O&A movie columnist Mark Fields’ quick take on the latest releases
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No Time to Die, the 25th film in the legendary James Bond franchise and reportedly the last with Daniel Craig as British superagent 007, is a satisfying conclusion to this arc of Bond stories. The five Craig movies have been far more narratively connected than the mostly one-off adventures in the series, and No Time to Die brings various aspects of that overarching story to a fitting, albeit somber, close. The film includes all of the elements one hopes for in these sturdy spy sagas: breathless action sequences, exotic locations, and a damaged, baroque villain with a convoluted scheme. But No Time to Die, as directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, has weightier ideas about personal history and regret in mind, which it slowly reveals through a dense plot filled with secrets and betrayals. This longest movie in the series is at least 20 minutes too long and has a surprising-though-appropriate muted color palette. The stakes may be lost on viewers not fully invested in the intricacies of the story that has carried over from earlier films. However, the world-weary performance of Craig, the careful parade of familiar tropes, and an abundance of Bondian Easter eggs will be rewarding for the faithful.
