It's been almost six years since the last Bond film,
Spectre, was released. In case you're wondering, I did a review for that one as an exclusive for a now defunct RPig club's magazine.
The long gap has been down to problems both filmic and non-filmic. MGM has had real money problems and is now owned by Amazon. Danny Boyle was initially hired to direct this film but it seems creative differences led to "Jai Ho" becoming "Heave Ho".
Then Covid-19 hit, throwing a wrench into the film industry. The movie had already been made by this point, but with cinemas shuttered and a streaming release simply not an option - Disney have just made an out-of-court settlement with Scarlet Johannson over not making Black Widow exclusive to the former - it sat locked away for 18 months.
So, has it been worth the wait?
****
My general review structure for Bond goes as follows - "See the world, meet interesting people, sleep with the attractive female ones and kill the bad ones". The last two often overlap in Bond of course.
Discussion of the plot in a review like this is difficult, especially in light of the ending, which will attract quite a good deal of comment, especially once the Americans in particular actually get to see it in theatres. Craig is the first Bond to have had a "last film". Connery decided to quit during the filming of You Only Live Twice and the producers wanted him to do another film after Diamonds Are Forever. Moore was hired on a film by film basis for his later movies and although recollections differ, it was clear after A View To A Kill that it was time for him to go. Dalton and Brosnan ultimately were victims of events.
So, in a manner akin to the final story for a Doctor Who lead actor, there's clearly a definite decision to give him a fitting send-off; Craig has very much saved the franchise and given it the best box office performance it has had to date with Skyfall.
The five Craig films form an overall narrative arc and there is a firm sense of closure at the end of the film, which is going to make things rather interesting for the next fellow.
The movie looks spectacular, having been shot before Covid made foreign travel rather more difficult. Jamaica is the spiritual home of 007, the books having been written there, and the tourist board will be glad of the screen time.
The Bond franchise gave the film world the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios - there is another stage named after Sir Roger Moore - and also Leavesden studios. The former, which sustained some damage during the production of this film, provides the setting for the spectacular climax of the movie and the main villain's lair is classic Bond.
From "half-monk, half-hitman", James Bond has softened very much during the franchise. This movie does something that none of the others have done and it allows the character to have something to fight for rather than "Murder" being "Employment".
The other MI6 regulars are great fun, with Ben Whishaw a worthy successor to Desmond Llewellyn - and openly gay as well, which shows how far the franchise has come in 50 years. Lashana Lynch's Nomi can truly claim to be Bond's equal in a way that some previous claimants didn't because at the end of the day, Bond still needed to rescue them. Ana de Armas gets to kick butt and look good doing it, but you don't miss her once she's gone. Plus Felix Leiter gets another fun out.
Madeline Swann... not my personal cup of tea. Never has been. Just a bit dull really. If I was Bond, she wouldn't be my first choice to settle down with!
The villains... kind of let the side down. The main plot is somewhat timely with Covid and the ideas involved in it are explored fairly well, although a big plot hole does emerge on further examination. It could have been fixed with a few extra lines and the finale would still work as well. Blofeld isn't hugely engaging (he needs a cat to work properly) and while Rami Malek has done great work in the past, Safin really isn't an example. A Russian scientist gets a suitably destructive response for a nasty comment.
The action is spectacular; the hard-hitting (and also rather loud in my screening) style of the Craig era works well. This Bond bleeds. So do quite a lot of other people. I need to check the kill count for this, but it's probably a record.
****
Conclusion
It may be 2 hours and 40 minutes long, but it doesn't feel like it. Definitely one of the better Craig films, although it isn't a Casino Royale or Skyfall.
Well worth seeing and this will definitely make a billion dollars.
9/10
