We all joke about that - but I am DEAD SERIOUS. He ACTUALLY COULD PLAY Q. For real! They need to recast now,of course, and the part is wide open. And Calvin should get a legit shot at auditioning for it! I have worked on many film sets over the last few years and have seen hundreds of both experienced Veteran actors and newer actors doing their thing live and up close. And I really think that Calvin is as talented as many of them and could actually do it! He has been doing videos which include lots of creative skits and bits that all really do involve real acting for Years!! So I think he’s probably put in more hours in front of the camera than most of the other actors that will be auditioning for Q have COMBINED! So go for it Calvin! Why not??
"Missed opportunity" defines the Craig saga. His movies were meant to form an arc yet it feels to me like they were improvised following the incredible Casino Royale.
I also think they were too "reactionary" to the trends and movie landscape they were released in: Casino Royale was very much its own thing, but QoS was a Jason Bourne-hangover (gritty feel, more or less realistic plot, quick edits), Skyfall leaned towards The Dark Knight (the lunatic villain being captured on purpose, Bond being an orphan...), Spectre was a clumsy attempt to "marvelize" the Bond franchise by having Blofeld essentially be Thanos, and NTTD walked in Logan's footsteps by having the main protagonist come to terms with both fatherhood and mortality. The Roger Moore era did a lot of this as well (LALD/Blackspoitation, TMWTGG/Martial Arts, TSWLM/Jaws, Moonraker/SW, etc) but it managed to maintain its core James Bond identity, in large parts thanks to Roger's frim grip on the character. I applaud Craig and the filmmakers/producers for experimenting a little bit, but as you say there was too much improvisation and too little plannning.
Spectre was what killed the momentum. QOS had its issues but wasn't offensive- its story didn't retroactively make any other films worse, just a simple follow up of CR and did its job. Skyfall was envisioned as Craig's Goldfinger and it worked both on its own and as a finale to the "Becoming Bond" arc. Spectre is a YOLT, Moonraker or DAD: a Bond movie makes boatloads of money, the producers get hyped up and make something with no shame next. On top of that they get the McClory rights back and get doubly excited. The brother subplot is braindead, but the producers are excited. How it would retroactively ruin CR and Skyfall? Doesn't matter, we're in BOND MANIA!! They got the message, and NTTD was clearly a cleanup job (a OHMSS, FYEO, or CR if you will). It has its own issues, pointed out in this video, but overall it's a film they clearly put thought and effort into. Can only hope they take Craig's continuity as an experiment, another interesting tidbit in the series' history, and go back to self contained stories. If they do continuity like this again let's hope they learned from the mistake that was Spectre.
@@b.chaline4394 Bond is a 'trend chaser' franchise in general.The Moore era especially [with Moonraker] but Die Another Day was very '2000' in it's approach for example.
When people tell me that cringeworthy "Die, Blofeld, die!!!" comes directly from Fleming's novel, my usual response is: "So does the idea of Bond disguising himself as a japanese fisherman, And look how well that turned out."
And we have Feldman saying that to Voorhees in part 4 and in part 6 Voorhees does what??? The emulation of the Bond gunbarrel sequence in number 6! There's definitely a hidden statement here.
There is more direct evidence of Bond being fluent in Japanese from the books than Russian! He has a degree in Oriental languages, which I presume in his case to be Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and/or Cantonese. I'm not so sure about south east Asian languages. He is also reported to know German. We can guess he must have picked up some Russian just for his work.
I don't doubt his language skills. But I think we all can agree that trying to change his physical appearance turned out a little less convincing in the movie version.
@@seancameron149 yes, I don't think this particular scene is the finest hour for any of the actors involved. The character of Blofeld was let down by weak writing in the reboot era IMHO. Craig vs. Waltz should have been epic. Instead most of scenes they share are just... meh.
I really appreciate the incredible amount of work that you put into creating this in-depth review. I can't imagine how long it took to put all of this together and it's just so well done! Truly enjoyed it!
I always wondered why nobody found it ominous that Q was in the plane at the end. In Skyfall Moneypenny told Bond that Q was afraid of flying when she helped him in Macao. Superb review Calvin, I've been waiting for this since No Time To Die got released! Greetings from Austria
I agree with you 1000%. I was jazzed to see this film and loved the beginning but it keeps on getting worst. And you actually help me understand why the film falls apart. Thank you for the Bond therapy 😀.
@SKB LOL, really? Seriously, the hard work that was put into this movie was there to make sure James Bond dies at the end. That's why there're so many plot contrivances in the movie. Never have I ever seen a movie that's both contrived AND depressing. Especially a Bond movie. So many of you NTTD fans are in complete denial over how flawed the movie is. Whenever someone points out it's flaws you call them toxic fanboys or keyboard warriors. Perhaps that's why it's fanbase is so passionate about it: you all know deep down how bad it is and are insecure for liking it. No one is mis-spreading negative messages here.
@@LeonWick526 you have a lot of tissues with films that aren't just Disney movies. Look at how enraged and emotional you are. Anyone freaking out that s Bond movie had plot contrivances has never watched a bond movie You're intense Need to believe everyone secretly agrees with you is bizarre
@@cdreid9999 My God, did you even read my comment? Did you watch Calvin's video? You're just like everyone else who loves this movie: you don't understand why other people don't like it. And piss off with that Disney movie crap. I hate Disney movies and love plenty of dark/emotional films. You're the one who is intense over those who disagree with you. Anyone who complains about NTTD is wrong because as far as you're concerned, there's nothing wrong with it.
In addition to Madeline clutching her stomach on the train, it’s clear that she has something important to tell Bond in the car sequence, but Bond shuts her down thinking it has something to do with her and Spectre. I completely missed this on my first viewing but now it’s quite obvious what she wanted to say.
Not sure why this has so many likes, but on this review it makes sense. It is not clear that is specifically what she wants to say and that is another interesting element. She is very good at hiding secrets.
An over two hour review!? At this point, EON and MGM should just hire you to either write, direct, or edit Bond 26. The passion and talent are clearly there.
First off: Calvin you are are legend. Second: This is a film that falls apart completely in the third act for me and I hate saying that as I feel that about most films nowadays. That finale seems suspiciously ill-equipped to setup the ending. I get the strong feeling that things were changed quite late EDIT: I miss 2006
I love Craig as Bond, however his era has made me clamour for the days of Die Another Day, which is something I thought I'd never say. I don't feel like I've left the cinema having seen a 'real' Bond film in donkey's years. Each one seems to want to be an experimental, deconstructionist drama featuring a character called Bond, rather than a 'Bond movie'.
@@stuffedsheepshead your comment answers itself. What exactly is a "bond" movie? The formula? Or for the book readers his "living in the edge" mindset? Do know that purists LOVED daltons/ Craig's portrayal, the moves you wouldn't consider "bond movies", rather action films with bond in them. I think you've just been watching too much critical drinker, even he cannot defend his stance on Craig's movies not being "bond like " even though casino royale was very faithful to the novel and skyfall was Fleming's James bond at its "fed up and living on the edge" peak . Side note: I LOVE the "bond like" film as much as the next person. It just shouldn't go overboard with it e.g. the spy who loved me was AWESOME. Moonraker, despite it being LITERALLY the same film but on steroids, doesn't work as well. And this is from a person who believes that the moon landing was CGI . goldfinger was an amazing Super hit film, but a view to a kill, a rehash of goldfinger was not good. At all.
You’re comments about Safin got me thinking, I definitely believe that he was originally supposed to be Dr. No. The idea of the first villain to be killed by Bond becoming the first one to kill him could work perfectly as a way bookend the series. That concept alone just makes too much sense, and that’s not even counting all the clues you brought up in the video. I know Fukunaga denied the theory, but I don’t buy it. There is no way it was never considered.
@@alwaysOPEN4business And with "he" you are referring to yourself. Either you're a hypocrite or you forgot to change accounts (and both are probably true). Using pronouns correctly is important.
@@JamesNewham technically not, they could be referring to the original commenter not that i think that the nitpick of main vs side villains was worthwhile but if you wanna argue semantics you should be careful to do it correctly
Fanrastic review! You really cover all the bases. You're also the only person I'd ever watch a 2 hour review for. xD My opinion regarding Safin's plan is: A Bond villain's plan should not be 'open to interpretation', it's not an art film. 😂
Very good point about Safin's plan! I think that sums it up really well and very succinctly. Also very much appreciate you taking the time to watch the whole video, I very much appreciate it and I'm happy you enjoyed :D
@@calvindyson I can appreciate something being open to interpretation, but you need some kind of baseline for that to work. What we get regarding Safin's plan is *not* enough. There's "open to interpretation" and then there's "... we have so little to work with we're better off just making it up ourselves." His god complex would make sense if he wasn't going to sell the weapon. If instead he planned to keep exclusive control of it, giving him the power to pick and choose exactly who lives and dies. But instead he's just selling it and covering those motives (greed, desire to spread death) as something deeper than they really are.
Honestly, about Bond’s kid, and his reaction (or lack there of) to Saffin telling him that she’s his daughter. I always took it as he already knew that, and never believed what Madeline said about her not being his. So when Saffin told him was only confirmation of what he already knew, and was able to not break stoic demeanor. As for him fumbling at calling her his daughter… honest I think it was just him processing it… as it was the first time he ever acknowledged she was his.
The way the villains plan is not completely fleshed out leads me to believe that Safin was actually supposed to be Dr. No, but when that info leaked, they saw it wasn’t received well and cut it out of the film. The problem is it feels like they chose to do that after reshoots had happened and couldn’t put the info they needed for his plan back in. Overall, I enjoy the film, I personally felt like Craig’s version of bond dying makes sense. But I can understand people’s issues with it. It does make me quite intrigued on what direction they will go with the next film
The main bad guy and attractive bond girl had other films to make. It took that long to film the movie due to directors, script writers leaving or getting fired and the many other delays, there availablity decreased resulting in both not being in the film for a long time. Hopefully the next bond films return to form and are fun and entertaining. Craig's last two bond films were a drag, boring and two of the worst bond films.
While I admit that *story-wise,* I'm not quite sold on the ending... _all the other elements_ make me go with it: The music, the editing and *especially* the acting by Whishaw, Sedoux and, most of all, Craig. They are giving this moment their all and their efforts are the reason why I can largely forgive this ending any grievances I have about contrivances. Overall, its by no means one of the best Bond-Movies (although there are some franchise-best *moments* in here) but its one hell of an improvement over "Spectre" to the point that it actually improves on that movie (in some aspects, at least). Craigs' era was one of extremes, with "Casino Royale" and "Skyfall" among the top five, and "Quantum of Solace" and "Spectre" among the bottom five. SInce I have no imagination, I'd rank "No time to die" right in the middle, at #13. Craigs' era was one of both highlights and missed opportunities, but it, in the end, managed to stick the landing for me, if barely. But as a final Bond-outing, its much better than "Diamonds are forever", "View to a Kill" and "Die another Day".
Thanks Calvin. This looks incredible. Proper feature length! Given how crazy NTTD is from both a production, release, and story point of view, I'm sure making this was a form of therapy!
Bravo, Mr. Dyson. Your skits in particular feel very sharp in this one (the well-timed 'swallow' gag had me genuinely laughing out loud). Excellent, thoughtful plot analysis and well-reasoned opinions.
I genuinely thought Madeline's secret was that Safin had raised her for some time. And she had some Stockholm Syndrome/divided loyalty with him. It does make me we wonder what the aftermath was. Did he leave her at the house, did they sit and drink cocoa next to the corpse of her mother, did Madeline subsequently call the authorities, or manage to get hold of her father to dispose of his wife's body and cover things up. So many questions.
It probably just played out as you would imagine….Saffin leaves and the police eventually find Madeline by her mother’s dead body. I do agree that the modern day Saffin / Madeline relationship is vague and unsatisfying though which is a real wasted opportunity to spice up the plot towards the end.
@@brendansheehy8124 In hindsight I don't think the authorities could have been involved, as they would have found the Safe Room, and all it's dodgy stuff. I also think if they'd upped young Madeline's age and made young Safin a teenager (maybe 16), you could have created a dynamic in which they did have a weird kind of sexual tension/history. Young boy, hell bent on revenge, does first kill, and reeling from the PTSD of that falls in love/obsession with the girl he saves. Would have even maybe made the character a bit more sympathetic. Or if you really want to go wild, Safin is Matilde's real father! This would explain why he wants to keep them on the island. Safin and Madeline have this weird co-dependent relationship forged out of hate, grief, and need for connection. They're also the children of assassins, who's idylls were smashed. They have a on-off relationship over the years. Needing each other, then driving each other crazy until they separate and this goes on in cycles. Emotionally shaken by Bond, Madeline turns to Safin, and gets pregnant. Then some time later they separate again. So by the end we don't know who Madeline will choose, Bond or Safin.
@@sashaking1115 and even more odd that he actually still looks the same age as her in the present day! I think it was rumored that Safin managed to keep himself young through some plants in the Garden of Death, I wonder if that was also mentioned in the script at some point and got dropped as well...
@@b.chaline4394 wouldn’t surprise me! But then again, have you read Harry Potter? Albus Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall don’t appear to get any older
Outstanding video. I somehow felt that I needed to watch a 2 hour long review instead of the actual film again and I'm not disappointed. I think Ana de Armas carried the movie for me, even though she appeared for so little time.
Very true, she was a standout, as she is in most of her films. Even when she’s in a universally panned and maligned film like Blonde, few ppl can deny her strong performance. For me she really breathed life in a film that felt like a slow sullen end to what was at first a very active and lively Bond tenure
Outstanding review Calvin - thoroughly entertaining and sincere take that reflects your passion and knowledge of this character and series. Also the two dead swans was absolutely hilarious.
I never expected to see you on this video Pentex, I must say, I love your vids and I really love your Bond essays, I especially enjoy your analysis of the opening of "the Living Daylights" as well as your "how to make the perfect Bond film" video.
I *think* I remember reading an article about this when it was announced that he was departing the film. The "script disagreement" was that Boyle did not want to Kill off Bond. Maybe we will know one day.
Interestingly, the original ending for Quantum of Solace was the twist that Vesper betrayed Bond because Quantum had threatened her previously hidden Son. The film was going to end with Bond meeting the kid in an orphanage. This was dropped because Daniel Craig said that, as an orphan himself, Bond couldn't just walk away from the child and he'd adopt the kid, which clearly would have been a spanner in the works of future stories so it was dropped [replaced by the 'Vespers lover was a double agent' ending from 007 in New York] but it does show that the child idea was there earlier in the process and Bond's reaction to his daughter is true to Craig's thoughts at the time.
Weirdly it was Paul Haggis who had the idea as he believed that Vesper's betrayal over a kidnapped boyfriend wasn't enough of a reason! Despite the fact he wrote that, for Casino Royale. Bond walking outside to meet M was exactly what happened, but it was an Orphanage the kid had been dumped in rather than the Canadian Spy's place.
@@davidjames579 In fairness the 'kidnapped boyfriend' motivation comes from Fleming's novel in Vesper's suicide note [Haggis changed her demise from Bond finding her dead to a big action scene].
That being said, does the snowy end scene with the Canadian female agent take place in Canada? Because I think Bond has yet to set foot in Canada, even though Thunderball almost sent him to Station C.
@@davidw.2791 No, she's stationed in Kazan, Russia. The orphanage scene would have been in Albania. Yeah, Bond hasn't been to Canada yet (although his stunt double went to Baffin Island doubling as Austria, for the Cliff Jump in The Spy Who Loved Me).
Calvin, I usually find myself on the opposite end of the spectrum of your opinions, fought with overthinking the issue and granting way too much weight to unimportant details. But Calvin, you have really outdone yourself here! Wow! Just the editing must have taken weeks! Great flow to your presentation, very logicical points of contention with the plot and loved your contrivitinis (lol). So allow me to congratulate you on your significant achievement here. Regardless of the agreement or disagreement of others, this work and the dedication and insight it took to produce it, stands firmly on its own! 😀😀😃😄👍👍👍👍👍
The "she's not yours" I would take as Madeline's anxiety of Matilda being linked with Bond's dangers. At the end, when Bond is about to die, there is no longer that danger. Its more she can let him know because now he's about to die there will no longer be that link and danger
I’m partway through this but I must say at this stage, you’re doing an excellent job yet again. I know from previous videos that we agree in many ways on this film and differ in a few others, but by god if I couldn’t just watch you witter on about any Bond thing for as long as you like. Your presentation style goes from strength to strength each time, and against all odds “Eau de nanobot” gets funnier each time you do it haha
1:14:17 I'm sorry but this was one of the best small scenes in bond. The Tension knowing one simple touch! could kill him, is masterful the tension! Is great!! MASTERFUL! Him inching closer. And Closer. Is great!!
I never thought the visitor was supposed to be Blofeld and later retconned to Safin. Swann strongly implies that she shot the intruder and remembers the incident well, and is being truthful when she later tells Blofeld she doesn't remember him. I think he came to their house *years before* Safin did, specifically to recruit Mr White. She was probably only a baby or toddler at the time (in either case making it unlikely she'd remember). Heck, Blofeld probably saw her at the time and made some (possibly creepy) comment, leading Mr White to insist on keeping her out of his forthcoming line of work. He agreed to join Blofeld's organization but he'd be damned if his daughter ever followed suit. Safin and Blofeld were different visitors for different reasons.
7:07 as someone who was raised listening to Dalida songs thanks to my mother, hearing this song at the opening made me so happy. Dalida was always a big star, and her end was so tragic. But this beautiful song being heard by an entirely new generation for possibly the first time is awesome and I hope more people continue to enjoy her music.
Calvin, I don´t think Bond using a submachine-gun is bad, because he already used one in ohmss, in spy who loved me, octopussy and living daylights, as well as the brosnan movies. So I think it makes sense in this movie.
Still can’t believe they passed on the opportunity to have They Might Be Giant’s song ‘Nanobots’ as the theme, it would’ve worked so well. Especially when you consider that said song isn’t really about Nanobots it’s a metaphor for having kids.
I don't have the UA-cam editing skills but I have often thought it would be fun to look at the release year of each Bond film and then pick a song from that year that would fit the titles. 1983 Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics and the Octopussy titles for example! I guess you could expand this to songs that thematically fit the plot of the film like Nanobots...🤔
@@andykey78 A guy on UA-cam did Bond-ish songs to title sequences, and they worked really well. Some of the good ones were The Art Of Dying by George Harrison over Live And Let Die. Love Is A Losing Game by Amy Winehouse over Diamonds Are Forever. And Beggin' by Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons over OHMSS.
I've always thought that "Family full of mess" would work great for NTTD's titles. I tried to make one, but it was copyright struck and all the sound was removed!
The nanobots plot was a bit close to the bone given all the ideas floating around about certain, ahem, "medications" people have been taken recently. Odd to think that it was also written before all that started, but came out after it was in the pop culture.
Calvin, I’m running out of compliments to give you. I genuinely enjoy nothing more than sitting on the sofa on a Saturday night with a few alcoholic beverages and going through your videos. Your knowledge is second to non. I can’t even begin to imagine the time it takes to write, film and then edit an over 2 hour UA-cam video but my god I am soooo happy you do. It’s no exaggeration to say you and your videos are one of the highlights of my week. Please keep up the good work… One of your many fans. Paul x
Calvin is definitely the best there is , David's ok but he can rub me up the wrong way at times , comes across as too smug at times and he kinda dominates too much when Calvin and David do videos together
1:48:14 I love how this Gunbarell-esque shot isn't just a fanservice for a sake of fanservice. It's like "settle in and prepare for a badass stairwell scene." The whole point of Gunbarell at the beginning of the Bond movie is like "settle in and get ready for the ride". With just this little bit Cary Fukunaga shows how he understands James Bond, he did a tremendous work! Hope one day he'll helm a Bond film once again. With a better script... Doing a great job, Calvin!
I loved Fukanaga's energy and wouldn't mind him returning to reboot the series unburdened by previous continuity. However, given the quite serious sexual harrassment allegations against him at the moment, I don't think it's going to happen.
What an extremely well crafted review. As always, your review is as insightful as it is researched. There are details cited in this video that I have missed while watching NTTD and the same said details are what I’ll be looking out for on my next viewing! Thank you!
Great video! I agree that Safin was a weak villain and the ending really went off the rails, which is a shame because I loved the first 2/3 of the movie so much. I’d love to see more sequences like the one in Cuba with Ana de Armas in the next film.
I knew this review would be worth the wait. Even the stuff I don't necessarily agree with (Obruchev's reaction when the SPECTRE agents started to die, for example, which I absolutely loved) is presented in such an entertaining and informative manner that it's a joy to watch.
This review was so good, I cannot believe that I found a channel that help me get back into the Bond franchise, as during the No Time To Die media blitz and during lockdown I just sat and watched nearly everyone of your videos, it's really helped me get into this amazing franchise, plus it also helped me find a fantastic community that love Bond films as much as i do
I mostly agree with you, Calvin. "Mostly," because after I've seen the movie I was very positively surprised and enthusiastic about it, but then I kind of forgot the movie pretty fast. I like the character developments in No Time to Die. I like that the story ties in with On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which is still my favorite Bond story, and one of my favorite Bond movies. I had started writing down notes for a script to make a short video where I compare these two movies. I had the idea to make a joke how Mathilde is the new secret super-villain, because she caused him to self-sacrifice for her. But I didn't find much else to say, and didn't care to, so I guess No Time to Die is one of those movies which is really impressive on all levels of movie-making, but then is still kind of forgettable. Or maybe I just see too many movies. In any case, great in-depth review, Calvin, great editing, and compositing, enjoyed it all the way through, and your bits got a couple of laughs out of me. Thank you.
Congrats on getting the video up, Calvin! - Man the struggle of battling copyrights with UA-cam, oof... - Don't have fond memories of the trial and error on mine! Glad you got it to work! This is my evening sorted in my bath tonight watching this! 😁🍸
Really well done here Calvin, as a long-term Bond fan who loved No Time to Die, its always fascinating to hear the other side of the argument, especially when it's done so eloquently. You haven't shifted my perspective, but it was a great watch all the same and the effort you've gone into is certainly not unappreciated, kudos!
49:49 I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing when I notice something you missed. Bond shouts to Nomi after Paloma crashes into the scaffolding “I’m gonna need to borrow your plane” or something like that. Really enjoying the video so far!
The one really good thing about Bond's death is that it seems to answer an unspoken question that runs throughout the Craig movies: "is Bond really any different than the 'villains' he kills?" The Craig movies seem to put more emphasis on the dirty, unpleasant side of Bond's work and what it's done to him. NTTD seems to answer that question, "Yes, Bond IS better than those he hunts--not just in what he's willing to kill for, but in what he's willing to die for."
Person A shoves an old woman in front of a bus. Person B shoves the old woman out of the bus's path. Person A and B are the same because they both shoved the old woman.
Great review! The film is so well made and has so many highs that the ending not feeling justified is a bummer. They really can't think of anything to do about the nanobots? They're "there forever" says the inventor of smart blood? Just felt like they had decided Bond should die (a defensible choice) but the mechanics of it just never came together
Wow youve outdone yourself. When I thought “huge” I thought it would be about 1hr 15 or something - turns out youve made a review nearly as long as the film. Dedication.
Another "contrivatini" that's difficult for me to swallow is even though Bond was initially infected with nanobots that targeted all of SPECTRE, for some reason the DNA code did not include SPECTRE's supreme leader. (Why would Safin exclude that one?) This means even though Bond would eventually go see Blofeld, this would've had no effect without involving Madeline. So Madeline had to be recruited with nanobots that exclusively targeted Blofeld with a separate virus strand. (Which ended up infecting Blofeld by passing through Bond who was now carrying two - and soon to be three - different strands of this virus! Sheesh.)
There is no point in putting Blofeld's DNA in the Cuba attack as he's not there. Safin also probably needed to destroy Spectre to ensure Blofeld has no allies left to prevent any assassination attempt. Rather than hope one of the survivors of Cuba will got to Blofeld, he goes to someone he believes is guaranteed to pass the nanobots on with Madeline who is the only one Blofeld is seeing and owes him a debt. It does make more sense than it appears.
"Chekov's Stomach Grab" This NEEDS to be minted as an official trope. I just wonder if I could dredge up enough examples of "heartbroken woman watches man leave, touches her belly forlornly..."
Calvin, you are a treasure! I found your channel around a year ago and not only did it only entertain and inform me as I started getting into Bond myself, it made No Time To Die the most excited I've ever been seeing a film. You're very funny, sweet and charming and I just wanna say thank you man, you can be very proud of yourself I'd say! 😊
Regarding Bond being Mathilde’s father, Barbara Broccoli said in one of the interviews either with Bong Joon-Ho or Guillermo del Toro that Madeline says “she’s not yours” because he hasn’t earned the right to be her father. Being a father to someone is so much more than biological, and so I see the final act of this film to be Bond earning the right to be the father figure, which ultimately leads to him sacrificing himself to save his daughter. So when Madeline does tell Bond she has his eyes, she’s telling him that you have earned the right to be her father.
I wish that they'd explored that a bit better in the film because I think it could have been very satisfying if it had been fine tuned. I think they ended up in a bit of an odd middle ground on it but then I must say, I feel that way about much of the second half of the film!
That's exactly how I looked at it. I knew he was the kid's father straight away but Madeline has a point. Where has Bond been for the last 5 years? But he steps up to the mark and earns that status.
That's a nice concept in theory, but it's not prepared for very well. This is a Bond movie, not a Tenessee Williams play. The audience isn't set up to triple-read statements like that. The delivery, the place of the line, the up-in-the-air status of the connection, all betray what the line was actually trying to deliver. And it confused a lot of people. Some folks figured it out, sure; but if the ratio of "folks who get it" to "those who don't" is too even, you should workshop it a bit.
Not convinced, how bond has to earn the right to someone he didn’t have a clue she existed in the first place ? It’s not like he abandonned her knowing she was pregnant.
What an achievement Calvin. Excellent review, measured, nuanced, involving and affectionate. I find it hard to disagree with much of what you’ve said. I liked pretty much what you liked but also felt it was such a big missed opportunity for Craig’s swan song. Yes, very stylish, but too much style, good looks and contrivance over substance and logic and genuine emotion. I cried, my family cried, at Tracy’s death, when M and Vesper died. But not at the end of this film. As you say, none of the big emotional scenes were earned. Even Felix’s death seemed like a throwaway. And the less said about the death of Bond’s biggest nemesis the better. I’ve been a fan since first seeing Live and Let Die at the cinema when I was 9. I attended a lot of the Roger Moore premiere’s, visited the sets, helped run the British fan club, even interviewed Lazenby in LA in early 80s when he didn’t do interviews, so very well steeped in the franchise. Craig has been an incredible Bond. He’s left an indelible mark on the series. And there is just so much to love about No Time To Die. But. It was just too full off ideas for its own good. And sadly, it pulled very few of them off. Bond deserved a much better ending than this. But superb review. Made clearly from the heart.
For me, Bond's death and the set-up for it, is not handeled super great, but also not terrible. I think it's ok, I guess? The death scene itself is executed really well, though. All in all, I don't love Bond dying, but also don't hate it. It simply is.
Is it a bad thing killing off Bond? You couldn’t have built off anything that this series set because the focused too much on a character arc and journey. If they kept him alive Craig would be asked until the day he died to if he would ever come back again to do a Logan style Bond film. So by killing him now it avoids that ever coming up
@@c17sam90 Bonds already been killed, several times, and he has a daughter called Mata. There are also multiple James Bonds. (Ref: Casino Royale 1967. :) )
If anyone's fuming about how this movie kills off Bond... blame the producers. They're the ones who came up with the concept so they could let Craig's iteration have a last hurrah. So, yeah. Love it or hate it, it was an attempt to have him go down in a blaze of glory.
As a hardcore fan of every bond, almost every bond film ( id say every film but the second half of DAD ), the bond novels, ect ect.... I hate this ending too man. Honestly with how much praise this ending got, i was realling hoping you shared the same feelings i do about it. And thankfully you do and i can rest easy knowing there are other real bond fans out there. Lol Still a good movie. I also love love the stairway fight. Its very great. And its a beautiful film. But this ending sucked. And i feel your pain good sir. Oh and i love your channel. You do amazing work. Your reviews are deep, well thought out, hilarious, and generally just steeped in authentic passion. Great stuff!
After spending 2 hours with you, it really feels as though we actually spent time together. Weird. 😄 Thank you for the in-depth review! It's put many of my issues with this movie to rest.
"No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader"- Robert Frost (though I think it was quoted by Flannery O'Connor?) Great review with a great thesis. You really put so much time into unpacking everything here and working very, very hard to understand other points of view and piece down exactly, to the very thing, what doesn't connect. Love it. I feel like a little load I've worn since watching this movie has been lifted, to understand exactly what happened to lead to this outcome. Thanks a bunch.
Calvin, this review is absolutely delightful! I loved this film but felt it also had some major problems and it's very satisfying to hear you articulate those so clearly, while also pointing out some things I never noticed. Your review captures all the positive and negative about this film, which is a monumental task for a 2hr40 min movie. Bravo!
Hey Calvin, great job man! I can tell you worked really hard on this and it shows. I found myself laughing a lot you are hilarious and those skits are amazing. You did a great breakdown of the film as well, I learned a lot that I wanted to know from this. I’m glad I finally know where you stand and I can say we are in the same boat I feel about the exact same as you. Anyways cheers mate and great job
I happened to read You Only Live Twice the summer before No Time to Die came out and was intentionally avoiding all trailers and speculation to come into the movie as shocked as possible. As soon as I heard "island of death" and "Die Blofeld, die!" (Which I thought was cringy even in the book), I realized just how much I had accidentally spoiled the movie for myself. Still loved it and hold it above QoS, Spectre, and even Skyfall in some ways (although I'm not as big of a Skyfall fan as most Bond fans). However, I also either didn't notice or didn't care about all the contrivances leading to the ending. My biggest sticking point about the movie is just how muddled they made Matilde's parental status. Just one more sentence beyond "she's not yours" about how she doesn't want Bond in her daughter's life would have cleared things up, but they wanted the cheap laugh.
Perfect, Calvin! Informed, insightful and - in parts - very funny indeed. Thank you; I can only imagine how much time and effort it must have taken you to put this together. I could have watched another hour! Agree with 99% of what you said. Unlike you though, I loved the denouement. I think it took huge courage. Then again, I thought the same when they took the headphone jack off the iPhone. Looking forward to the next one, Sir.
1:47:16 “James Bond’s going to save the day!” I laughed so hard! Thank you so much for keeping you’re enthusiasm so strong during all your reviews, this channel is such a comfort, I love it!
This was definitely not the finale for Craig that the fans wanted. Great ideas but poor execution imo. Goldeneye will always be my favourite! Love your channel mate
Over two hours! Why, it was worth the wait for sure. I'm the one who love the ending, but can absolutely understand that it does not work for others. Thank you anyway to take so much time and a great editing to make this video for us. Laughed out a lot while watching. Will surely watch it Sunday again - it has a good length for cooking. By the way :, Blofeld telling madeleine about him coming to her father's house to visit him is a Easter egg to the Inglorious Bastard Film. Lea sedoux first movie roll. Walz as Landau, coming to the fathers house to look for jews. They have screentime together - very haunting. She plays the youngest daughter and Landau picks her out to touch her, to feel her puls.
Not a fan of film reviewers making reviews almost as long as or longer than the actual film. But I was delighted to make an exception for you Calvin. This is an excellent review. I can appreciate the amount of work you put into it. Did I agree with everything you said? Well yes, most of it. There were some things that bothered me more than you but I think we both had reservations about the finale from very early on. I really liked the way you explained why you didn't buy it. The whole thing didn't feel earned in many ways. I call it contravitus and you drink contravitinis to self medicate! Again thanks for this herculean/heracles effort of production. Well worth watching.
Hey Calvin. I’m always appreciative of UA-camrs like yourself who are always happy to accept and even encourage people’s different views of James Bond despite not necessarily agreeing with them. It creates a field for nice pleasant debate. I’m definitely one of the fans on the opposite side of you when it comes to Safin and the ending. Maybe it’s my autism which enables me to both take everything at face and literal value (very common for me), or look at it more in depth, both at will. My examples are 2 of my top 3 tied Bond Films, Tomorrow Never Dies and No Time To Die itself (License To Kill is the other). TND is a top favourite because when thinking about it more in depth, it’s plot still feels so relevant (probably even more so in the modern day), where the world is being run and informed via 24 hour news. Social media and recent presidencies would slot right into that film and not feel out of place. Plus Bond and Wai Lin’s chemistry was undeniable. Like a married couple. A well oiled machine and always trying to outdo one another, even when at work. Whereas I love No Time To Die because Safin just looks really cool, as does his base and everywhere else. The action scenes just kick ass and I’m a sucker for emotional music. So once Bond was hit with the vial and reopened the silo doors, I was starting to cut onions. Also, Hugh Dennis = Oscar in my view.
I do think NTTD works a lot better if viewed as the 5th part of the Craig Saga. I was quite positive on it at the cinema but having watched all of Craig's films in a couple of weeks I really appreciated it more and the character arc Bond has [reckless and selfish at the start of Casino, sacrificing himself for his family]. Be interested to see if you re-visit this and Spectre when you catch back up to it with the Bond movie reviews but great you put so much effort into these videos.
I think this is why the film worked for me. My wife and I watched the Craig films in the week leading up to watching NTTD in the cinema and it certainly felt like a continuing story. Albeit with some retconning as Calvin mentioned in the beginning and the weird adopted brother element which wasn't needed.
I don't think Calvin is going to do another in-depth review of this one, but he mentioned that he would do another Craig marathon sometime. Maybe he'll do some revisionist comments on Spectre and NTTD in that video.
Had to break it down into instalments, but just finished the review. Well done, Calvin. You discuss a lot that I hadn't considered, and while I still quite like this movie, I now better understand why it rubs some fans the wrong way. Cheers
Wow! An over 2 HR review... Calvin, you legit have a gift to make those 2 hrs fly by. I thoroughly enjoyed it all throughout! Honestly, I am one of those who absolutely enjoyed NTTD and think its in part due to everything that first half of the film established. From the pre title sequence up to Cuba, it got me hooked to the point that going into the last half made it work for me. However, I can't deny that EVERYTHING with Safin REALLY just does not work at all once I tone down the enjoyment I'm having while watching. I really just wish the producers and the writers would've just let go of the whole personal stakes aspect and instead just made him a villain in the vain of Whittaker; someone who was just selling the technology to make a profit. Yes; forgettable but would've been better than what was given. Great, GREAT review and absolutely adored each minute of this review!
Another triumph. This is your crowning achievement (so far!!) even if NTTD isn’t necessarily Bond’s crowning achievement. This was such a rewarding watch. I’ve been enjoying your videos since the beginning and it’s surreal to think about post-Craig Calvin, but I look forward to it all the same!
Great review, Calvin. Normally, I’m on a high when I come out of a Bond movie - and my first cinematic 007 experience was For Your Eyes Only! No Time To Die is the first Bond movie where I came out of the cinema confused, annoyed, exasperated and honestly just p**sed off that they had the gall to kill off Bond. He was the one cinematic constant for me, someone you just don’t kill. But over and above that, his death was just one big exercise in hubris by the producers and, I’m afraid, the excellent Daniel Craig. No one actor should ever be considered bigger than the character of.Bond. Not even Connery got this sort of send off. The ‘James Bond Will Return’ message has never sounded so hollow to me.. I don’t know what kind of emotional need from the audience the producers were trying to capture, but the only need for me was to get as far away from that ending as possible!
Connery may have wanted to kill Bond in Never say never again but they were actually wanting to do a sequel to it [called Spectre funnily enough] which Connery refused to do after the troubled production. In the past you didn't kill the main character as that would be the end of the series [hence why RIggs doesn't die at the end of Lethal Weapon 2 or Rocky in Rocky V despite that being the plan and they killed Kirk in Generations as the TNG crew had taken over] but now audiences are fine with reboots and multi-universes they can do it if you want to and start over a few years later with a new continuity [as Batman has done many times for example].
agree - it started off so well, and was beautifully shot. Then the Cuba bit was a bit underwhelming, but I was hoping it picked up again, but sadly for me it just didn't. I thought it was great they replaced 007 whilst he was away, but I felt all of her dialog delivery was awful personally. It just felt a bit forced. Moneypenny in sky skyfall felt far more natural. I thought Safin was not a great villain and overhyped - could and should have been so much more
@@lukegregoryCOHBL yeah there was just nothing to Safin. His character felt shoe horned in so that there was a backstory for Madeleine. He was one dimensional and a complete waste of Rami Malek who, let’s not forget, is an Oscar-winning actor. The whole film was just one big paean to Daniel Craig.
Well done. You articulated many of the contrivances that I only half-grasped on the fly when first watching the film. I was confused when the ending didn't have the emotional punch I was expecting. If you're going to kill off a quasi-immortal character, it had better be a bullet-proof setup, so to speak. This film's Rube Goldberg-esque plot provided far too many opportunities for the viewer to think: "Wait-what??"
A feature length Calvin Dyson review? Happy times. I've enjoyed the movie more and more with each subsequent viewing (I'm up to five at the moment) but I'm truly happy that DC decided to call it a day when he did.
Thanks Calvin, you've managed to voice my thoughts perfectly! So much of this film was great. It was the Craig era film that was least embarrassed to be a Bond Film (a gadgety watch killing a henchman with a bionic eye then Bond makes a pun! Never thought I'd see that in this era!) But the villains plot and that downer ending completely ruin it for me!
And were prevented, although if you were rich and powerful you could easily do so. A bit like how their yachts and private jets are exempt from carbon taxes in some places.
Another excellent review! IMHO I am very happy the Daniel Craig era of Bond is over. While I did enjoy the movies (in varying degrees) they never felt like "James Bond" movies. Other than looking good in a tuxedo and saying "Bond, James Bond" Craig not once had me thinking he was the James Bond character. Who makes the decision to have some pathetic arc story about him falling in love and being so emotionally vulnerable? Ridiculous! I go to a JB movie with the intention of having some escape and an over-the top experience, not to watch a daytime soap opera. During Craig's era everything I loved along the way was swept aside with the exception of the Aston Martin cars. To be fair, during Pierce Brosnan's time I was disappointed to see the use of BMWs. I *want* exploding pens, wrist-mounted dart guns, and laser watches! Please bring back a villain that can speak in tones *above* a mumble. In Spectre, JB told the guy at the health spa to flush the probiotic shake but it looks like if JB's writers continue down their course JB could go full vegan and swear off alcohol. Let's hope that only the Daniel Craig JB is dead and *not* the JB that we want.
The only thing that I wish was in the film was a Dedication credit to Roger and Sean. I know Roger died in 2017 and Sean in 2020, one year before, but there are some films out there that gave Dedication to a late actor who died a year or a few years prior before the film. It would have been cool if we had a gunbarrel sequence with both actors to dedicate the late bonds.
I like this idea very much. If it had happened at the end of the film, I would have left the theater in tears; it would have been more resonant than anything in the goddamn movie. But Roger has said that 007 should be played by a white male (ouch!), and I have serious doubts as to whether either man would have endorsed this very questionable/shaky, jump-the-shark film.
Not a gunbarrel, though. Give me the dedication just as the car drives off into the sunset. I would have bawled uncontrollably. But no. Too much of a gimmick, too presumptuous. I don't think either Bond would have liked the film.
@@kevinobrien9626 JB is a white male. Why is that a problem? I think some people are so woke that everything is seen as racist or homophobic or what not. Sir Roger IS RIGHT
@@DavidM-mb1vx I don't disagree with Sir Roger, and don't think he was any kind of 'phobe' to be criticized. It's just so ironic that we are essentially looking at black female 007, and no doubt some hay would have been made of that. There is a strong possibility that Roger would not have endorsed the direction of this film, so his name cannot properly be used to stamp some resonance into it.
I always got the sense that killing Bond was almost a stipulation from Craig himself in order to return to the character one last time - sort of like Harrison Ford in Star Wars. I know you've complimented his performance in Spectre before as being stoic, but I've always felt with that film that the man is bored out of his mind. Everything about his performance in that movie screams just a man going through the motions. It's just so lifeless and dull - and I get that, because an actor of Craig's caliber wants something to sink their teeth into in a role, and Spectre gave him nothing to work with, besides some beige pastiche of Austin Powers. I'd actually put Craig in the same category as Connery, and even Dalton to a certain extent - that being Bond actors who are restless to do more with Bond, and impatient with the confines of the role. They're the opposite of Moore and Brosnan, who clearly had a great time with the role and were never particularly bothered by not really having to push their acting chops to the limits. They were just happy to have a bit of fun with it, whereas Craig and Connery in particular felt like if they weren't doing something new with the role each time, they'd mentally check out and just phone it in. They viewed themselves as actors first, and Bond actors second. Which again, is part of the reason I think his performance is the most animated and energetic he's been in the role since Casino Royale. Exploring new avenues clearly revitalised him. So from what I've seen in the way Craig talked about his disillusionment with the role post-Spectre, and then subsequently the process of deciding to return, and all this talk about "finishing the story we started in Casino Royale", I kind of get the impression that Bond having a family and dying for them at the end was really the clincher in getting him to return a final time. Even if he wasn't directly the driving force behind insisting Bond had to die at the end, I think it's unlikely he would have returned one last time had it just been a paint-by-numbers Bond adventure. Of course, whether that was a good thing for the actual end product is another question entirely. Because what's good for a Bond actor might not necessarily be good for the franchise itself.
Preach! I think the Harrison Ford analogy is very pertinent. As much as I despise this movie, Ford's performance in The Force Awakens is better than in Return of the Jedi, when he was done with the whole saga and had clearly moved on. Similarly, I'd go so far as to call Craig's in Spectre the worst performance by any James Bond actor. At least for all his inexperience Lazenby gave it his all in OHMSS, while in YOLT Connery was surrounded with fun characters and an overall lighter tone that distracted from his lacklustre performance.
I think we might have had a different ending if Danny Boyle had stayed on as director. They say his reason for leaving was the ubiquitous "creative differences", but I think in this case it translates to "you want to do what?!"
@@b.chaline4394 Killing off Hans Solo in RoTJ would have made a lot more sense than killing off Bond. The fact that they didn't kill him off never made sense to me considering they foreshadowed it at the beginning of the movie. I guess Bond fans have the misfortune of liking a franchise that doesn't lend itself to action figures and McDonald's tie-ins.
That look on Daniel Craig's face as he's having his radio conversation with Madeleine at the end is priceless. Not in the hilarious sense, but in the "amazing acting" sense. He conveys such a sense of happiness, sadness, and resolution all in one shot.
I took Craig's acting as something I will remember. This was Craig leaving not Bond dying. I hated the bad guy. So much didn't make sense. But here's something to think about. Madeline started to tell the little girl about her Dad's exploits. My Canon is she entered HMSS and became an agent. Took his number. @ninjanibba4259
Out of the 25 movies, this one ranks #13 for me. Right in the exact middle. I agree with most, if not all of your points. I score it highly overall, and I loved the emotional approach, but the plot is hard to really accept with a little critical thinking.
This was fantastic! I'm not a huge fan of this film. I can appreciate parts of this movie and I LOVE(D) the Daniel Craig era. But, dare I say, I wish they would've stopped at Spectre😬😬🤐 This one felt more like a Madeleine Swan song to Daniel Craig than a Bond movie I would typically enjoy. You nailed what didn't hit home for me. But I love reading people's positive reactions and the fun and emotions they had watching this film. That's what is so great about these films and the Bond community, everyone has aspects and iterations they like and don't like. It isn't about trying to convince each other otherwise, it's just good fun to share what we enjoyed and what just didn't work for us. I think you made a good point about that. By the way, I'm still laughing at your descent into cringe "...I'm so folded in on myself that I think all is left of me is a head and a pair of buttocks..." 😂😂😂 This was a great video.
@@sandersson2813 Skyfall is my favorite! I wanted to NTTD to be that kind of Bond movie. Spectre was 🤨but I think I would've been okay with that retconned story and him riding off into the sunset to end his era.
Wonderfully insightful, if rather long, review! One thing I would pull you up on is the first clue to Madeleine’s pregnancy is not when she puts her hand on her stomach in the train but is when she tells bond in the car shoot up “I have something to tell you”, and he replies “I bet you do!”
While not entirely flaw proof, NTTD certainly is a proper finale for Craig's Bond. I can stomach Safin's ambiguity with his motives, because a villain doesn't need to explain his goal and Safin seems to be that kind of person. Yet I do feel he was underutilized and I think maybe Madeline's scenes with him could have given us some glimpses of him psychologically, given Madeleine IS a psychologist. The bigger problems in this film are how SPECTRE is easily dispatched, the wasted garden of death and Craig's sudden TIMIDITY in his confrontation with Safin. It was so out of character that no one should get fooled by it. Overall, I'd rank it right down the middle for the Craig Era, and maybe somewhere between 13-18 overall. It was a good Bond film, just not a great one.
Great review! Really fun to go back and step through this film in such detail. I enjoy the film, but I 100% agree the villain and his shifting, vague motivations really sink the tension in the third act.
Thought you might like to know: 'No Time to Die' is an anagram of 'Diet Emotion'. A good way to describe the ending, maybe? But anyway, at the present time, I have No Time to Die at #10 in my ranking. If it weren't for those final scenes it probably would've been higher - well, that and if Saffin were a stronger villain. But I think the direction is great, the script is appropriately witty in all the right places, the action scenes are a lot of fun, the cinematography is gorgeous. It's got all the ingredients I want in a Bond film, except for that one. It's a delicious fruit salad with all my favourite fruits, with a giant bitter olive at the bottom of the bowl. Regarding Saffin, I feel the filmmakers were worried of the whole 'villain tells Bond his plan for no particular reason' trope. Which is fair enough, it can be hackneyed at times if there's no good justification as to why the villain would reveal their plan, but at the same time it's a trope because it's useful for telling the story. For me, the death of Bond is when this film stops being a Bond film and becomes The Daniel Craig Vanity Project. As you said, it's not there because it's an organic part of the story but because the star threw a hissy-fit. Honestly it's kinda soured my thoughts on Craig as a person - that he was willing to disrupt the production until he got his way, because he knew Barbara would do anything to keep him in the role. And it worked for Iron Man and Wolverine because Downey and Jackman were the first filmic iterations of those characters - Craig is the 6th Bond in a series already 40 years old when he was cast and almost 60 years old when he left, I feel it's too late in the game for Bond dying to have any impact because we know it's not the end. Those four words "James Bond Will Return" makes the whole thing moot. I'm sure we'll probably at some stage see another Wolverine and Iron Man film, but the whole idea that those characters are eternal isn't baked into their series DNA in the same way it is with Bond - as long as there is cinema, there will be Bond films. But I've come to tolerate it - at first it felt very un-Bondian, but back in November on a whim I reread Moonraker, and there's a bit there where Bond, out of ideas to stop Drax, prepares to blow himself up to prevent the Moonraker being launched, so there is a prescient, kinda. And besides, I love the first 2 hours or so of the film so much I don't want to let the death ruin the rest of the film for me. I suppose it's just another creative decision EON have taken I don't think they should've - like when they sent Bond into space or had him snowboard to the Beach Boys or had a bad guy's head explode in all its gory detail. I'm very curious to see how opinions of this film will change over time. Will backlash to the death ease and mellow as new fans come to it with no expectations (unlike the rest of us who had to wait six years for it)? Or will the continued production of James Bond films only render the decision to kill him off all the more meaningless? Or maybe both.
Thanks for this, BenCol, pleasure to read your takes as always! I hope I eventually arrive at your stance of tolerating it as it's the main thing holding me back from NTTD being a Bond film that I can stick on any time. It's just such a solemn end. I'm also very curious to see how opinion changes over time. Going to be really interesting coming back to NTTD in the build up to B26 whenever that may be.
I really feel like Craig watched Logan and said I want that! Down to having an unknown about daughter, with some of his traits (stoic, bold, bites the villain's hand to get away).
I do wonder if people will warm to the ending when the next Bond establishes a new timeline and people will watch the 5 Craig films in isolation from the other Bond's [the ending pays off if you watch it like that, from reckless rookie in Casino to sacrificing himself for his family and the world one last time]. Given people sometimes think Craig's series is linked to the first 20 Bonds, I honestly think any ending other than Bond's death would not wipe the slate clean [given Bond now has a 'wife' and kid who will not appear in Bond 26].
Finally got round to watching this and it's a great review. Usually I'm against long form video essays as they mostly turn into Cinema Sins on steroids but I barely felt the length of 2hrs+. Looking forward to the next in depth reviews on the Brosnan era! 😁
Nice video, Calvin. I do have a different opinion about Madeleine's "she does have your eyes". I think it's not so much supposed to be a reveal, but rather that Madeleine is OK or even happy with Bond being Mathilde's father.
Been a Bond fan since I saw James Bond Jr on Cartoon network as a kid. Then my neighbor showed me Thunderball and I never looked back. This movie...I still have no clue how I feel. I was one of 8 people opening night at Universal Studios to see it at midnight and here I am watching your video still confused how I feel. Thank you for taking the time for this. It means a lot to me as a Bond fan from the states with absolutely no one to discuss it with.
It doesn't "look" like one take, the stairwell fight really was one take. Cary is remarkable at one take action shots. He directed all of series one of True Detective - regarded as one of the finest TV crime dramas of all time - and one episode features a six minute tracking shot, which will blow your beautiful mind. I highly recommend checking that out. Remarkable review as always Calvin!
This is both true and not true. The sequence was shot as one take, but it was shot twice. Whatever hidden cuts are in there (and there's definitely at least one), they alternate between the two takes.
I've never worked out why people like Daniel Craig's Bond so much. I liked Quantum of Solace, and I thought Casino Royale was ok. Everyone loves Skyfall, but the plot and motivations just seems too far fetched to me. The other movies just seem intent on generating badly conceived Bond backstory... To me, Bond's wife died in OHMSS and he just doesn't really care about anything anymore. There is no more backstory needed...
If Ben Whishaw ever retires from Q, we all know Calvin would be the perfect replacement!
We all joke about that - but I am DEAD SERIOUS.
He ACTUALLY COULD PLAY Q.
For real!
They need to recast now,of course, and the part is wide open.
And Calvin should get a legit shot at auditioning for it!
I have worked on many film sets over the last few years and have seen hundreds of both experienced Veteran actors and newer actors doing their thing live and up close.
And I really think that Calvin is as talented as many of them and could actually do it!
He has been doing videos which include lots of creative skits and bits that all really do involve real acting for Years!!
So I think he’s probably put in more hours in front of the camera than most of the other actors that will be auditioning for Q have COMBINED!
So go for it Calvin!
Why not??
Agree completely!!
Ben has to come back imo he’s my age 41 so could easily play the role for another 40 years at least.
#Calvin Dyson as Q in Bond 26
@@johnrigs6540 #QalvinDyson
"Missed opportunity" defines the Craig saga. His movies were meant to form an arc yet it feels to me like they were improvised following the incredible Casino Royale.
I also think they were too "reactionary" to the trends and movie landscape they were released in: Casino Royale was very much its own thing, but QoS was a Jason Bourne-hangover (gritty feel, more or less realistic plot, quick edits), Skyfall leaned towards The Dark Knight (the lunatic villain being captured on purpose, Bond being an orphan...), Spectre was a clumsy attempt to "marvelize" the Bond franchise by having Blofeld essentially be Thanos, and NTTD walked in Logan's footsteps by having the main protagonist come to terms with both fatherhood and mortality. The Roger Moore era did a lot of this as well (LALD/Blackspoitation, TMWTGG/Martial Arts, TSWLM/Jaws, Moonraker/SW, etc) but it managed to maintain its core James Bond identity, in large parts thanks to Roger's frim grip on the character. I applaud Craig and the filmmakers/producers for experimenting a little bit, but as you say there was too much improvisation and too little plannning.
Spectre was what killed the momentum. QOS had its issues but wasn't offensive- its story didn't retroactively make any other films worse, just a simple follow up of CR and did its job. Skyfall was envisioned as Craig's Goldfinger and it worked both on its own and as a finale to the "Becoming Bond" arc.
Spectre is a YOLT, Moonraker or DAD: a Bond movie makes boatloads of money, the producers get hyped up and make something with no shame next. On top of that they get the McClory rights back and get doubly excited. The brother subplot is braindead, but the producers are excited. How it would retroactively ruin CR and Skyfall? Doesn't matter, we're in BOND MANIA!! They got the message, and NTTD was clearly a cleanup job (a OHMSS, FYEO, or CR if you will). It has its own issues, pointed out in this video, but overall it's a film they clearly put thought and effort into.
Can only hope they take Craig's continuity as an experiment, another interesting tidbit in the series' history, and go back to self contained stories. If they do continuity like this again let's hope they learned from the mistake that was Spectre.
@@b.chaline4394 Bond is a 'trend chaser' franchise in general.The Moore era especially [with Moonraker] but Die Another Day was very '2000' in it's approach for example.
Yep at least for me. Dont like any of the bond films with Craig in them. Just doesnt feel like a Bond
Agreed. This is why i prefer the standalone formula. No need to carry and tie in baggage from installment to installment. It's escapism, not a soap
When people tell me that cringeworthy "Die, Blofeld, die!!!" comes directly from Fleming's novel, my usual response is: "So does the idea of Bond disguising himself as a japanese fisherman, And look how well that turned out."
And we have Feldman saying that to Voorhees in part 4 and in part 6 Voorhees does what??? The emulation of the Bond gunbarrel sequence in number 6! There's definitely a hidden statement here.
Cringeworthy?
There is more direct evidence of Bond being fluent in Japanese from the books than Russian! He has a degree in Oriental languages, which I presume in his case to be Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and/or Cantonese. I'm not so sure about south east Asian languages. He is also reported to know German. We can guess he must have picked up some Russian just for his work.
I don't doubt his language skills. But I think we all can agree that trying to change his physical appearance turned out a little less convincing in the movie version.
@@seancameron149 yes, I don't think this particular scene is the finest hour for any of the actors involved. The character of Blofeld was let down by weak writing in the reboot era IMHO. Craig vs. Waltz should have been epic. Instead most of scenes they share are just... meh.
I really appreciate the incredible amount of work that you put into creating this in-depth review. I can't imagine how long it took to put all of this together and it's just so well done! Truly enjoyed it!
You said it. Jaysus. I do this with film noir, but audio only. Adding in the video, even for public domain films, is exhausting just to think about.
I always wondered why nobody found it ominous that Q was in the plane at the end. In Skyfall Moneypenny told Bond that Q was afraid of flying when she helped him in Macao.
Superb review Calvin, I've been waiting for this since No Time To Die got released! Greetings from Austria
And he flew out to Austria in Spectre with no explanation. Wtf
A continuity error?
He must have gotten over his fear
If one hates to fly, it doesn’t preclude that they *never* fly. I hate flying and I’m on a plane every few months.
I agree with you 1000%. I was jazzed to see this film and loved the beginning but it keeps on getting worst. And you actually help me understand why the film falls apart. Thank you for the Bond therapy 😀.
@SKB LOL, really? Seriously, the hard work that was put into this movie was there to make sure James Bond dies at the end. That's why there're so many plot contrivances in the movie. Never have I ever seen a movie that's both contrived AND depressing. Especially a Bond movie. So many of you NTTD fans are in complete denial over how flawed the movie is. Whenever someone points out it's flaws you call them toxic fanboys or keyboard warriors. Perhaps that's why it's fanbase is so passionate about it: you all know deep down how bad it is and are insecure for liking it. No one is mis-spreading negative messages here.
@@LeonWick526 you have a lot of tissues with films that aren't just Disney movies. Look at how enraged and emotional you are. Anyone freaking out that s Bond movie had plot contrivances has never watched a bond movie
You're intense Need to believe everyone secretly agrees with you is bizarre
@@cdreid9999 My God, did you even read my comment? Did you watch Calvin's video? You're just like everyone else who loves this movie: you don't understand why other people don't like it. And piss off with that Disney movie crap. I hate Disney movies and love plenty of dark/emotional films. You're the one who is intense over those who disagree with you. Anyone who complains about NTTD is wrong because as far as you're concerned, there's nothing wrong with it.
In addition to Madeline clutching her stomach on the train, it’s clear that she has something important to tell Bond in the car sequence, but Bond shuts her down thinking it has something to do with her and Spectre. I completely missed this on my first viewing but now it’s quite obvious what she wanted to say.
Not sure why this has so many likes, but on this review it makes sense. It is not clear that is specifically what she wants to say and that is another interesting element. She is very good at hiding secrets.
I clocked it immediately
An over two hour review!? At this point, EON and MGM should just hire you to either write, direct, or edit Bond 26. The passion and talent are clearly there.
First off: Calvin you are are legend.
Second: This is a film that falls apart completely in the third act for me and I hate saying that as I feel that about most films nowadays. That finale seems suspiciously ill-equipped to setup the ending. I get the strong feeling that things were changed quite late
EDIT: I miss 2006
I miss 1997
@@Roboshi2007 I miss 1977.
Not sure if it just me but the Craig era while great for what it is I think the first 20 films are canon to me and feel the most bond.
I love Craig as Bond, however his era has made me clamour for the days of Die Another Day, which is something I thought I'd never say. I don't feel like I've left the cinema having seen a 'real' Bond film in donkey's years. Each one seems to want to be an experimental, deconstructionist drama featuring a character called Bond, rather than a 'Bond movie'.
@@stuffedsheepshead your comment answers itself.
What exactly is a "bond" movie? The formula? Or for the book readers his "living in the edge" mindset?
Do know that purists LOVED daltons/ Craig's portrayal, the moves you wouldn't consider "bond movies", rather action films with bond in them.
I think you've just been watching too much critical drinker, even he cannot defend his stance on Craig's movies not being "bond like " even though casino royale was very faithful to the novel and skyfall was Fleming's James bond at its "fed up and living on the edge" peak .
Side note: I LOVE the "bond like" film as much as the next person. It just shouldn't go overboard with it e.g. the spy who loved me was AWESOME. Moonraker, despite it being LITERALLY the same film but on steroids, doesn't work as well. And this is from a person who believes that the moon landing was CGI .
goldfinger was an amazing Super hit film, but a view to a kill, a rehash of goldfinger was not good. At all.
You’re comments about Safin got me thinking, I definitely believe that he was originally supposed to be Dr. No. The idea of the first villain to be killed by Bond becoming the first one to kill him could work perfectly as a way bookend the series. That concept alone just makes too much sense, and that’s not even counting all the clues you brought up in the video. I know Fukunaga denied the theory, but I don’t buy it. There is no way it was never considered.
Your own theory there doesn't hold up, Dr No isn't even the first villain Bond kills.
@@alwaysOPEN4business Who is the first main villain Bond kills in the 25 EON-produced films if it isn't Dr. No?
@@JamesNewham he didn't say 'main' villain, he just said villain. Reading comprehension is important.
@@alwaysOPEN4business And with "he" you are referring to yourself. Either you're a hypocrite or you forgot to change accounts (and both are probably true).
Using pronouns correctly is important.
@@JamesNewham technically not, they could be referring to the original commenter
not that i think that the nitpick of main vs side villains was worthwhile but if you wanna argue semantics you should be careful to do it correctly
Fanrastic review! You really cover all the bases. You're also the only person I'd ever watch a 2 hour review for. xD
My opinion regarding Safin's plan is: A Bond villain's plan should not be 'open to interpretation', it's not an art film. 😂
Very good point about Safin's plan! I think that sums it up really well and very succinctly. Also very much appreciate you taking the time to watch the whole video, I very much appreciate it and I'm happy you enjoyed :D
@@calvindyson I can appreciate something being open to interpretation, but you need some kind of baseline for that to work. What we get regarding Safin's plan is *not* enough. There's "open to interpretation" and then there's "... we have so little to work with we're better off just making it up ourselves."
His god complex would make sense if he wasn't going to sell the weapon. If instead he planned to keep exclusive control of it, giving him the power to pick and choose exactly who lives and dies. But instead he's just selling it and covering those motives (greed, desire to spread death) as something deeper than they really are.
Watch Dutch Bond Fan. Best reviewer in my view
@@calvindyson you should make a video on your top 10 favorite henchmen (unless you already did)
Honestly, about Bond’s kid, and his reaction (or lack there of) to Saffin telling him that she’s his daughter. I always took it as he already knew that, and never believed what Madeline said about her not being his. So when Saffin told him was only confirmation of what he already knew, and was able to not break stoic demeanor. As for him fumbling at calling her his daughter… honest I think it was just him processing it… as it was the first time he ever acknowledged she was his.
agreed
The way the villains plan is not completely fleshed out leads me to believe that Safin was actually supposed to be Dr. No, but when that info leaked, they saw it wasn’t received well and cut it out of the film. The problem is it feels like they chose to do that after reshoots had happened and couldn’t put the info they needed for his plan back in.
Overall, I enjoy the film, I personally felt like Craig’s version of bond dying makes sense. But I can understand people’s issues with it. It does make me quite intrigued on what direction they will go with the next film
That only fan theory never confirmed.
more or less another reboot since it already stated in the end credits bond will be back
@@electronman32k As Amazon have just bought MGM, you betcha that studio's Golden Goose is coming back.
@@davidjames579 would love it if they set bond in the cold war era again and made it more oldschool
The main bad guy and attractive bond girl had other films to make. It took that long to film the movie due to directors, script writers leaving or getting fired and the many other delays, there availablity decreased resulting in both not being in the film for a long time.
Hopefully the next bond films return to form and are fun and entertaining. Craig's last two bond films were a drag, boring and two of the worst bond films.
While I admit that *story-wise,* I'm not quite sold on the ending... _all the other elements_ make me go with it: The music, the editing and *especially* the acting by Whishaw, Sedoux and, most of all, Craig. They are giving this moment their all and their efforts are the reason why I can largely forgive this ending any grievances I have about contrivances.
Overall, its by no means one of the best Bond-Movies (although there are some franchise-best *moments* in here) but its one hell of an improvement over "Spectre" to the point that it actually improves on that movie (in some aspects, at least). Craigs' era was one of extremes, with "Casino Royale" and "Skyfall" among the top five, and "Quantum of Solace" and "Spectre" among the bottom five. SInce I have no imagination, I'd rank "No time to die" right in the middle, at #13.
Craigs' era was one of both highlights and missed opportunities, but it, in the end, managed to stick the landing for me, if barely. But as a final Bond-outing, its much better than "Diamonds are forever", "View to a Kill" and "Die another Day".
Thanks Calvin. This looks incredible. Proper feature length! Given how crazy NTTD is from both a production, release, and story point of view, I'm sure making this was a form of therapy!
Thanks, Damien! Indeed, I do feel like I got a lot off my chest with this!
Bravo, Mr. Dyson. Your skits in particular feel very sharp in this one (the well-timed 'swallow' gag had me genuinely laughing out loud). Excellent, thoughtful plot analysis and well-reasoned opinions.
I genuinely thought Madeline's secret was that Safin had raised her for some time. And she had some Stockholm Syndrome/divided loyalty with him. It does make me we wonder what the aftermath was. Did he leave her at the house, did they sit and drink cocoa next to the corpse of her mother, did Madeline subsequently call the authorities, or manage to get hold of her father to dispose of his wife's body and cover things up. So many questions.
It probably just played out as you would imagine….Saffin leaves and the police eventually find Madeline by her mother’s dead body. I do agree that the modern day Saffin / Madeline relationship is vague and unsatisfying though which is a real wasted opportunity to spice up the plot towards the end.
@@brendansheehy8124 In hindsight I don't think the authorities could have been involved, as they would have found the Safe Room, and all it's dodgy stuff.
I also think if they'd upped young Madeline's age and made young Safin a teenager (maybe 16), you could have created a dynamic in which they did have a weird kind of sexual tension/history. Young boy, hell bent on revenge, does first kill, and reeling from the PTSD of that falls in love/obsession with the girl he saves. Would have even maybe made the character a bit more sympathetic.
Or if you really want to go wild, Safin is Matilde's real father! This would explain why he wants to keep them on the island.
Safin and Madeline have this weird co-dependent relationship forged out of hate, grief, and need for connection. They're also the children of assassins, who's idylls were smashed. They have a on-off relationship over the years. Needing each other, then driving each other crazy until they separate and this goes on in cycles. Emotionally shaken by Bond, Madeline turns to Safin, and gets pregnant. Then some time later they separate again. So by the end we don't know who Madeline will choose, Bond or Safin.
It’s extremely odd that Safin is in love with a woman who is clearly young enough to be his daughter!
@@sashaking1115 and even more odd that he actually still looks the same age as her in the present day! I think it was rumored that Safin managed to keep himself young through some plants in the Garden of Death, I wonder if that was also mentioned in the script at some point and got dropped as well...
@@b.chaline4394 wouldn’t surprise me! But then again, have you read Harry Potter? Albus Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall don’t appear to get any older
Outstanding video. I somehow felt that I needed to watch a 2 hour long review instead of the actual film again and I'm not disappointed.
I think Ana de Armas carried the movie for me, even though she appeared for so little time.
Very true, she was a standout, as she is in most of her films. Even when she’s in a universally panned and maligned film like Blonde, few ppl can deny her strong performance. For me she really breathed life in a film that felt like a slow sullen end to what was at first a very active and lively Bond tenure
Oh absolutely
Outstanding review Calvin - thoroughly entertaining and sincere take that reflects your passion and knowledge of this character and series. Also the two dead swans was absolutely hilarious.
I never expected to see you on this video Pentex, I must say, I love your vids and I really love your Bond essays, I especially enjoy your analysis of the opening of "the Living Daylights" as well as your "how to make the perfect Bond film" video.
I’m curious to know what Danny Boyle’s draft of the movie was like. I wonder if details of that will ever surface one day.
I *think* I remember reading an article about this when it was announced that he was departing the film. The "script disagreement" was that Boyle did not want to Kill off Bond. Maybe we will know one day.
mmm why did he walk away
"Try finding a less stressful interest"
"I have always had a thing for Star War"
"No no no no, not that"
I laughed at that because it's so true.
How did foxdie and metal gear solid never get mentioned in 2 hours? The amount of connections to kojima should be unavoidable
Interestingly, the original ending for Quantum of Solace was the twist that Vesper betrayed Bond because Quantum had threatened her previously hidden Son. The film was going to end with Bond meeting the kid in an orphanage.
This was dropped because Daniel Craig said that, as an orphan himself, Bond couldn't just walk away from the child and he'd adopt the kid, which clearly would have been a spanner in the works of future stories so it was dropped [replaced by the 'Vespers lover was a double agent' ending from 007 in New York] but it does show that the child idea was there earlier in the process and Bond's reaction to his daughter is true to Craig's thoughts at the time.
Weirdly it was Paul Haggis who had the idea as he believed that Vesper's betrayal over a kidnapped boyfriend wasn't enough of a reason! Despite the fact he wrote that, for Casino Royale. Bond walking outside to meet M was exactly what happened, but it was an Orphanage the kid had been dumped in rather than the Canadian Spy's place.
@@davidjames579 In fairness the 'kidnapped boyfriend' motivation comes from Fleming's novel in Vesper's suicide note [Haggis changed her demise from Bond finding her dead to a big action scene].
That being said, does the snowy end scene with the Canadian female agent take place in Canada? Because I think Bond has yet to set foot in Canada, even though Thunderball almost sent him to Station C.
@@davidw.2791 No, she's stationed in Kazan, Russia. The orphanage scene would have been in Albania. Yeah, Bond hasn't been to Canada yet (although his stunt double went to Baffin Island doubling as Austria, for the Cliff Jump in The Spy Who Loved Me).
Calvin, I usually find myself on the opposite end of the spectrum of your opinions, fought with overthinking the issue and granting way too much weight to unimportant details. But Calvin, you have really outdone yourself here! Wow! Just the editing must have taken weeks! Great flow to your presentation, very logicical points of contention with the plot and loved your contrivitinis (lol). So allow me to congratulate you on your significant achievement here. Regardless of the agreement or disagreement of others, this work and the dedication and insight it took to produce it, stands firmly on its own! 😀😀😃😄👍👍👍👍👍
The "she's not yours"
I would take as Madeline's anxiety of Matilda being linked with Bond's dangers.
At the end, when Bond is about to die, there is no longer that danger. Its more she can let him know because now he's about to die there will no longer be that link and danger
And yet, he still protects them both as the man of the family, proving to her he would make an amazing father
Not sure if this was intentional but I love at 24:52 you mention "24 minutes into the film..."
Neat work, I love your channel.
I’m partway through this but I must say at this stage, you’re doing an excellent job yet again. I know from previous videos that we agree in many ways on this film and differ in a few others, but by god if I couldn’t just watch you witter on about any Bond thing for as long as you like. Your presentation style goes from strength to strength each time, and against all odds “Eau de nanobot” gets funnier each time you do it haha
1:14:17 I'm sorry but this was one of the best small scenes in bond. The Tension knowing one simple touch! could kill him, is masterful the tension! Is great!! MASTERFUL! Him inching closer. And Closer. Is great!!
I never thought the visitor was supposed to be Blofeld and later retconned to Safin.
Swann strongly implies that she shot the intruder and remembers the incident well, and is being truthful when she later tells Blofeld she doesn't remember him. I think he came to their house *years before* Safin did, specifically to recruit Mr White. She was probably only a baby or toddler at the time (in either case making it unlikely she'd remember).
Heck, Blofeld probably saw her at the time and made some (possibly creepy) comment, leading Mr White to insist on keeping her out of his forthcoming line of work. He agreed to join Blofeld's organization but he'd be damned if his daughter ever followed suit.
Safin and Blofeld were different visitors for different reasons.
Really enjoyed all 2 hours 16 minutes and 46 seconds of this. Thanks!
Thank you! Very glad you enjoyed it 😁😁
7:07 as someone who was raised listening to Dalida songs thanks to my mother, hearing this song at the opening made me so happy. Dalida was always a big star, and her end was so tragic. But this beautiful song being heard by an entirely new generation for possibly the first time is awesome and I hope more people continue to enjoy her music.
Calvin, I don´t think Bond using a submachine-gun is bad, because he already used one in ohmss, in spy who loved me, octopussy and living daylights, as well as the brosnan movies. So I think it makes sense in this movie.
Still can’t believe they passed on the opportunity to have They Might Be Giant’s song ‘Nanobots’ as the theme, it would’ve worked so well.
Especially when you consider that said song isn’t really about Nanobots it’s a metaphor for having kids.
* rushes to search for this immediately *
I don't have the UA-cam editing skills but I have often thought it would be fun to look at the release year of each Bond film and then pick a song from that year that would fit the titles. 1983 Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics and the Octopussy titles for example! I guess you could expand this to songs that thematically fit the plot of the film like Nanobots...🤔
@@andykey78 A guy on UA-cam did Bond-ish songs to title sequences, and they worked really well. Some of the good ones were The Art Of Dying by George Harrison over Live And Let Die. Love Is A Losing Game by Amy Winehouse over Diamonds Are Forever. And Beggin' by Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons over OHMSS.
I've always thought that "Family full of mess" would work great for NTTD's titles. I tried to make one, but it was copyright struck and all the sound was removed!
The nanobots plot was a bit close to the bone given all the ideas floating around about certain, ahem, "medications" people have been taken recently. Odd to think that it was also written before all that started, but came out after it was in the pop culture.
Calvin, I’m running out of compliments to give you. I genuinely enjoy nothing more than sitting on the sofa on a Saturday night with a few alcoholic beverages and going through your videos. Your knowledge is second to non. I can’t even begin to imagine the time it takes to write, film and then edit an over 2 hour UA-cam video but my god I am soooo happy you do.
It’s no exaggeration to say you and your videos are one of the highlights of my week.
Please keep up the good work…
One of your many fans. Paul x
Calvin is definitely the best there is , David's ok but he can rub me up the wrong way at times , comes across as too smug at times and he kinda dominates too much when Calvin and David do videos together
1:48:14 I love how this Gunbarell-esque shot isn't just a fanservice for a sake of fanservice. It's like "settle in and prepare for a badass stairwell scene." The whole point of Gunbarell at the beginning of the Bond movie is like "settle in and get ready for the ride".
With just this little bit Cary Fukunaga shows how he understands James Bond, he did a tremendous work! Hope one day he'll helm a Bond film once again. With a better script...
Doing a great job, Calvin!
I loved Fukanaga's energy and wouldn't mind him returning to reboot the series unburdened by previous continuity. However, given the quite serious sexual harrassment allegations against him at the moment, I don't think it's going to happen.
What an extremely well crafted review. As always, your review is as insightful as it is researched. There are details cited in this video that I have missed while watching NTTD and the same said details are what I’ll be looking out for on my next viewing! Thank you!
Great video! I agree that Safin was a weak villain and the ending really went off the rails, which is a shame because I loved the first 2/3 of the movie so much. I’d love to see more sequences like the one in Cuba with Ana de Armas in the next film.
I knew this review would be worth the wait. Even the stuff I don't necessarily agree with (Obruchev's reaction when the SPECTRE agents started to die, for example, which I absolutely loved) is presented in such an entertaining and informative manner that it's a joy to watch.
This review was so good, I cannot believe that I found a channel that help me get back into the Bond franchise, as during the No Time To Die media blitz and during lockdown I just sat and watched nearly everyone of your videos, it's really helped me get into this amazing franchise, plus it also helped me find a fantastic community that love Bond films as much as i do
I mostly agree with you, Calvin. "Mostly," because after I've seen the movie I was very positively surprised and enthusiastic about it, but then I kind of forgot the movie pretty fast. I like the character developments in No Time to Die. I like that the story ties in with On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which is still my favorite Bond story, and one of my favorite Bond movies. I had started writing down notes for a script to make a short video where I compare these two movies. I had the idea to make a joke how Mathilde is the new secret super-villain, because she caused him to self-sacrifice for her. But I didn't find much else to say, and didn't care to, so I guess No Time to Die is one of those movies which is really impressive on all levels of movie-making, but then is still kind of forgettable. Or maybe I just see too many movies. In any case, great in-depth review, Calvin, great editing, and compositing, enjoyed it all the way through, and your bits got a couple of laughs out of me. Thank you.
Thanks, Marvin! Much appreciated!
Congrats on getting the video up, Calvin! - Man the struggle of battling copyrights with UA-cam, oof... - Don't have fond memories of the trial and error on mine! Glad you got it to work!
This is my evening sorted in my bath tonight watching this! 😁🍸
Really well done here Calvin, as a long-term Bond fan who loved No Time to Die, its always fascinating to hear the other side of the argument, especially when it's done so eloquently. You haven't shifted my perspective, but it was a great watch all the same and the effort you've gone into is certainly not unappreciated, kudos!
49:49 I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing when I notice something you missed. Bond shouts to Nomi after Paloma crashes into the scaffolding “I’m gonna need to borrow your plane” or something like that. Really enjoying the video so far!
Absolutely loving this review, found your channel today and binge watching like it's a Netflix series.
The one really good thing about Bond's death is that it seems to answer an unspoken question that runs throughout the Craig movies: "is Bond really any different than the 'villains' he kills?" The Craig movies seem to put more emphasis on the dirty, unpleasant side of Bond's work and what it's done to him. NTTD seems to answer that question, "Yes, Bond IS better than those he hunts--not just in what he's willing to kill for, but in what he's willing to die for."
Person A shoves an old woman in front of a bus. Person B shoves the old woman out of the bus's path.
Person A and B are the same because they both shoved the old woman.
nope NTTD does not answer that question, he dies at the of stupid plot and because doesnt try to get out of the island
Great review! The film is so well made and has so many highs that the ending not feeling justified is a bummer. They really can't think of anything to do about the nanobots? They're "there forever" says the inventor of smart blood? Just felt like they had decided Bond should die (a defensible choice) but the mechanics of it just never came together
Wow youve outdone yourself. When I thought “huge” I thought it would be about 1hr 15 or something - turns out youve made a review nearly as long as the film.
Dedication.
Another "contrivatini" that's difficult for me to swallow is even though Bond was initially infected with nanobots that targeted all of SPECTRE, for some reason the DNA code did not include SPECTRE's supreme leader. (Why would Safin exclude that one?) This means even though Bond would eventually go see Blofeld, this would've had no effect without involving Madeline. So Madeline had to be recruited with nanobots that exclusively targeted Blofeld with a separate virus strand. (Which ended up infecting Blofeld by passing through Bond who was now carrying two - and soon to be three - different strands of this virus! Sheesh.)
There is no point in putting Blofeld's DNA in the Cuba attack as he's not there. Safin also probably needed to destroy Spectre to ensure Blofeld has no allies left to prevent any assassination attempt. Rather than hope one of the survivors of Cuba will got to Blofeld, he goes to someone he believes is guaranteed to pass the nanobots on with Madeline who is the only one Blofeld is seeing and owes him a debt. It does make more sense than it appears.
Are they viruses or not though? That seems to be conflated in the film too.
"Chekov's Stomach Grab"
This NEEDS to be minted as an official trope. I just wonder if I could dredge up enough examples of "heartbroken woman watches man leave, touches her belly forlornly..."
It used a lot on television advertising as a form of shorthand.
Star Wars Rebels comes to mind
It sort of is already. 'Hand on Womb', where someone does that to indicate a character is pregnant
Calvin, you are a treasure! I found your channel around a year ago and not only did it only entertain and inform me as I started getting into Bond myself, it made No Time To Die the most excited I've ever been seeing a film. You're very funny, sweet and charming and I just wanna say thank you man, you can be very proud of yourself I'd say! 😊
Regarding Bond being Mathilde’s father, Barbara Broccoli said in one of the interviews either with Bong Joon-Ho or Guillermo del Toro that Madeline says “she’s not yours” because he hasn’t earned the right to be her father. Being a father to someone is so much more than biological, and so I see the final act of this film to be Bond earning the right to be the father figure, which ultimately leads to him sacrificing himself to save his daughter. So when Madeline does tell Bond she has his eyes, she’s telling him that you have earned the right to be her father.
I wish that they'd explored that a bit better in the film because I think it could have been very satisfying if it had been fine tuned. I think they ended up in a bit of an odd middle ground on it but then I must say, I feel that way about much of the second half of the film!
That's exactly how I looked at it. I knew he was the kid's father straight away but Madeline has a point. Where has Bond been for the last 5 years? But he steps up to the mark and earns that status.
That's a nice concept in theory, but it's not prepared for very well. This is a Bond movie, not a Tenessee Williams play. The audience isn't set up to triple-read statements like that. The delivery, the place of the line, the up-in-the-air status of the connection, all betray what the line was actually trying to deliver. And it confused a lot of people.
Some folks figured it out, sure; but if the ratio of "folks who get it" to "those who don't" is too even, you should workshop it a bit.
Not convinced, how bond has to earn the right to someone he didn’t have a clue she existed in the first place ? It’s not like he abandonned her knowing she was pregnant.
Where is Barbara Broccoli interviewed by Guillermo Del Toro and Bong Joon-Ho?
What an achievement Calvin. Excellent review, measured, nuanced, involving and affectionate. I find it hard to disagree with much of what you’ve said. I liked pretty much what you liked but also felt it was such a big missed opportunity for Craig’s swan song. Yes, very stylish, but too much style, good looks and contrivance over substance and logic and genuine emotion. I cried, my family cried, at Tracy’s death, when M and Vesper died. But not at the end of this film. As you say, none of the big emotional scenes were earned. Even Felix’s death seemed like a throwaway. And the less said about the death of Bond’s biggest nemesis the better. I’ve been a fan since first seeing Live and Let Die at the cinema when I was 9. I attended a lot of the Roger Moore premiere’s, visited the sets, helped run the British fan club, even interviewed Lazenby in LA in early 80s when he didn’t do interviews, so very well steeped in the franchise. Craig has been an incredible Bond. He’s left an indelible mark on the series. And there is just so much to love about No Time To Die. But. It was just too full off ideas for its own good. And sadly, it pulled very few of them off. Bond deserved a much better ending than this. But superb review. Made clearly from the heart.
For me, Bond's death and the set-up for it, is not handeled super great, but also not terrible. I think it's ok, I guess? The death scene itself is executed really well, though. All in all, I don't love Bond dying, but also don't hate it. It simply is.
Is it a bad thing killing off Bond? You couldn’t have built off anything that this series set because the focused too much on a character arc and journey. If they kept him alive Craig would be asked until the day he died to if he would ever come back again to do a Logan style Bond film. So by killing him now it avoids that ever coming up
@@c17sam90 so, what does "James Bond will return" mean at the end of the credits, if Bond was killed off?
@@tomservo5007 the franchise won’t end. It’s just the Daniel Craig iteration/timeline is over.
@@c17sam90 Bonds already been killed, several times, and he has a daughter called Mata. There are also multiple James Bonds. (Ref: Casino Royale 1967. :) )
If anyone's fuming about how this movie kills off Bond... blame the producers. They're the ones who came up with the concept so they could let Craig's iteration have a last hurrah.
So, yeah. Love it or hate it, it was an attempt to have him go down in a blaze of glory.
I love the fact that the pre title sequence was 24 minutes long and that you reached the wrap up of the pre title sequence 24 minutes into this video!
As a hardcore fan of every bond, almost every bond film ( id say every film but the second half of DAD ), the bond novels, ect ect.... I hate this ending too man. Honestly with how much praise this ending got, i was realling hoping you shared the same feelings i do about it. And thankfully you do and i can rest easy knowing there are other real bond fans out there. Lol Still a good movie. I also love love the stairway fight. Its very great. And its a beautiful film. But this ending sucked. And i feel your pain good sir. Oh and i love your channel. You do amazing work. Your reviews are deep, well thought out, hilarious, and generally just steeped in authentic passion. Great stuff!
Excellent stuff Calvin, will settle down to watch this in full later but just saying a thanks for all the effort that goes into these
After spending 2 hours with you, it really feels as though we actually spent time together. Weird. 😄 Thank you for the in-depth review! It's put many of my issues with this movie to rest.
My god you made a full length movie here. For free. Thank you so much for your ceaseless contributions to this fandom, Calvin.
"No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader"- Robert Frost (though I think it was quoted by Flannery O'Connor?)
Great review with a great thesis. You really put so much time into unpacking everything here and working very, very hard to understand other points of view and piece down exactly, to the very thing, what doesn't connect. Love it. I feel like a little load I've worn since watching this movie has been lifted, to understand exactly what happened to lead to this outcome. Thanks a bunch.
I was really pulling for this video to be longer than the actual film
Maybe I'll get there with Die Another Day when I get there 😂
It isn’t.
Calvin, this review is absolutely delightful! I loved this film but felt it also had some major problems and it's very satisfying to hear you articulate those so clearly, while also pointing out some things I never noticed. Your review captures all the positive and negative about this film, which is a monumental task for a 2hr40 min movie. Bravo!
Hey Calvin, great job man! I can tell you worked really hard on this and it shows. I found myself laughing a lot you are hilarious and those skits are amazing. You did a great breakdown of the film as well, I learned a lot that I wanted to know from this. I’m glad I finally know where you stand and I can say we are in the same boat I feel about the exact same as you. Anyways cheers mate and great job
I happened to read You Only Live Twice the summer before No Time to Die came out and was intentionally avoiding all trailers and speculation to come into the movie as shocked as possible. As soon as I heard "island of death" and "Die Blofeld, die!" (Which I thought was cringy even in the book), I realized just how much I had accidentally spoiled the movie for myself.
Still loved it and hold it above QoS, Spectre, and even Skyfall in some ways (although I'm not as big of a Skyfall fan as most Bond fans). However, I also either didn't notice or didn't care about all the contrivances leading to the ending. My biggest sticking point about the movie is just how muddled they made Matilde's parental status. Just one more sentence beyond "she's not yours" about how she doesn't want Bond in her daughter's life would have cleared things up, but they wanted the cheap laugh.
Perfect, Calvin! Informed, insightful and - in parts - very funny indeed. Thank you; I can only imagine how much time and effort it must have taken you to put this together. I could have watched another hour! Agree with 99% of what you said. Unlike you though, I loved the denouement. I think it took huge courage. Then again, I thought the same when they took the headphone jack off the iPhone. Looking forward to the next one, Sir.
1:47:16 “James Bond’s going to save the day!” I laughed so hard! Thank you so much for keeping you’re enthusiasm so strong during all your reviews, this channel is such a comfort, I love it!
Greatest moment of NTTD: Wallace & Gromit
Worst moment of NTTD: Everything else
It certainly was not a grand day out.
Great synopsis! 😂
This was definitely not the finale for Craig that the fans wanted. Great ideas but poor execution imo. Goldeneye will always be my favourite! Love your channel mate
Thanks very much! Looks like we share the same sentiments about NTTD and a favourite Bond film too!
Over two hours! Why, it was worth the wait for sure. I'm the one who love the ending, but can absolutely understand that it does not work for others. Thank you anyway to take so much time and a great editing to make this video for us. Laughed out a lot while watching. Will surely watch it Sunday again - it has a good length for cooking. By the way :, Blofeld telling madeleine about him coming to her father's house to visit him is a Easter egg to the Inglorious Bastard Film. Lea sedoux first movie roll. Walz as Landau, coming to the fathers house to look for jews. They have screentime together - very haunting. She plays the youngest daughter and Landau picks her out to touch her, to feel her puls.
I'd totally forgotten she was in Inglorious Basterds. Great catch!
Not a fan of film reviewers making reviews almost as long as or longer than the actual film. But I was delighted to make an exception for you Calvin. This is an excellent review. I can appreciate the amount of work you put into it. Did I agree with everything you said? Well yes, most of it. There were some things that bothered me more than you but I think we both had reservations about the finale from very early on. I really liked the way you explained why you didn't buy it. The whole thing didn't feel earned in many ways. I call it contravitus and you drink contravitinis to self medicate! Again thanks for this herculean/heracles effort of production. Well worth watching.
Absolute masterpiece...loved every minute of this and dare I say perhaps your crowning achievement of content?
Hey Calvin. I’m always appreciative of UA-camrs like yourself who are always happy to accept and even encourage people’s different views of James Bond despite not necessarily agreeing with them. It creates a field for nice pleasant debate.
I’m definitely one of the fans on the opposite side of you when it comes to Safin and the ending. Maybe it’s my autism which enables me to both take everything at face and literal value (very common for me), or look at it more in depth, both at will.
My examples are 2 of my top 3 tied Bond Films, Tomorrow Never Dies and No Time To Die itself (License To Kill is the other).
TND is a top favourite because when thinking about it more in depth, it’s plot still feels so relevant (probably even more so in the modern day), where the world is being run and informed via 24 hour news. Social media and recent presidencies would slot right into that film and not feel out of place. Plus Bond and Wai Lin’s chemistry was undeniable. Like a married couple. A well oiled machine and always trying to outdo one another, even when at work.
Whereas I love No Time To Die because Safin just looks really cool, as does his base and everywhere else. The action scenes just kick ass and I’m a sucker for emotional music. So once Bond was hit with the vial and reopened the silo doors, I was starting to cut onions. Also, Hugh Dennis = Oscar in my view.
I do think NTTD works a lot better if viewed as the 5th part of the Craig Saga. I was quite positive on it at the cinema but having watched all of Craig's films in a couple of weeks I really appreciated it more and the character arc Bond has [reckless and selfish at the start of Casino, sacrificing himself for his family]. Be interested to see if you re-visit this and Spectre when you catch back up to it with the Bond movie reviews but great you put so much effort into these videos.
I think this is why the film worked for me. My wife and I watched the Craig films in the week leading up to watching NTTD in the cinema and it certainly felt like a continuing story. Albeit with some retconning as Calvin mentioned in the beginning and the weird adopted brother element which wasn't needed.
I don't think Calvin is going to do another in-depth review of this one, but he mentioned that he would do another Craig marathon sometime. Maybe he'll do some revisionist comments on Spectre and NTTD in that video.
Yep totally agree
Had to break it down into instalments, but just finished the review. Well done, Calvin. You discuss a lot that I hadn't considered, and while I still quite like this movie, I now better understand why it rubs some fans the wrong way. Cheers
Wow! An over 2 HR review... Calvin, you legit have a gift to make those 2 hrs fly by. I thoroughly enjoyed it all throughout!
Honestly, I am one of those who absolutely enjoyed NTTD and think its in part due to everything that first half of the film established. From the pre title sequence up to Cuba, it got me hooked to the point that going into the last half made it work for me. However, I can't deny that EVERYTHING with Safin REALLY just does not work at all once I tone down the enjoyment I'm having while watching. I really just wish the producers and the writers would've just let go of the whole personal stakes aspect and instead just made him a villain in the vain of Whittaker; someone who was just selling the technology to make a profit. Yes; forgettable but would've been better than what was given.
Great, GREAT review and absolutely adored each minute of this review!
Another triumph. This is your crowning achievement (so far!!) even if NTTD isn’t necessarily Bond’s crowning achievement. This was such a rewarding watch. I’ve been enjoying your videos since the beginning and it’s surreal to think about post-Craig Calvin, but I look forward to it all the same!
Great review, Calvin. Normally, I’m on a high when I come out of a Bond movie - and my first cinematic 007 experience was For Your Eyes Only! No Time To Die is the first Bond movie where I came out of the cinema confused, annoyed, exasperated and honestly just p**sed off that they had the gall to kill off Bond. He was the one cinematic constant for me, someone you just don’t kill. But over and above that, his death was just one big exercise in hubris by the producers and, I’m afraid, the excellent Daniel Craig. No one actor should ever be considered bigger than the character of.Bond. Not even Connery got this sort of send off. The ‘James Bond Will Return’ message has never sounded so hollow to me.. I don’t know what kind of emotional need from the audience the producers were trying to capture, but the only need for me was to get as far away from that ending as possible!
Connery may have wanted to kill Bond in Never say never again but they were actually wanting to do a sequel to it [called Spectre funnily enough] which Connery refused to do after the troubled production.
In the past you didn't kill the main character as that would be the end of the series [hence why RIggs doesn't die at the end of Lethal Weapon 2 or Rocky in Rocky V despite that being the plan and they killed Kirk in Generations as the TNG crew had taken over] but now audiences are fine with reboots and multi-universes they can do it if you want to and start over a few years later with a new continuity [as Batman has done many times for example].
agree - it started off so well, and was beautifully shot. Then the Cuba bit was a bit underwhelming, but I was hoping it picked up again, but sadly for me it just didn't. I thought it was great they replaced 007 whilst he was away, but I felt all of her dialog delivery was awful personally. It just felt a bit forced. Moneypenny in sky skyfall felt far more natural. I thought Safin was not a great villain and overhyped - could and should have been so much more
@@lukegregoryCOHBL yeah there was just nothing to Safin. His character felt shoe horned in so that there was a backstory for Madeleine. He was one dimensional and a complete waste of Rami Malek who, let’s not forget, is an Oscar-winning actor. The whole film was just one big paean to Daniel Craig.
Craig came in with a BANG!! and went out with a muffled thud...
Well done. You articulated many of the contrivances that I only half-grasped on the fly when first watching the film. I was confused when the ending didn't have the emotional punch I was expecting. If you're going to kill off a quasi-immortal character, it had better be a bullet-proof setup, so to speak. This film's Rube Goldberg-esque plot provided far too many opportunities for the viewer to think: "Wait-what??"
Great review thanks for sharing your passion for 007 🥂
A feature length Calvin Dyson review? Happy times. I've enjoyed the movie more and more with each subsequent viewing (I'm up to five at the moment) but I'm truly happy that DC decided to call it a day when he did.
Thanks Calvin, you've managed to voice my thoughts perfectly! So much of this film was great. It was the Craig era film that was least embarrassed to be a Bond Film (a gadgety watch killing a henchman with a bionic eye then Bond makes a pun! Never thought I'd see that in this era!) But the villains plot and that downer ending completely ruin it for me!
13:18
To be fair this film launched at exactly the time many people *wished* they could travel.
And were prevented, although if you were rich and powerful you could easily do so. A bit like how their yachts and private jets are exempt from carbon taxes in some places.
@@thursoberwick1948 COVID is real. Millions are dead.
Another excellent review! IMHO I am very happy the Daniel Craig era of Bond is over. While I did enjoy the movies (in varying degrees) they never felt like "James Bond" movies. Other than looking good in a tuxedo and saying "Bond, James Bond" Craig not once had me thinking he was the James Bond character. Who makes the decision to have some pathetic arc story about him falling in love and being so emotionally vulnerable? Ridiculous! I go to a JB movie with the intention of having some escape and an over-the top experience, not to watch a daytime soap opera.
During Craig's era everything I loved along the way was swept aside with the exception of the Aston Martin cars. To be fair, during Pierce Brosnan's time I was disappointed to see the use of BMWs.
I *want* exploding pens, wrist-mounted dart guns, and laser watches! Please bring back a villain that can speak in tones *above* a mumble. In Spectre, JB told the guy at the health spa to flush the probiotic shake but it looks like if JB's writers continue down their course JB could go full vegan and swear off alcohol. Let's hope that only the Daniel Craig JB is dead and *not* the JB that we want.
Thanks very much, happy you enjoyed the video! :)
The only thing that I wish was in the film was a Dedication credit to Roger and Sean. I know Roger died in 2017 and Sean in 2020, one year before, but there are some films out there that gave Dedication to a late actor who died a year or a few years prior before the film.
It would have been cool if we had a gunbarrel sequence with both actors to dedicate the late bonds.
I like this idea very much. If it had happened at the end of the film, I would have left the theater in tears; it would have been more resonant than anything in the goddamn movie. But Roger has said that 007 should be played by a white male (ouch!), and I have serious doubts as to whether either man would have endorsed this very questionable/shaky, jump-the-shark film.
Not a gunbarrel, though. Give me the dedication just as the car drives off into the sunset. I would have bawled uncontrollably. But no. Too much of a gimmick, too presumptuous. I don't think either Bond would have liked the film.
@@kevinobrien9626 JB is a white male. Why is that a problem? I think some people are so woke that everything is seen as racist or homophobic or what not. Sir Roger IS RIGHT
@@DavidM-mb1vx I don't disagree with Sir Roger, and don't think he was any kind of 'phobe' to be criticized. It's just so ironic that we are essentially looking at black female 007, and no doubt some hay would have been made of that. There is a strong possibility that Roger would not have endorsed the direction of this film, so his name cannot properly be used to stamp some resonance into it.
@@DavidM-mb1vx "Ouch" means "ooo, that is awkward." I do not mean to imply that Roger was wrong.
I always got the sense that killing Bond was almost a stipulation from Craig himself in order to return to the character one last time - sort of like Harrison Ford in Star Wars. I know you've complimented his performance in Spectre before as being stoic, but I've always felt with that film that the man is bored out of his mind. Everything about his performance in that movie screams just a man going through the motions. It's just so lifeless and dull - and I get that, because an actor of Craig's caliber wants something to sink their teeth into in a role, and Spectre gave him nothing to work with, besides some beige pastiche of Austin Powers.
I'd actually put Craig in the same category as Connery, and even Dalton to a certain extent - that being Bond actors who are restless to do more with Bond, and impatient with the confines of the role. They're the opposite of Moore and Brosnan, who clearly had a great time with the role and were never particularly bothered by not really having to push their acting chops to the limits. They were just happy to have a bit of fun with it, whereas Craig and Connery in particular felt like if they weren't doing something new with the role each time, they'd mentally check out and just phone it in. They viewed themselves as actors first, and Bond actors second. Which again, is part of the reason I think his performance is the most animated and energetic he's been in the role since Casino Royale. Exploring new avenues clearly revitalised him.
So from what I've seen in the way Craig talked about his disillusionment with the role post-Spectre, and then subsequently the process of deciding to return, and all this talk about "finishing the story we started in Casino Royale", I kind of get the impression that Bond having a family and dying for them at the end was really the clincher in getting him to return a final time. Even if he wasn't directly the driving force behind insisting Bond had to die at the end, I think it's unlikely he would have returned one last time had it just been a paint-by-numbers Bond adventure.
Of course, whether that was a good thing for the actual end product is another question entirely. Because what's good for a Bond actor might not necessarily be good for the franchise itself.
Preach! I think the Harrison Ford analogy is very pertinent. As much as I despise this movie, Ford's performance in The Force Awakens is better than in Return of the Jedi, when he was done with the whole saga and had clearly moved on. Similarly, I'd go so far as to call Craig's in Spectre the worst performance by any James Bond actor. At least for all his inexperience Lazenby gave it his all in OHMSS, while in YOLT Connery was surrounded with fun characters and an overall lighter tone that distracted from his lacklustre performance.
Yeah you can tell the whole movie Craig wanted to be done. Which is understandable. Years of the same character would be difficult.
I think Brosnan looked clearly bored with the role (and the shitty scripts) by his last two flicks.
I think we might have had a different ending if Danny Boyle had stayed on as director. They say his reason for leaving was the ubiquitous "creative differences", but I think in this case it translates to "you want to do what?!"
@@b.chaline4394 Killing off Hans Solo in RoTJ would have made a lot more sense than killing off Bond. The fact that they didn't kill him off never made sense to me considering they foreshadowed it at the beginning of the movie. I guess Bond fans have the misfortune of liking a franchise that doesn't lend itself to action figures and McDonald's tie-ins.
That look on Daniel Craig's face as he's having his radio conversation with Madeleine at the end is priceless. Not in the hilarious sense, but in the "amazing acting" sense. He conveys such a sense of happiness, sadness, and resolution all in one shot.
Same here
I took Craig's acting as something I will remember. This was Craig leaving not Bond dying. I hated the bad guy. So much didn't make sense. But here's something to think about.
Madeline started to tell the little girl about her Dad's exploits.
My Canon is she entered HMSS and became an agent. Took his number.
@ninjanibba4259
Out of the 25 movies, this one ranks #13 for me. Right in the exact middle. I agree with most, if not all of your points. I score it highly overall, and I loved the emotional approach, but the plot is hard to really accept with a little critical thinking.
This was fantastic! I'm not a huge fan of this film. I can appreciate parts of this movie and I LOVE(D) the Daniel Craig era. But, dare I say, I wish they would've stopped at Spectre😬😬🤐 This one felt more like a Madeleine Swan song to Daniel Craig than a Bond movie I would typically enjoy. You nailed what didn't hit home for me. But I love reading people's positive reactions and the fun and emotions they had watching this film. That's what is so great about these films and the Bond community, everyone has aspects and iterations they like and don't like. It isn't about trying to convince each other otherwise, it's just good fun to share what we enjoyed and what just didn't work for us. I think you made a good point about that.
By the way, I'm still laughing at your descent into cringe "...I'm so folded in on myself that I think all is left of me is a head and a pair of buttocks..." 😂😂😂 This was a great video.
They should have stopped after Skyfall. Spectre and NTTD are atrocious
@@sandersson2813 Skyfall is my favorite! I wanted to NTTD to be that kind of Bond movie. Spectre was 🤨but I think I would've been okay with that retconned story and him riding off into the sunset to end his era.
@@alimicelli For me the Craig era was terrible
Wonderfully insightful, if rather long, review! One thing I would pull you up on is the first clue to Madeleine’s pregnancy is not when she puts her hand on her stomach in the train but is when she tells bond in the car shoot up “I have something to tell you”, and he replies “I bet you do!”
While not entirely flaw proof, NTTD certainly is a proper finale for Craig's Bond. I can stomach Safin's ambiguity with his motives, because a villain doesn't need to explain his goal and Safin seems to be that kind of person. Yet I do feel he was underutilized and I think maybe Madeline's scenes with him could have given us some glimpses of him psychologically, given Madeleine IS a psychologist. The bigger problems in this film are how SPECTRE is easily dispatched, the wasted garden of death and Craig's sudden TIMIDITY in his confrontation with Safin. It was so out of character that no one should get fooled by it. Overall, I'd rank it right down the middle for the Craig Era, and maybe somewhere between 13-18 overall. It was a good Bond film, just not a great one.
Great review! Really fun to go back and step through this film in such detail. I enjoy the film, but I 100% agree the villain and his shifting, vague motivations really sink the tension in the third act.
Thought you might like to know: 'No Time to Die' is an anagram of 'Diet Emotion'. A good way to describe the ending, maybe?
But anyway, at the present time, I have No Time to Die at #10 in my ranking. If it weren't for those final scenes it probably would've been higher - well, that and if Saffin were a stronger villain. But I think the direction is great, the script is appropriately witty in all the right places, the action scenes are a lot of fun, the cinematography is gorgeous. It's got all the ingredients I want in a Bond film, except for that one. It's a delicious fruit salad with all my favourite fruits, with a giant bitter olive at the bottom of the bowl.
Regarding Saffin, I feel the filmmakers were worried of the whole 'villain tells Bond his plan for no particular reason' trope. Which is fair enough, it can be hackneyed at times if there's no good justification as to why the villain would reveal their plan, but at the same time it's a trope because it's useful for telling the story.
For me, the death of Bond is when this film stops being a Bond film and becomes The Daniel Craig Vanity Project. As you said, it's not there because it's an organic part of the story but because the star threw a hissy-fit. Honestly it's kinda soured my thoughts on Craig as a person - that he was willing to disrupt the production until he got his way, because he knew Barbara would do anything to keep him in the role. And it worked for Iron Man and Wolverine because Downey and Jackman were the first filmic iterations of those characters - Craig is the 6th Bond in a series already 40 years old when he was cast and almost 60 years old when he left, I feel it's too late in the game for Bond dying to have any impact because we know it's not the end. Those four words "James Bond Will Return" makes the whole thing moot. I'm sure we'll probably at some stage see another Wolverine and Iron Man film, but the whole idea that those characters are eternal isn't baked into their series DNA in the same way it is with Bond - as long as there is cinema, there will be Bond films.
But I've come to tolerate it - at first it felt very un-Bondian, but back in November on a whim I reread Moonraker, and there's a bit there where Bond, out of ideas to stop Drax, prepares to blow himself up to prevent the Moonraker being launched, so there is a prescient, kinda. And besides, I love the first 2 hours or so of the film so much I don't want to let the death ruin the rest of the film for me. I suppose it's just another creative decision EON have taken I don't think they should've - like when they sent Bond into space or had him snowboard to the Beach Boys or had a bad guy's head explode in all its gory detail.
I'm very curious to see how opinions of this film will change over time. Will backlash to the death ease and mellow as new fans come to it with no expectations (unlike the rest of us who had to wait six years for it)? Or will the continued production of James Bond films only render the decision to kill him off all the more meaningless? Or maybe both.
Thanks for this, BenCol, pleasure to read your takes as always! I hope I eventually arrive at your stance of tolerating it as it's the main thing holding me back from NTTD being a Bond film that I can stick on any time. It's just such a solemn end. I'm also very curious to see how opinion changes over time. Going to be really interesting coming back to NTTD in the build up to B26 whenever that may be.
its also an anagram for "diet Nomi toe".
I really feel like Craig watched Logan and said I want that! Down to having an unknown about daughter, with some of his traits (stoic, bold, bites the villain's hand to get away).
@@armandovalmont9762 thanks for that mate
I do wonder if people will warm to the ending when the next Bond establishes a new timeline and people will watch the 5 Craig films in isolation from the other Bond's [the ending pays off if you watch it like that, from reckless rookie in Casino to sacrificing himself for his family and the world one last time]. Given people sometimes think Craig's series is linked to the first 20 Bonds, I honestly think any ending other than Bond's death would not wipe the slate clean [given Bond now has a 'wife' and kid who will not appear in Bond 26].
Finally got round to watching this and it's a great review. Usually I'm against long form video essays as they mostly turn into Cinema Sins on steroids but I barely felt the length of 2hrs+. Looking forward to the next in depth reviews on the Brosnan era! 😁
I barely did either, but then again I watched it at 2x speed.
When Calvin posts on a weekday you know it's serious business
Nice video, Calvin. I do have a different opinion about Madeleine's "she does have your eyes". I think it's not so much supposed to be a reveal, but rather that Madeleine is OK or even happy with Bond being Mathilde's father.
thank you calvin. never before was a patreon subscription so deserved and worth it
That's awesome, I very much appreciate it, João! :D
Been a Bond fan since I saw James Bond Jr on Cartoon network as a kid. Then my neighbor showed me Thunderball and I never looked back. This movie...I still have no clue how I feel. I was one of 8 people opening night at Universal Studios to see it at midnight and here I am watching your video still confused how I feel. Thank you for taking the time for this. It means a lot to me as a Bond fan from the states with absolutely no one to discuss it with.
It doesn't "look" like one take, the stairwell fight really was one take. Cary is remarkable at one take action shots. He directed all of series one of True Detective - regarded as one of the finest TV crime dramas of all time - and one episode features a six minute tracking shot, which will blow your beautiful mind. I highly recommend checking that out. Remarkable review as always Calvin!
This is both true and not true. The sequence was shot as one take, but it was shot twice. Whatever hidden cuts are in there (and there's definitely at least one), they alternate between the two takes.
I've never worked out why people like Daniel Craig's Bond so much. I liked Quantum of Solace, and I thought Casino Royale was ok. Everyone loves Skyfall, but the plot and motivations just seems too far fetched to me. The other movies just seem intent on generating badly conceived Bond backstory...
To me, Bond's wife died in OHMSS and he just doesn't really care about anything anymore. There is no more backstory needed...