No Time to Die (2021) - An appropriate conclusion to Daniel Craig's era - 9/10 (14/10/21)

No Time to Die is the twenty-fifth movie in the James Bond series created by Eon Productions. This is also the longest of these movies. It's the fifth and final movie with Daniel Craig and concludes the more emotional and personal sequence of films on a very high note.

This film convinces on several levels. Without revealing too much, this movie brings the person James Bond to life more authentically than most other films except for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Casino Royale and Skyfall. The movie has a dramatic depth that might make quite a few viewers shed a few tears towards the end.

The movie introduces several interesting side characters. Lashana Lynch convinces as new agent with cool, resilient and tough charisma. Ana de Armas has an impressive cameo as bubbly agent who seems nervous at first contact but focused when put in danger.

The locations have been chosen with care before the madness of the pandemic occurred. The film moves from the snow-covered landscapes of Norway over isolated islands in the Pacific to heated soils of Italy. In this regard, the film certainly offers something for every taste.

The plot is a spy thriller by the numbers which means that those who don't like the genre won't change their minds with this movie while genre enthusiasts get exactly what they could expect which is a relief in troubled times like these.

There are few negative things to mention. Even though Rami Malek is doing a decent job at portraying a tormented villain, his character could have benefitted from some additional background information and further scenes.

Another thing that hasn't impacted the rating but that needs to be pointed out is that the release strategy of this movie has been absolutely dreadful which cannot just be excused by the pandemic. It's great that a movie that was so difficult to make turned out to be so amazing but it should have already been released more than two years ago as I'm writing these lines. I hope that the next entry in the series will come around much faster.

At the end of the day, No Time to Die is in the top section of James Bond movies and a rewarding conclusion to the sequence of films starring Daniel Craig that have featured a more emotional, personal and vulnerable agent. The mixture of action, crime and drama is balanced, captivating and entertaining. So far, in a year that hasn't had many cinematic highlights, No Time to Die qualifies as the greatest movie of the year.