‘No Time To Die’ review: Best James Bond movie since ‘Dr. No’

No Time To Die is one of the best instalments in the 25-part James Bond franchise.

That’s what it feels like after spending almost three hours engaged to the hilt in an action-packed sayonara from Daniel Craig.

This is the last time we’ll see him as 007, and he’s made sure that he’ll be remembered as one of the best incarnations of the suave MI6 agent, comparable now, to Sean Connery’s interpretation.

It’s the dry humour, the hint of tenderness and the way he orders his Martini. Shaken, not stirred. And thankfully, No Time To Die is nothing like Quantum of Solace, the great Bond overstatement.

Bond is retired and chilling in Jamaica but then his old CIA friend Felix Leiter arrives to up life’s ante. He asks for help in rescuing a kidnapped scientist.

But, as things go, it gets a little complicated, quickly. 007 ends up trailing the villain, a man of mystery wielding a dangerous new technology.

And, as Pinky and the Brain may have said, ‘what are we doing today, villain? What we do every day, to try and take over the world?’

All in true James Bond style.

The film is James Bond, but it’s James Bond as you have never seen him before. And it’s not just a gush over the new flick from a fan.

The layered narrative is spectacularly different with rather stunning surprises that will not be shared here.

In fact, it’s so un-Bond, Bond that the studio launched an anti-spoiler campaign to try to keep it fresh for everyone sitting down to this epic adventure.

Rami Malek is cast as the uber-villain. This man knows his craft and his performance as the bad guy is convincing.

He’s no one-hit-wonder and after collecting a host of awards as Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody a few years back.

Getting to be the Bond-nemesis is just the next step in a career that really holds promise. His eyes are piercing, his performance eerily gothic and Tim Burtonesque at the same time.

All wrapped up in a cynical, chirpy disposition laced with some dark humour undertones every now and then. Look for it, you’ll find it.

The entire supporting cast surrounds Craig’s swansong performance with aplomb.

Léa Hélène Seydoux-Fornier de Clausonne’s name isn’t only a mouthful, but she makes a meal of her role as a very non-typical Bond girl.

She’s fierce, knows how to throw a punch and rolls into her role with splendid finesse. Previous credits include Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood.

Seydoux also appeared in Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol a decade ago.

But as spy thrillers go, and the next Mission Impossible is also due for release sometime soon, Cruise’s franchise, although crazy with he-man stuff, can never hold a candle to the original superspy.

No Time To Die also brings back oodles of dry English wit, drawing smiles in between gunshots and car chases.

The cinematography is vivid, tints along the narrative match the mood of the moment with a soundtrack that does what a soundtrack should. Enhance the experience.

The Billie EIlish performed theme song is hauntingly beautiful and should rank alongside Paul McCartney’s Live and Let Die as one of the two best Bond themes ever created.

It’s a far cry from Madonna’s bubblegum Die Another Day.

Is the movie a little self-indulgent? Absolutely. Is it okay in this instance? Without a doubt.

What’s really refreshing about No Time To Die, too, is that the adventure is not reliant on over-the-top special effects and big bangs dragged across 200 minutes until your backside hurts.

But the stunts are incredible and not out of place. They aren’t an excuse for a thin storyline but enhance the incredible ride that director Cary Joji Fukanaga takes the audience on.

No Time To Die was originally scheduled for release this time last year, but, thanks to Covid we’ve had to wait another 12 months. It was worth the wait.

But this movie, also in 3D for the first time, is an absolute must-see. When you’re confident enough to head back to the cinemas, let No Time To Die be the epic adventure you spend your money on.

Citizen rating 8/10