One film in particular that got a lot of coverage in its release process in the film I will be reviewing, and that is the latest James Bond feature. The 25th official film within the franchise has had a large amount of expected publicity. Not just because it is another James Bond release, but it is the last outing as the main character for Daniel Craig.
While rumours of a new Bond has been circulating for far too long, I was hoping that the release of the film will turn into a memorable farewell for Craig as I want this to be amount what's on the screen rather than events happening off it.
I haven't seen many Bond films at the cinema. So I always see new releases in this franchise as an absolute treat when seeing it on the big screen. The others being Die Another Day, Skyfall and Spectre.
This viewing experience ended up being a lot more impactful then expected. You could feel in the chosen colour palette that this was going to have a sombre tone, even with the well executed action scenes coming on an evenly basis.
With the usual travelling to exotic locations, I was noticing a surprising tone of expanded chemistry with many of the supporting cast. It wasn't just the Daniel Craig show. This was probably one of the best ensemble casts in a Bond film. On this aspect, it is up there with GoldenEye, Goldfinger and Skyfall. Many usual as well as new faces brilliantly shone in this. A big surprise was Ana De Armas. A brilliant actor who I had no idea was in this. Despite the short amount of screen time De Armas was given, she capitalised on it perfectly. The perfect mix of looking beautiful and kicking ass is exactly what you want in a Bond film. I can easily see fans pushing for her character to appear in more future films within this franchise. I was also surprised to see Billy Magnussen as I loved him in Game Night. Known more his comedic chops, it was refreshing to see in a more serious role.
Others that put on a good show were Lashana Lynch, who like De Armas has a promising future in this series. A no-nonsense by-the-book approach to her character worked really well when bouncing off with Craig. Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris together were the best they've been. Those three together really blossomed in this one, which was great to see.
Lea Seydoux does another solid job, and despite the disappointing amount of time they had on screen, both Christoph Waltz and Rami Malek did well with that they were given. I also have to give props to Jeffrey Wright, Dali Benssaleh, David Dencik and Lisa-Dorah Sonnet. There was an odd surprise actor involved. But I won't say so it can be a nice shock for you all.
With everything nicely building up both in character and story development, it ended with a memorable final act. The ending felt so impactful and I liked they didn't hold back. It was like seeing the end of an old friend. It reminded me a lot of David Tennant's last Doctor Who episode and a particular season finale to a show that I won't mention to avoid spoilers. But if I see any similar comparisons, then I will give props to you for seeing that.
From a technical aspect, the visual effects seamless blended in with the live action well. The score as well as the dialogue does a great job of incorporating one particular previous Bond that actually fits in well with its themes of fate, moving on, trust and growing. As for the usual theme, I think Billie Eilish's style helped give us an idea of what's in store.
Not many drawbacks to mention. It's not a fun themed Bond. So I can't see it entertaining first-timers to the franchise and casuals viewers. The main one for me was the length. It did not warrant its 2hrs 43mins duration. It could have easily been 20 or even 30 mins shorter. So there were moments that either slowed the pacing down or lingered too much on certain moments.
That being said, I think many demographics that grew up with the franchise will be satisfied with it. It was most certainly a fitting end to the Daniel Craig era and he will remembered as a great Bond and can definitely be up there with the greats.
I had a good time watching this. It was entertaining, the story was interesting, there were plenty of characters to enjoy and that strong ending will certainly have it staying with its target audience for a good while.
I do have a few theories on how certain incomplete subplots will turn out. So it will be interesting to see where this new era of Bond will go both in its story as well as its next 007.
Rating: 7/10
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