Review: New James Bond Movie-An End of an Era?

 SPOILIER ALERT: The whole review will spoil it for those who plan on seeing the movie, but then again, the review might save you some money on tickets and popcorn. The new James Bond movie, No Time to Die, is Daniel Craig’s last performance as 007. As all James Bond movies, the action never stops. The opening scene of Madeline, James’s girlfriend/psychologist from Spectre, as a child was fantastic. The audience learns that James is involved in a meaningful relationship with her. Things get complicated when he is almost killed with her in Italy. He believes that she somehow compromised his location.

James retires from British Intelligence, and then he gets a house somewhere in the Caribbean. A CIA friend finds him and asks him to do one more job-get the doctor who has a bioweapon/genetics poison and destroy the rest of the Spectre group. Their mission goes well until one of the agents reveals himself as a double agent. The doctor and his bioweapon escape.

A new character, another 007 played by Lashanda Lynch, enters the movie. She is attractive and very buff. She is supposedly called 007 because Bond retired and she wanted his number. She and Bond get along as they try and catch more bad guys. There are many more action scenes until the last setting is divulged.

Long story short, Bond reunites with Madeline and her daughter, who is also his daughter. They are trapped on an island which is a front for a world takeover headquarters by the villain who is also the actor who played Freddie Mercury in the Queen movie. The bioweapon has nanobots in it which kill people per their genetic makeup. Eventhough the villain and the weapon are interesting, they are poorly explained.

The final scene shows Bond getting Madeline and his daughter off the island with the aid of the “new” 007. He stays on the island to help destroy it while fighting the “Freddie Mercury” villain one last time. In this movie, Bond kills the bad guy, but is not quick enough to get off of the island. The British missiles he requested blow everything up and Bond dies.

So who is the new Bond? First of all, the way it has always worked is this: Bond NEVER dies! He is just replaced with a new actor. Rumors have circulated that the new actor will be Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Henry Cavill, or Rege-Jean Page-Approve, approve, approve, and approve!!!!!!! But Lashana Lynch?????? I liked her character and wouldn’t mind seeing her as a regular in the franchise or even seeing her star in a separate movie with the same character, but to replace James Bond?????? Sorry, James Bond is a man who likes to flirt and have sex with women. It’s a big part of the character that the audience loves and expects. Lashana is more of a serious character who doesn’t have that tongue-and-cheek sense of humor all of the other Bonds have had. I am in a state of shock that Hollywood would throw away a fifty-year decade of having British men actors play the playboy spy extraordinaire. Love to hear your thoughts and comments.

0/5 STARS

A sad end to an amazing franchise.