No Time to Die was not how I expected Daniel Craig to end his run as James Bond. I thought this movie would be epic, on the same level as Casino Royale and Skyfall, yet left the theater angrier than sad. This movie’s bloated run time was filled with so much nonsense, and for a flick that is almost three hours long, the villain should be in the story for more than 20 minutes.
There may never be enough words to express how disappointed I was in this final chapter. I understand that I have never seen an older Bond film, which means I don’t fully understand or appreciate the character as much as the general population. Having said that, Daniel Craig played a character that I grew to love and admire. He will always be my favorite Bond, and I would be willing to argue that he is the best.
Every one of them has a flaw or two that we could dissect until the end of time, yet this version of Bond was great at what he did; the writers just failed him in the end. There was no need for many story angles in this movie, whether it be more references to Vesper, his best friend dying, his lady friend having a kid, and a villain who has to be one of the worst onscreen bad guys in history. It is so sad that Rami Malek went from Twilight to Queen to being a Bond villain, all within a decade, only to have a better performance in Breaking Dawn Part II.
I won’t sit here and spoil the film for you; just know this movie is built upon lie after lie. The entire plot is like a house of cards, and one stiff breeze will blow it over. As someone heavily invested in the character and the story, I just sat there and let my frustrations build. I focused more on criticizing every move or fight scene instead of actually enjoying the experience.
I feel like I have to repeat myself because I’m still frustrated after all this time; the ending of this movie and timeline sucked. It may take me a long time to find the energy to watch this nonsense again, but as someone who admired Craig in the role, at least he ended his chapter with a bang.
In the end, you’ve probably seen this film already, or you may wait for it to be available on a streaming service. I won’t steer you away; instead, just warn you about the journey you are about to embark on. It won’t be pretty, and you should lower your expectations to the level of the Twilight movies I so love. 3/10
PS. Ana de Armas’ character is in the movie for less than 10 minutes. Trailers will show you anything to get you back out to the theater.
Ten Stars or Less 