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MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

No Time to Die is the twenty-fifth entry in the James Bond film series which began almost sixty years ago with 1962’s Dr. No starring Sean Connery. This movie is the last episode featuring Daniel Craig as Agent 007. It was originally slated to come to theaters in the spring of 2020, but then the pandemic happened.

Instead of going over the plot of No Time to Die, I decided to reflect a bit about the Bond films in general and the Daniel Craig movies in particular:

1. There is really nothing ethically commendable about James Bond. He is a paid assassin. (That’s how you get the Double-O status.) Most of the cool devices that he uses are just new ways in which to kill people. And the collateral damage – the innocent people murdered just because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time – has never abated. Sean Connery’s Bond was especially brutal with women; Roger Moore’s Bond winked as he slept his way through an adventure. Until Judi Dench came along for a few films as M, women were not given much respect or autonomy.
2. Women are still treated poorly in No Time to Die. Bond tends to be a faithful partner in this film (to Léa Seydoux as Madeleine), but the women agents are quickly moved from center stage, either by being given one great scene and then disappearing from the screen (Ana de Armas as Paloma) or coming in as “the new 007” only to give this title back to Bond halfway through the film (Lashana Lynch as Nomi).
3. Before the Daniel Craig films, every James Bond movie was a standalone adventure. With 1992’s Casino Royale the entire series was rebooted, including an origin story and a script that was more faithfully connected to the original Ian Fleming book. The 5 films that Craig made tell a continuous story that assumes viewers will remember characters and events from previous installments.
4. The James Bond franchise is beginning to emulate the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No Time to Die seems more like a superhero movie than a spy picture. Lyutsifer Safin, the film’s villain (Rami Malek), has a plan that rivals Thanos from the Avengers series. The conflict between Bond and the bad guys seems to take place in an alternative reality (like the Marvel movies) that is far removed from everyday life.
5. With a budget estimated at $250 million, the producers want to keep the customers satisfied. This means not only honoring the international audience with globe-trotting locations (which has always been a part of the franchise) but providing the kind of fan service that social media demands. There are not only callbacks to the Daniel Craig titles, but passing references to many of the earlier Bond films.
6. With longer running times and enhanced viewing options that include IMAX, 3D, and D-Box, these movies are clearly designed to be “rides” or “attractions”. And since the pandemic spurred many folks to invest in larger televisions – and streaming sends just about everything for home viewing – more movies will simply skip theaters altogether.

No Time to Die is a combination of a big budget movie experience and a sentimental send-off/appreciation of Daniel Craig as Bond (and he was a very good James Bond). These two approaches simply don’t work well together.

As the film’s exit music and the long list of end credits reached its conclusion, the screen proudly displayed these words:

“James Bond will return”.

Fifty years ago, audiences cheered.

I just sighed.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Two halos: A long movie that is more concerned with reprising past glories than offering anything new.
Four pitchforks: Glorification of assassination; innocent people maimed and killed; scenes of brutality; occasional swearing; casual drinking.

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