A whopping 15 years ago, and with not little controversy and unfounded criticism surrounding the production, Martin Campbell kicked off a new stage – probably the best and most robust to date in global computing – of cinematic adventures. from 007 with the exceptional ‘Casino Royale’; in which we were introduced to a rougher, more violent and darker James Bond personified by a Daniel Craig who made the myth his own.
Later, and after Marc Forster’s slip with an irregular ‘Quantum of Solace’ that I have ended up appreciating over time, Sam Mendes immersed himself in the psyche of the British spy with the almost Freudian ‘Skyfall’ and its sequel; rounding out and adding more layers to an incarnation of the character with a greater psychological depth that radically distanced him from his predecessors.
Three decades later, Cary Joji Fukunaga has been in charge of carrying on his shoulders the responsibility of giving the final farewell to the Craig saga, and it has done so not only by more than fulfilling its mission of providing a last episode at the height of the circumstances, but also by serving us on a silver platter an authentic and glorious finishing touch premiered under the title of ‘No time to die’.
Nobody does it better
The huge prologue of ‘No time to die’, extended during some intense 30 minutes capable of leaving you breathless and inviting you to remain seated on the edge of the armchair Resisting the natural instinct to blink, they not only more than demonstrate that Fukunaga is up to the task, more than enough, to carry out his complicated mission. The introduction is also shown as A declaration of intentions that prepares us for what is to come after Billie Eilish caresses our eardrums while the credits circulate on the screen.
In a matter of half an hour, the feature film manages to completely break the status quo that brought about the closure of ‘Specter’ and to lay the foundations on which this Bondiana cathedral will be built of 163 minutes that pass like a sigh: an unusual emotion for a product of this cut, an overwhelming sense of epic and a charming arua of romanticism that evokes at times the golden Hollywood.
Despite displaying an almost perfect balance, ‘Without Time to Die’ is a film marked by contrasts. Again, the thick thematic and plot goes back to delve into the more earthly and complex Bond in emotional terms that has been developing slowly since 2006. This translates into a greater dramatic charge that squeezes the darkest corners of 007’s psyche, the demons of a past that never stops haunting him, and that resentment and mistrust etched into a fire after his affair with Vesper Lynd.
On this occasion, together with the regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have more than internalized Ian Fleming’s universe, the writing team has had an indispensable Phoebe Waller-Bridge to polish the libretto. His hand, as skilled as it is perceptible, has been indispensable for draw a James Bond more human than ever that retains all its essence, and to balance the balance between his peculiar masculinity and the overwhelming strength of the women around him.
But within this density, ‘No time to die’ does not forget its status as a Bondian show. The sly and cocky humor of its protagonist, the collection of impossible gadgets and dream vehicles, the wardrobe consisting of some Tom Ford suits for drooling … all the lightest signs of identity of the franchise remain intact; including the insurmountable clichés that villains cannot be circumvented with somewhat erratic and perhaps excessively passionate behavior.
No time to bore
As I say, we are in front of a one hundred percent brand of the house tape, and that happens by offering a first-rate visual display who looks face to face with the impeccable work of Sir Roger Alexander Deakins in ‘Skyfall’. Cary Fukunaga has once again exhibited his enormous capacity to narrate in images without forgetting the aesthetic factor, shaping scenes for the memory shielded by the cinematographer Linus sandgren and because of the unique texture involved in shooting with photochemical.
Add to that an agile, precise, and calculated cut by Tom Cross and Elliot Graham and a stellar production design, the result cannot be other than a few vibrant and dynamic setpieces at the forefront of contemporary studio action. A collection of sequences of great agility and with a very successful balance between form and narrative that does not hesitate when playing with the most varied sequence shots and resources.
Ultimately, Hans Zimmer gift wraps the film by making the scores and musical leitmotivs of the saga his own, wearing a brave, risky final act that we will remember for a long time. A whirlwind of emotions, epic and great cinema that has made me close a 15-year cycle with tears in my eyes and with a huge smile on their lips that have more than made up for the months of endless delays. After all, the good is waiting.