Saturday 11 September 2021

What I am looking forward to in NO TIME TO DIE

 

After nearly six years, No Time To Die is almost here (and by here, I mean markets like the UK and the US - people like myself in New Zealand and Australia will have to wait a while longer). That means the time for speculation is almost over (until Bond 26).


So here is a rundown of the elements of the film that I am excited about.

  1. A new 00 - the brief of Craig's Bond is to try new things. It is an idea that the filmmakers have adhered to with varying levels of success, but No Time To Die boasts a great concept in the appearance of Bond's replacement. The potential of this dynamic is fascinating. Previous Bonds have aged in the role, but this is the first time that the character is directly forced to deal with his obsolescence.

The first two trailers sold Lashana Lynch as intriguing - she gets the best lines, and she has a level of ease and physical skill - she is a callback to the action women of the Brosnan years. 

I hope they give her more script-wise. A lot of the action women were let down in that regard.

  1. The return of Madeleine Swann. This feels like it could be the movie’s secret weapon or ultimate weakness. 

Before she was cast in Spectre, I always thought Lea Seydoux would be a great addition for Bond. There is a fragility and darkness in her work that I always found fascinating - and she had some form in the genre, playing a Bond-like femme fatale in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. So when she was cast in Spectre, I was more excited at what her casting meant for the movie. Oops. 

The fact that they have brought her back was interesting, and the vague references to betrayal in the marketing only made me more interested in No Time To Die.

On top of that, I am a sucker for a comeback story, and I am hopeful that No Time To Die can give Seydoux a worthy showcase.

  1. Bond’s end. I have tried to keep my mind blank, but I cannot help thinking that Craig’s finale is going to be a little more… definitive than his predecessors.

That is about it. Those are the things I am looking forward to with No Time To Die. I am hopeful that the plot is not too complicated, and the movie spends more time with its characters and their relationships. I hope the action is OTT but with the visceral edge of Craig’s previous outings. And I hope Hans Zimmer-Steve Mazzaro’s score sends Craig out on a high note.


On that terrible pun, I will leave you.


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