Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsThe transition from a Craig Bond to a Connery Bond
Reviewed in Australia on 3 April 2022
I was surprised at the swings of emotion I felt in this installment. At some moments I experienced the immersion cracking jolt commensurate with a suddenly suspending reality, in others I longed for all to be right with the characters that lined the plot. By the time the film had wrapped up, I had ticked three or four extra 'kinda silly film reaction' boxes that I was altogther unprepared to do.
It's fair that the recent crop of Bond films are pitched first to the fanbase and second to the casual observer. There's intrigue, minor character to major character progression and a need to try and pack a generation of backstory into a single 100 minute romp. No Time To Die is possibly overly ambitious in its desire to tie up the previous 3 Bonds with a blood stained, bullet riddled bow. If a consumer has paid attention to the characters in previous Bonds, most of the plot (one can hardly say twist) progression is understandable, albeit with some efforts. And as with all of Craig's Bonds, we see 007 revealed more as a man struggling with his own demons as much as he does with the everpresent heavily armed generic mercenaries.
This Bond is a fine end to Craigs time at the helm of 007. It's inclusive, bonkers, gloriously stupid, sexy and destructive and despite extra cognitive load required to string all the parts together (optional - it doesnt really need to be done to have fun). In short it's a great nod to the ridiculousness of Bonds of the 80s and 90s, albeit with the darkened tones of the current day and a sound example of how a good Bond film should be done.
