the opening action sequence. It was clear from the outset the dedication that the crew and creative team had to develop an action-packed world that is as believable as possible where there are cars that release grenades at the press of a button, for example. When it needed to be, the action was gripping and tense (and while the bad guys shot like stormtroopers), it pulled you in. I was certainly on the edge of my seat!

Now, while there has been (oft-times) heated debate around the potential for a female Bond driving people crazy, No Time to Die handled the introduction of a female ‘replacement’ (Lashana Lynch’s ‘Nomi’) expertly. While she wasn’t even a female James Bond, she still managed to upset the odd Bond die-hard (*cough* looking at you, Steve *cough*), I thought her character was a brilliant addition to the cast who unequivocally broke the mould for the three types of ‘Bond Girls’ (see ‘The Take’s’ video on YouTube on the topic). It would be welcome to see more of this character in the future, perhaps in a spinoff. In terms of the other female characters, Ana de Armas’ character, Paloma’, while only briefly on the screen, was a joy.

Another point of interest for me was the costuming. It was clear how each person was characterised through their clothing. Nomi’s clothes clearly prioritised function, however, they did not forgo style. I think that this was important as it clearly highlighted to audiences, particularly young female audiences who until this point may have felt excluded or uninterested in Bond, that you can be great at your job or, you know, ‘a cool girl’, without sacrificing your femininity. You don’t have to forgo traditional femininity to be taken seriously. The same could be said for Paloma, who manages to successfully fight plenty of 'bad guys' while wearing heels, a fancy dress and with her hair out! Moreover, I liked the use of monochrome neutral outfits for Madeleine’s wardrobe. It was a nice mix of femininity and professionalism which cemented her as chicly concealing something through her restrained wardrobe. She holds back the secrets of her past, which is then reflected in the simplicity of her outfits.

My main gripe with the film was the plotline. At times it was confusing to follow, with names being bandied about in huge amounts so it did complicate the plot unless you were able to keep up with who was who and what side they were on (which I couldn’t on occasion).

This film is a highly enjoyable cinematic experience, regardless of whether you have seen every single Bond film, or this is your introduction to the ‘007’.