As a movie enthusiast, I usually attend the first screenings of new action films. Cary Joji Fukunaga’s No Time to Die was no exception. From the original director Danny Boyle leaving the project to the almost 18-month delay, this film has built up quite a reputation. Advertised as Daniel Craig’s fifth and final ‘007 movie, (along with being the 25th yet released) many people wonder what this means for the James Bond franchise. 

That being said, this immediately seems like any other Bond movie: explosions, car chases, and lots of spontaneous gunfights. But when you dig deeper, it has a larger story than most of the film’s predecessors. This film contains both the return of Ernst Blofeld and possibly the most sinister plot for world destruction. Project Hercules, as it is called, is a nano-virus capable of targeting specific DNA strands, doing so by multiplying through the bloodstream of an “infected” person and transferring via skin-to-skin contact. Pretty scary stuff.

 James Bond (Daniel Craig), having retired from the British special force MI6, finally found his “nirvana” lifestyle with love interest/maybe wife (they are never clear on these things) Madeleine Swan (Lea Seydoux). A few minutes in, he visits yet another lover’s grave, belonging to Vesper Lynd, who died back in Casino Royale (2006). This, being a ‘007 movie, is followed by an explosion and one of the largest carnage scenes in the movie. After a few more minutes of the film, we finally get the opening credits, accompanied by Billie Eilish’s surprisingly ear-catching song, No Time to Die. 

The film features returning stars Craig as Bond, Ralph Fiennes (Gareth Mallory, or just “M”), and Ben Whishaw (Q), along with new actors like Rami Malek (Safin) and Lashana Lynch. The movie had a budget of about $250 million, with another $150 million going to advertising, while it grossed $313 million worldwide. 

I would personally rank this movie at a 7.2/10. The reason I wouldn’t rank it any higher should be clear; it’s a ‘007 movie. Everything has been done before, if not multiple times. Jackson, another student here at South, gave the movie an 8.5/10 saying “(the film) has a really good story, awesome villain, sad but satisfying ending, and great character development”. Overall, this movie is great for both hardcore 007 fans and those seeing one for the first time.