REVIEW REVIEW TIME TIME

I am a huge Bond fan. HUGE! And I’m not ashamed to cite Roger Moore as my favourite 007. Like so many of my age, I grew up with the original movies and have lived through the good and the bad as well as adapting to each new actor taking over the tuxedo. There’s no doubt that what Craig bought to the table with Casino Royale in 2006 was a very different incantation, a harder more cynical Bond, perhaps even the closest to Ian Flemings original intention for the character Craigs five movies as Bond have also contained something different, a story thread which, so the film makers would have us believe, has been building to No Time To Die as its conclusion

Actually, remove the “Bond” name and it’s easy to see this as a very strong stand alone thriller. In that context it is an exciting emotional and edge of the seat piece of cinema In truth, those adjectives still remain when you shift it back into Bond territory but, as much as I understand changing times, political correctness and the over analysis of any entertainment under various PC spotlights, it does feel that this pressure influences this film in such a way that we lose the very essence of what James Bond has always been about, escapism. I’m not suggesting for a moment we ignore these aspects, but Bond movies have always been about putting a smile on your face and this can still be done whilst respecting and upholding the bold new world we are in For instance, my face literally ached with grin spread across my face for the first ten minutes of the No Time To Die as the real star of the movie delivered one of the best performances. Yes, the Aston Martin DB5 reminded us of that exact same escapism, and what a performance it is Worth the ridiculous ticket price alone Actually, to be fair, Daniel Craigs performance here is also a standout His vulnerability and emotion brings a depth to the character never before seen The other characters we have come to know and love all seem rather stayed “M” (Ralph Fiennes), “Q” (Ben Whishaw), and especially Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) all seem rather side-lined here, leaving it up to Ana de Armas as Paloma (give this character her own movie) to lift the proceedings

-By Tim Nash