No Time to Die |SPOILER OT| Enter at your own risk

[Donos]

Have a trip down memory lane:

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To be fair, Craig looks like a bouncer or boxer but not a smart englishman spy. I like all the Craig movies but i was "huh?" too when they announced him. Someone like Jude Law probably would have resulted in less uproar.
Helped that CR was a banger right out of the gate.

 

[Donos]

Unless I blacked out was it explained why Safin's family was so wealthy? Guy had a island and tons of staff.

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Not in detail. Just that they were a powerful family in the spectre bunch and big in the poison/chemistry business. Chemistry probably means drugs too, so lots of money.

 

[cognizant]

To be fair, Craig looks like a bouncer or boxer but not a smart englishman spy. I like all the Craig movies but i was "huh?" too when they announced him. Someone like Jude Law probably would have resulted in less uproar.
Helped that CR was a banger right out of the gate.

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Yeah I get it to an extent, people grew up admiring a suave character. But it really ended up a perfect reaction to the world. In the post 9/11 Bourne era they wanted to take the grace out of Bond and make him ruthless, which is what we expected our secret services to be, to tackle threats like Al Qaeda, etc.

I read somewhere how when they plan a Bond movie, aside from what Bond's personal journey is going to be, the threat they cook up is something they expect people to worry about in the near future. So CR's villain funds global terrorism, Quantum has the ecology angle, Skyfall was preoccupied with justifying Bond's job, Spectre's concerned with total surveillance. These are all anxieties society has grappled with in the last 15 years.

Apparently they figure we're going to be worrying about nanobots soon... :|

 

[Peter Ian Staker]

As a giant Bond nerd the ending hit me right in the feels.
Perfect reversal of the ending from On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

 

[SneakersSO]

I thought Malek did the best he could with the material. The problem is the character's motivations. They didn't show his character enough on screen and the poison thing was just silly.

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My friends who saw it said the exact same thing. We actually quite enjoyed the movie, but its a movie of 2-halves: the first one features Blofeld as the foil, and the 2nd has Savrin. At first, there was something about the notion of a 1-man, revenge-driven antagonist that I found really appealing, but once it became clear he was just another mega-villain with loads of nameless soldiers at this disposal, Savrin actually settles into the proto-typical, even pre-Brosnan era Bond villains.

Take the nanobots he commissioned as an insurance policy - how exactly was that insurance? He never used them for anyone to do what he wanted, and literally just hit Bond with it at the moment of his death. What if Bond got a shot off at a distance even?

Being fair though, Rami Malek delivered a great performance given what he had to work with, imo. And I thought, plot-device convulsion aside, the send-off for Bond was great.

 

[FliX]

I enjoyed the movie but didn't really understand why Safin's employees behaved so referential more like towards a cult leader than a boss?

And what was the deal with all the tending to the water [for lack of a better term?] in the base?

Overall a great conclusion to the Craig movies. Never thought I'd see bond die on screen, yet here we are.

 

[elLOaSTy]

I enjoyed the movie but didn't really understand why Safin's employees behaved so referential more like towards a cult leader than a boss?

And what was the deal with all the tending to the water [for lack of a better term?] in the base?

Overall a great conclusion to the Craig movies. Never thought I'd see bond die on screen, yet here we are.

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The river of "water" the acid was the farm for the nano bots to keep them safe. The other one was a tea garden of poison plants and the dude just liked the vibe.

Hence the large tea table and the kabuki mask. His proximity to Japan and wealth I suppose he decided to take these things for himself as some form of identity and or he is just continuing how his parents did that.

 

[Serpens007]

Anyone else dig the soundtrack?
My god the Final Ascent gets to me.

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the musical callbacks to OHMSS are so damn good





hell they even brought back a casino royale track lol

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The soundtrack pays homage to several previous Bond films, I think I even heard a bit of Skyfall in there. I think it's one of the best Bond scores we've had. Didn't expect less from Zimmer yet I am still impressed at how good it was.

I enjoyed the movie but didn't really understand why Safin's employees behaved so referential more like towards a cult leader than a boss?

And what was the deal with all the tending to the water [for lack of a better term?] in the base?

Overall a great conclusion to the Craig movies. Never thought I'd see bond die on screen, yet here we are.

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I think that the use of mind control tea was implied at one point of the climax.

 

[manzoman96]

Saw this last night and I really enjoyed it! Thought Craig was excellent and the action was on point. I'll echo the notion that we needed more Ana de Armas. I also wish Rami Malek had more to do.

And yeah, I was cracking up when the plot pretty much turned into a Metal Gear Solid story with Foxdie and nanomachines.

 

[Blader]

Some of the early reviews/impressions of this in hindsight were baffling. Even in the positive ones, there were people saying there was very little action outside a couple setpieces, that there were a ton of new gadgets, that Bond was overly weepy and silly, etc. I remember some were distressed that this movie also did not have a traditional gun barrel opening. And...all of these were absolutely false lol.

 

[GSG]

I'm happy to be back in theatres but holy shit was No Time To Die a potent reminder of why I tend to dislike seeing movies with packed audiences.

People whipping out their phones on full beam during "boring" parts can also fuck off to the sun.

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Totally agree, first time back in a theater since the pandemic started and did not have a great experience.

The guy next to me literally picked up his phone in the middle of the movie and started talking on it. This is in addition to him constantly chatting with his friend(who was also on his phone the entire time) throughout the movie.

If I have the option of watching a movie at home day and date with the theater release, I'm taking that option every single time(even if I have to pay a premium for it).

 

[Zor]

Totally agree, first time back in a theater since the pandemic started and did not have a great experience.

The guy next to me literally picked up his phone in the middle of the movie and started talking on it. This is in addition to him constantly chatting with his friend(who was also on his phone the entire time) throughout the movie.

If I have the option of watching a movie at home day and date with the theater release, I'm taking that option every single time(even if I have to pay a premium for it).

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Ugh, that absolutely blows. Folks either just straight up forgetting cinema viewing etiquette, or more likely simply not caring.

I wish there were tools somehow to reinforce not using your frigging phones in theatres.

 

[Cassius Bright]

Just got back. I enjoyed it by and large, though it felt overlong and plenty of parts could have been trimmed down or omitted.

Ana de Armas was one of the big highlights for me. She was terrific and I really wish her role in it was bigger.

I liked that Malek's big scheme was basically a FOXDIE rip-off.

Ballsy move to kill off Bond, Blofeld and Leiter in a single film. Didn't see Bond's death coming.

 

[ascii42]

Some of the early reviews/impressions of this in hindsight were baffling. Even in the positive ones, there were people saying there was very little action outside a couple setpieces, that there were a ton of new gadgets, that Bond was overly weepy and silly, etc. I remember some were distressed that this movie also did not have a traditional gun barrel opening. And...all of these were absolutely false lol.

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The gun barrel opening was a bit different in that it lacked the blood drip, but thinking back, most if not all of Craig's gun barrel sequences tried to do something a bit different.

 

[AnansiThePersona]

Me: "I'll never be a simp!"

NTTD:

Me: "At your service, my queen."

 

[duckroll]

Apparently they figure we're going to be worrying about nanobots soon... :|

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The threat in NTTD isn't "nanobots" though. They are just the plot device used to deliver the threat. The real threat is that of genetic targeting and social isolation. Fears which -are- very much in today's world. The ability to target and kill people based on specific genetic traits reeks of genocide and ethnic cleansing, and in the end what "kills" Bond is him facing a future where he is unable to be close to his family.

 

[The Shape]

Totally agree, first time back in a theater since the pandemic started and did not have a great experience.

The guy next to me literally picked up his phone in the middle of the movie and started talking on it. This is in addition to him constantly chatting with his friend(who was also on his phone the entire time) throughout the movie.

If I have the option of watching a movie at home day and date with the theater release, I'm taking that option every single time(even if I have to pay a premium for it).

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I honestly can't stand this anymore. It was like that already before the pandemic and I used to get really enraged during the theater experience, as I'm very sensitive to these distractions, like people constantly checking on their phones and texting.

Thankfully that didn't happen to me after I've gone back to cinemas since the pandemic. I've seen Fast and Furious 9, Malignant, The Conjuring 3, A Quiet Place II, Shang Chi, Suicide Squad, Black Widow and No Time to Die, and I can't remember a bad experience this year. That said, I'm sure as soon as I have one of these experiences I'll start thinking of watching movies only at home again.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

I'm very curious about how Kojima feels about this movie, lol.

Feels like at some point it goes from homage/reference to just blatantly taking.

Then again, the same could obviously be said for MGS, lol.

 

[demosthenes]

LOVED the movie. Did not expect him to actually die. Felix death was pretty sad, especially with the imagery of Vesper.

The pacing, the action, the atmosphere were all great. Ana was a great surprise, hopefully going to see her in the future.

Didn't expect it to hit like that at the end, with the end.

 

[Zebesian-X]

This was pretty great. Cinematography, action, music was top notch. One of Craig's best Bond performances. Fucking Ana de Armas stealing every movie she's in. Lashana Lynch was great, as was the rest of the MI6 supporting cast.

It's bogged down by some baggage from the weaker films in the series and I can't help but wonder how much harder his death would have hit if Spectre hadn't been such a snoozer.

Still though, great fun. Would love to see Fukunaga come back for the reboot! He knows his shit 🙏

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

Then again, the same could obviously be said for MGS, lol.

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Pretty much

He wouldn't have much of a leg to stand on.

 

[RisingStar]

The movie was fine, not exactly as great as I thought it could've been though. Loads of exposition, and probably could've cut out several parts. Safin was a wasted villain, and they spent too much time on Blofeld, especially when he was fairly inconsequential in the end. Honestly, they could've just reused Blofeld instead of having Safin at all, and not much of the story would've changed. If anything, it would've made the Spectre organization look far more dangerous and complicated to tackle, which the previous movie failed at showcasing.

I still don't care for Madeline. It sucks for the writers I guess, because Craig and Green nailed their chemistry so hard in Casino, and ever since he hasn't had chemistry at all with any other female character. Paloma was great and it's a shame she only had such a short piece in this gigantic movie. Nomi was fine, but I did feel the back and forth on "I'm 007, not you" could've just been done once, maybe twice. Also weird how she didn't try to do the final piece of the mission and Bond just decides to do it himself. I felt for Felix in this movie, absolutely gutted that he died, moreso than Bond himself. Malory finally, as M has been pretty hit & miss so far. He was alright in Spectre but here, like seriously? We don't even know if he had faced any consequences after the missiles either.

Bond dying is fine. I honestly don't see an issue with it. Opens up the avenue of them giving the James Bond codename to anyone using the 007 codename out of legacy as well if they want.

All in all, Bond actors don't get a good send-off, or if any at all. So it's nice to see Craig get a decent movie to sign off on, even if it wasn't great. It's not boring like Spectre and shot incredibly well unlike Quantum of Solace. They definitely need new writers, however, as this is simply not a directorial issue. Sam Mendes took the fall for Spectre being ho-hum when the writing staff themselves chose to shoehorn everything in. Daniel Craig's run was fairly mixed, but that's more due to the high's being exceptionally high. He should hold his head high with his run, and it'll be difficult to top it without massive writing and script overhaul.

1. Casino Royale
2. Skyfall
3. No Time To Die
4. Spectre
5. Quantum of Solace (not their fault, more the writers strike and the awful camera work during action sequences)

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

I really enjoyed it, my only 2 negatives with the entire movie were music related.

1. the theme song sucked, one of the absolute worst
2. all the musical callbacks and no, You Know My Name instrumental?

 

[demosthenes]

RisingStar
I wanted some consequences for M too.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Yeah I hated what they did with M in this movie. We're to believe that the same guy who was SO against the Orwellian surveillance tech in the last movie on ethical grounds and out of understanding that the world needs 00's in the field was simultaneously developing a blacksite super weapon that was intended to make 00's irrelevant? C'mon.

I wasn't fond of the nanomachines in general, it felt not just a sci-fi bridge to far but also mainly felt like an awkward contrivance to ensure certain things happen (like make Bond sacrifice himself).

Overall though I think I'm becoming more positive on the movie, I was very mixed when I came out of the theater, but the script needed at least another rewrite. But over complicated and underdeveloped is not an uncommon issue with Bond films so at a certain point you just have to roll with it.

With regards to the gun barrel I heard a theory that the reason there's no blood in it is because this time Bond is the one who gets killed, which actually makes a good bit of sense especially since he then fades to white.

 

[RisingStar]

RisingStar
I wanted some consequences for M too.

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M getting away with everything doesn't feel right. The movie should've at least had ended with M giving his resignation, stating that this job just isn't his, with the Judi imagery we get. Bond's cohorts just accepting his mistake also doesn't feel right.

 

[take_marsh]

Fukanaga did a great job. I'd give this movie a 4/5, probably my most enjoyable experience with Craig bond movies.

I'll ride the lonely train that Ana de Armas was in it just as much as she needed to be. In that little time, we got to know a bit about her, she got to kick ass, and now she's set up to be in a future bond movie.

The Kojima fluffing here lol

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

M getting away with everything doesn't feel right. The movie should've at least had ended with M giving his resignation, stating that this job just isn't his, with the Judi imagery we get. Bond's cohorts just accepting his mistake also doesn't feel right.

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I figured M was the real villain of the piece, and then they just drop it.

Also very weird to have the head of a spy agency involved in weapons development.

 

[FinalFanXtreme]

I enjoyed the movie as a whole but what keeps it from being my favorite Craig was the ending. I was upset at the end. Casino Royale is my favorite. This is a close second.

 

[Blader]

I feel like M getting away with it is more believable than needing to tender his resignation but I agree the lack of follow through from the others is a missed opportunity.

Fukanaga did a great job. I'd give this movie a 4/5, probably my most enjoyable experience with Craig bond movies.

I'll ride the lonely train that Ana de Armas was in it just as much as she needed to be. In that little time, we got to know a bit about her, she got to kick ass, and now she's set up to be in a future bond movie.

The Kojima fluffing here lol

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I think de Armas had the best chemistry with Craig since Eva Green. Bond and Paloma were a fun dynamic together and she brings a real breath of fresh air to the movie but I think I agree she was in it just long enough.

 

[Ashhong]

I wouldn't mind a new series with the 007 from this movie, and Ana de Armas as her "Felix". Or just an Ana movie altogether please.

So in the end was Rami's character only goal to win Madeleine or did I get that wrong?

 

[Rainy]

I wouldn't mind a new series with the 007 from this movie, and Ana de Armas as her "Felix". Or just an Ana movie altogether please.

So in the end was Rami's character only goal to win Madeleine or did I get that wrong?

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Someone earlier brought up a point that he felt weirdly attached to Madeline because (through his hands) she went through the same trauma did of losing his family. Also there was some random villain plot thrown in there.

Listening to the Final Ascent again...and I really want to go watch this a second time.

 

[Ashhong]

Someone earlier brought up a point that he felt weirdly attached to Madeline because (through his hands) she went through the same trauma did of losing his family. Also there was some random villain plot thrown in there.

Listening to the Final Ascent again...and I really want to go watch this a second time.

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Hmm they should have fleshed that out a bit more. I didnt get his motivation then. Madeline was completely separated from him already. He didn't need to separate James unless he wanted to get rid of the daughter or something

 

[Rainy]

His motivations are weird in general. He wants to wipe out Spectre, Madeline is conveniently close to Blofeld, uses her, and then kinda continues his weird fascination with her.

Still can't get over him just letting Bond's daughter go at the end of the film. Lmao.

 

[Fancy Clown]

His motivations are weird in general. He wants to wipe out Spectre, Madeline is conveniently close to Blofeld, uses her, and then kinda continues his weird fascination with her.

Still can't get over him just letting Bond's daughter go at the end of the film. Lmao.

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From what I gather he has a god complex over being able to control life and death (I think that's what his poison garden represents, as he cultivates life —the plants— but they're lethal) when he saved Madeline's life at the start of the film he became obsessed with her and felt she was his possession because he "granted" her life. So then he bides his time to hatch his grand plan of reclaiming her and getting revenge on Spectre in one fell swoop, and then once he has his family's island back he can turn the world into his poison garden on a grand scale, where he can literally choose who lives and dies down to pinpoint accuracy. I don't think he cared about Bond's daughter at all and was just using her to keep Madeline in line until she drank the mind control tea. Idk though, it's pretty vague!

 

[demosthenes]

M getting away with everything doesn't feel right. The movie should've at least had ended with M giving his resignation, stating that this job just isn't his, with the Judi imagery we get. Bond's cohorts just accepting his mistake also doesn't feel right.

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I wonder if when we get a new bond, we will also get a new M and if this would be brought up or not. I expected his resignation as well.

 

[obin_gam]

Wait!

They never explained right how Blofeld got access to communicate to spectre? Right?

 

[WhySoDevious]

Saw it on Tuesday... great first half, and then it was uneven till the end.

I hope they dial back the somberness of the Craig movies and gives us a bit more Brosnan in the future.

 

[Ringten]

Movie was good, watched it twice because I had told my friends I'd watch it with them but also family 😂

Anyway, I had serious issues with the villain. Honestly the worst part about the movie. Found Maliks acting a bit OTT aswell, took me out of it.

Also how the frick does bond survive 1 grave bomb, and 2 grenades, but get shot down by Malik who can't even walk properly 😅

 

[Talka]

Don't want to read this whole thread to confirm, but… 100% the nanobots were a Covid-forced replacement for what was clearly meant to be a weaponized virus, right? It's sourced from a bioweapons lab and then mass-produced in a plant nursery… but hey, let's just call them nanobots, right?

 

[Rainy]

I do feel like some things might have been changed for COVID but I think the movie was pretty much done filming before the pandemic. The original release was April 2020 iirc.

 

[elLOaSTy]

Wait!

They never explained right how Blofeld got access to communicate to spectre? Right?

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His stupid eye that they missed somehow for years but its not a great answer

 

[Darkwing-Buck]

I think this might be my favorite Bond movie ever.

Casino Royale elevated the series and is probably the better all-around film, but I can't help but fall in love with No Time To Die flaws and all.

The villain is unfortunate and it does feel like there's missing pieces to his backstory and M's subplot. But man, I fucking loved everything else in it.

The action is, imo, the best it's ever been in the series. It's so stylized paired up with that zimmer soundtrack and it feels like Craig really gave a damn in this one. Speaking of Daniel Craig this is probably my favorite James Bond performance from him.

CR established the kind of bond he was gonna be, brooding with an emotional side. It's worked well for him but I loved how multifaceted he was in NTTD. It felt like he was going for a mix of previous Bonds and in his old age seemed to have the most energy of all his films. They brought back some of the camp but balanced it quite well with the modern tone. This movie reinvigorated my love for Classic Bond or atleast certain aspects from it.

It's like it was one big love letter to the series (notably OHMSS which I loved)

TL;DR: My favorite Bond movie ever because of it's style, presentation, action, and Craig's Performance despite writing problems.

 

[Dan Thunder]

At first, there was something about the notion of a 1-man, revenge-driven antagonist that I found really appealing, but once it became clear he was just another mega-villain with loads of nameless soldiers at this disposal, Savrin actually settles into the proto-typical, even pre-Brosnan era Bond villains.

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Yeah, it'd be great to see a Bond film where he's up against a Red Grant or Alec Trevalyn as the main villain but they're not absolutely minted. Instead you get someone who basically just engages in guerilla warfare to bring down Bond/whoever without some ridiculous expensive hideaway/goons for hire to back them up.

 

[Mivey]

Saw it in theatre this week, and was quite surprised by it. Bond dying didn't take me by surprise, I saw that ending coming the moment Madeleine and Matilda left in the boat. But the fact that Bond would essentially let himself be killed out of sentiment definitely surprised me, and is also incredibly fitting for Craig era take on Bond.
The weakest part of the movie is the villain and the overall plot with the nanovirus stuff. But overall a great Bond, a great sendoff for Craig, and loved the allusions to OHMSS.

M getting away with everything doesn't feel right. The movie should've at least had ended with M giving his resignation, stating that this job just isn't his, with the Judi imagery we get. Bond's cohorts just accepting his mistake also doesn't feel right.

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Maybe they are afraid he could use his nanobots to kill them if they speak up. I sure would be.
But I also don't see how the threat of those things is gone. MI6 probably has the specs to how those things were built, they funded it after all, and I'm sure they had some backups servers for that lab. What's stopping them to just build them again when there's another bad person they need killed?

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I thought Bond dying was likely once Felix died, and inevitable once they established that the nanobots were a forever thing plus there was a Madeline formula.

As Sam Smith said, the writing was on the wall.

 

[Wallace Wells]

From what I gather he has a god complex over being able to control life and death (I think that's what his poison garden represents, as he cultivates life —the plants— but they're lethal) when he saved Madeline's life at the start of the film he became obsessed with her and felt she was his possession because he "granted" her life. So then he bides his time to hatch his grand plan of reclaiming her and getting revenge on Spectre in one fell swoop, and then once he has his family's island back he can turn the world into his poison garden on a grand scale, where he can literally choose who lives and dies down to pinpoint accuracy. I don't think he cared about Bond's daughter at all and was just using her to keep Madeline in line until she drank the mind control tea. Idk though, it's pretty vague!

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Oh I didn't realise it was mind control tea. I thought it was a tea made with the plant that was in her office that would kill her

 

[Fancy Clown]

Oh I didn't realise it was mind control tea. I thought it was a tea made with the plant that was in her office that would kill her

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I don't think so, why would he want to kill her? I'm assuming it's the plant that "makes you behave" that he was just talking about in his garden.

 

[Aiqops]

It is sad these last two movies are so heavily reliant on the chemistry between Craig and Seydoux, which isn't there. He had more chemistry with Vespers portrait on her grave.

 

[dragonbane]

Really liked it. Would rank it just slightly below Casino and Skyfall, but head and shoulders above the rest. Much better send-off than Spectre. In fact this film retroactively improves upon Spectre's weak elements a lot which is funny. Madeleine and Bond actually mostly work this time around despite limited chemistry. Introducing his daughter was brilliant. It raised the stakes massively and the forest scene of him taking everyone out was awesome, you could feel him fight for his family, which is very fresh for Bond.

Beautiful locations, great score, electric direction and a showstealer in Ana de Armas round out the package. Didn't care for Malek's character, but he didn't feel very important either. Felix's death was maybe a bit unnecessary and I did wish Bond got a happy ending that he clearly deserved, but so is life. The fact he was at peace having saved his family and that he doesn't want to risk even touching one person to kickstart a chain reaction that might eventually hit his loved ones made the ending a lot more easy to swallow.