NO TIME TO DIE REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

When it comes to delayed films, the latest James Bond film, No Time To Die, has had the worst luck. It was originally meant to be released in November 2019, but was postponed to April 2020 to avoid competition with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. However, after cinemas were forced to close after the United Kingdom went into lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19 towards the end of March, No Time To Die's release was postponed several times. Fortunately, the highly anticipated follow up to Spectre, which was released in 2015, has finally been released but is it worth the wait?

In No Time To Die, Bond (Daniel Craig) has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain, Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malik), armed with dangerous new technology.

After almost two year’s worth of delays, No Time To Die is certainly worth the wait and ends Craig’s reign as Bond on a high. While it provides fans of the franchise with what they’ve come to expect, including exhilarating action sequences, a charming yet serious portrayal of Bond by Craig and a menacing villain, the script, co-written by director Cory Joji Fukunaga, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, also features several surprising twists and ends on a emotional note. I definitely wasn’t expecting to be tearing up at the end of a Bond film.

Since the start of the pandemic last year, many films have had their release date postponed or released on video on demand. However, No Time To Die is a film made for the big screen, with its fast-paced action and high definition sound and image, none of which can be replicated at home. Although many have been unsure about visiting the cinema and sitting in an enclosed space with strangers for over three hours, No Time To Die is a must see. For those hesitant about going to the cinema but still want to watch the latest Bond film, I would advise that they see it in the middle of the week when there’s less people.

No Time To Die features many.of the elements that make a Bond film successful including riveting thrills, exciting action and a compelling story. However, the way they’re executed by Fukunaga’s direction and the strong performances by its talented ensemble cast are what make it better than your typical Bond film.

The opening sequence is different as it flashes back to when Madeline Swann (Léa Seydoux) was a child and witnesses her mother’s murder by a mysterious masked man. We later learn that it was Safin who murdered her but had originally intended to kill Madeline’s father, Mr. White, who was responsible for the death of Safin’s family. Following the incredibly intense opening, the film cuts to shortly after the events of Spectre which ended with James and Madeline driving off together. James is enjoying his retirement with Madeline when they are found by Spectre assassins. This is where the action kicks in with James and Madeline escaping in a car chase.

The Bond franchise is filled with memorable characters and strong performances by its cast and that’s certainly the case with No Time To Die. Unsurprisingly, Craig stands out with his portrayal of Bond. Although the role has been portrayed by several different actors (with the late Sir Sean Connery’s original portrayal being the most memorable), they all portrayed Bond as charismatic but bulletproof. What made Craig’s take on Bond so refreshing and different was that he humanised the character. Prior to Craig’s first appearance in Casino Royale, his casting choice was heavily criticised but he soon proved them wrong. In his fifth and final outing as Bond, Craig delivers his most mature performance and establishes himself as one of the best actors to take on the role of Bond. It’s bittersweet as it’s sad to see him exit the role but I’m excited to see what Craig does next. The rest of the cast also impress, with the return of familiar faces including Seydoux as Bond’s love interest, Madeleine, Ben Whishaw as tech genius, Q, Jeffrey Wright as CIA agent, Felix Leiter, Naomie Harris as the flirtatious Eve Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as the serious head of MI6, M, and Christoph Waltz as the villainous, Blofeld, who was imprisoned at the end of Spectre. The newcomers also shine, including Lashana Lynch as Bond’s replacement and the new 007, Nomi, and Craig’s Knives Out co-star, Ana de Armas, who has a small but unforgettable role as Paloma who helps Bond find the kidnapped scientist. One of the most controversial aspects of most of the Bond films is their handling of female characters, with the majority of them being included as nothing more than a love interest for the Bond. However, what’s refreshing about No Time To Die is that the female characters aren’t just “Bond girls” anymore and, especially in the case of Nomi and Paloma, get involved in the action. Following his Oscar winning performance as music legend, Freddie Mercury, in Bohemian Rhapsody, Malek delivers a chilling and creepy portrayal of the main villain, Safin. 

Because of the hype surrounding Craig’s final Bond film, there was a lot of pressure on Fukunaga to create a feature that satisfies fans. With No Time To Die, the filmmaker has succeeded. 

8/10

SKYFALL REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Skyfall is my favourite film in the James Bond franchise. This is because it's modern, fast-paced, dramatic and tense. Because of Skyfall, I decided to watch the Bond films and I can understand why they're popular. The majority of the films provide thrilling action, strong performances from the actor portraying the well-known spy and an evil villain. Since the release of Dr. No in 1963, Bond has become an icon. Whether you like the films or not, no one can deny the success they've gained over the years. Like with the Doctors in Doctor Who, everyone has their favourite Bond. Some say Sean Connery, who was the first actor to ever portray the spy, others say Pierce Brosnan, however, I would say that Daniel Craig is my favourite Bond. He surprised both critics and audiences in his debut, Casino Royale, in 2006. However, I would say that Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace served as an introductory to Craig. Now, in Skyfall, he's settled and grown into the role. I remember when this was released four years ago and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I'd been studying Quantum Of Solace in my Film Studies class during my GCSEs and I thought about watching Skyfall which was released at the same time. Because this was the first Bond film I was seeing in cinema, I had high hopes. Fortunately, it didn't disappoint. If you're new to the Bond franchise and don't know where to start, I would suggest choosing Skyfall as your first Bond film. 

When Bond's (Craig) latest assignment goes gravely wrong and agents around the world are exposed, MI6 is attacked forcing M (Judi Dench) to relocate the agency. These events cause her authority and position to be challenged by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows - aided only by field agent, Eve (Naomie Harris) - following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Javier Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.

The opening to Skyfall is, in my opinion, is the best way to start a Bond film. We see him in the middle of a mission trying to find a hard-drive which contains a list of all the MI6 agents. Within the first ten minutes, we've already had plenty of exhilarating action. We see Bond chasing a man across the streets and roof of Istanbul before finally fighting with him on top of a moving train. Not only is it exhilarating but it is tense too as the outcome is unclear and may surprise a lot of people. After this action-packed opening sequence, it leads to the opening credits with Adele's titled theme song.

Speaking of which, one of the most important aspects of a Bond film are the songs that play during the opening credits. There have been many standout songs including Dame Shirley Bassey's 'Goldfinger' and 'Diamonds Are Forever', Sir Paul McCartney's 'Live And Let Die' just to name a few. Adele's 'Skyfall' is definitely up there with one of the best Bond theme songs. It is a soulful ballad that will even be enjoyed by people who aren't a fan of the Bond films. It also shows off Adele's powerful vocals. I'm not surprised it won an Academy Award for 'Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song'.

The performances are all strong. Like I mentioned earlier, Craig has really grown and settled into the role of the iconic spy and further proves why he is one of the best actors to have portrayed Bond. Another brilliant performance comes from Dench as M in her seventh and final Bond film. It's because of her that the climax is emotional. Another important element in the Bond films is the villain. So far, we've had some really good villains including Jaws (Richard Kiel) in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' and 'Moonraker', Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) and Oddjob (Harold Sakata) in 'Goldfinger' and, most recently, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) in Casino Royale. However, Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva is definitely up there as one of the best. However, he's not introduced until over an hour into the film. The wait is worth it, though, as the final hour is filled with pure adrenaline pumping action and thrilling chase sequences, including the one in the London Underground.  New additions include: Harris who is perfectly flirtatious as Bond's partner-in-crime, it's hard to believe this is the same actress who portrayed Tia Dalma in two of the Pirates Of The Carribean films and Ben Whisaw as Q, who supplies Bond with his gadgets.

This is the first film directed by Sam Mendes, who previously won an Oscar for his drama, American Beauty, and gives the Bond film a stylish look. Skyfall takes us to various countries including Turkey, Japan and China and these scenes feature beautiful cinematography which is directed by Roger Deakins.
The majority of Skyfall is filled with pure, thrilling action. However, that doesn't mean it's without its humorous moments, one of which is during the chase sequence in the London Underground and Bond is asking Q whether or not Silva is on the tube. This leads to him jumping onto the back of the train and one man commenting that he was 'keen to get on' and the train driver's face is priceless. These scenes prove that Skyfall isn't afraid to offer some comic relief in the midst of all the action.

Many Bond films are predictable as they all follow a similar storyline. Skyfall is different and has enough twists and turns to make this the most original Bond film. The final climax lasts about twenty minutes and is incredibly tense as we see Bond battling Silva in his childhood home in Scotland. Despite the exciting action that feature in this sequence, it ends on an emotional note that may leave some viewers in tears.

Overall, Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best Bond films to date.

8/10

SPECTRE REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

One of the most anticipated films this year, Daniel Craig returns as the iconic spy, James Bond, in this action-packed film. There have been mixed reviews about this film but, I have to say, I really enjoyed this film and think that it is one of the best in the entire franchise.

I remember when Skyfall was released in 2012 and it was the first Bond film I'd seen in the cinema and I loved it, it became one of my favourite films of that year. However, the more I watched it, the more I got bored of it as I knew what was going to happen. This is why I was really excited for Spectre. I have to say it did not disappoint. 

I loved the opening sequence which is crucial in any Bond film because it draws the audience in and prepares them for the upcoming action in the film. The sequence is set in Mexico and has Bond chasing Marco Sciarra, who works for the villain. Sciarra is seen wearing a ring with a mysterious symbol on it, Bond believes that this will lead him to the main villain and chases Sciarra into a helicopter where they begin to fight. The opening sequence contains one of the best stunts the film as it shows Bond hanging out of the helicopter. Fortunately, the sequence ends with him taking the ring and throwing Sicarra out of the helicopter before flying back to London. While this opening sequence is amazing, I don't think it compared to the opening sequence in Skyfall which had (SPOILER ALERT) Bond being shot at by Miss Moneypenny. Although, it was only a minor injury, it left the audience in suspense wondering if he was alive. 

I was really amazed by the plot. (SPOILER ALERT) Since M's death in Skyfall, MI6 has been going downhill with the new head of the Centre of National Security wanting to get rid of the 00 programme which makes Bond's mission his hardest yet. He is taken off field duty by the new M (Ralph Fiennes) but it isn't long until he steals a car and goes out onto the field anyway. This is the first time where Bond really is on his own. There are no cool gadgets and he ends up driving the only car he has into a river during an intense car chase. Meanwhile, back in London, Q (Ben Whishaw) and Miss Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) are doing everything possible to keep their jobs and protecting Bond from M. In Skyfall, we didn't see much of their characters, however, in Spectre, we see how much they want Bond to succeed even if it means losing their jobs. 

With every Bond film, there's a 'Bond girl/woman'. In Spectre, there's two. Lucia (Monica Bellucci) is the first woman we see but there isn't much to her character. She's only in the film for a total of 10-15 minutes and is only there to give Bond crucial information. I think this was one of Spectre's flaws, if I'm honest, as Bellucci does have the potential to be more than a 'Bond woman'. However, we soon forget about Lucia when we meet Madeline Swann (Lea Seydoux), who has more personality than any of the Bond girls put together. I would say she's up there with Vesper (from Casino Royale, played by Eva Green) as one of the best Bond girls. She's brave and doesn't even like Bond, at first. After the two work together, they fall in love. Most of the Bond girls are just there for Bond to sleep with and have no personality and aren't even likable so this was refreshing to see.

And, of course, we have the Bond villain. In Skyfall, it was Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) who was a great villain, very creepy and sadistic, so I was wondering how he could be topped in this film. Fortunately, Christoph Waltz manages to play Oberhauser brilliantly. When we first see him in a secret meeting that Bond attends, we don't really get to see his how evil he is. However, later on, when Bond meets with him in a facility in the desert. It is soon revealed that all of the previous Bond villains (Silva, Le Chiffre from Casino Royale and Dominic Greene from Quantum of Solace) were all part of the same organization: Spectre. This means that Oberhauser has been secretly watching Bond, knowing his every move and has been waiting for the right moment to kill him. This was really interesting and a great twist because I would never have guessed that all the Bond villains had been working together to try and defeat Bond. This makes Oberhauser a lot more scarier as we never know what his next move is. There's even a scene where Oberhauser tortures Bond for information, however it's not as gruesome as the torture scene in Casino Royale which shocked audiences for its brutality. 

I have to say that I did enjoy watching this film and I would have to say that it's up there with Casino Royale and Skyfall as one of the best Bond films. If you compare it to the very first Bond films, you can definitely agree with me when I say that they have matured since then. If you're looking for a good action film, I'd recommend Spectre.

7/10