No Time To Die

Mostly very good yet occasionally muddled, Daniel Craig's Bond sendoff encapsulates his run in the series. Tonally, No Time To Die wrestles with the longstanding Bond dilemma: camp versus class. Meanwhile, No Time To Die attempts to tie a handful of storylines together concisely. The movie does a sufficient job balancing all this but, unfortunately, feels slightly bloated and disjointed at times. A more focused script would've helped the experience greatly. Because while there are good story elements here, they are diluted with superfluous characters, scenes, and plot devices.

From a filmmaking perspective, No Time To Die is competent. There are neat sound design moments. The opening car chase is well executed. The soundtrack is iconic. There is an extended, continuous shot of action in a stairwell. Plus, the production design and special effects are high quality. However, none of this is outstanding enough to mark No Time To Die as exceptional. Rami Malek elevates his role and the conclusion is impactfully surprising, but besides that, this film lacks specialness. Therefore, No Time To Die lands firmly as good but not quite great.

Writing: 7/10

Direction: 7/10

Cinematography: 7/10

Acting: 7/10

Editing: 7/10

Sound: 8/10

Score/Soundtrack: 9/10

Production Design: 9/10

Casting: 8/10

Effects: 9/10

Overall Score: 7.8/10