First Take: No Time To Die - we really have been expecting you, Mr Bond

Spoiler free as usual. Because our industry has waited so long for this.

SYPNOSIS: James Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

And so we arrive at number 25. The swansong for the 6^th man to play Bond in the official Eon films. After 2 years of will it, won’t it, No Time To Die has finally opened in UK cinemas, and as I type this on opening night in a newly enhanced seating area at Vue Preston, both myself and the countless sell out audiences agree: it has certainly been worth the wait to see it where it was designed to be seen in the first place - on the big screen.

A key element of what makes this film tick is the input of director Cary Joji Fukunaga- a late replacement for Danny Boyle, he was actively involved with the rewrites, alongside veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, as well as Fleabag’s own Phoebe Waller-Bridge (at the request of Mr Craig himself), and while some elements do feel a bit flat, this does not feel like 2 hour 43 minutes- so many loose ends are tied up, and many new questions about prior films are raised, with an ending that is worthy of a man who has spent 15 years in the tuxedo with the license to kill. Linus Sandgren was definitely the right cinematographer for the job, using IMAX cameras to make the film pop on a big screen, and then there’s Hans Zimmer. For the first time since the days of David Arnold, we have a proper old school Bond score. And I am so happy that this is the case.

On to the cast, and as expected, this is Daniel Craig’s moment in the spotlight. This is the most emotional and vulnerable we’ve seen Bond on film, especially in this era, and leading the film with him is Lea Seydoux, reprising her role from Spectre, and continuing her backstory too. Supporting them as usual is Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Bond returnee Jeffrey Wright, franchise newcomers Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas, and the big ones, Rami Malek as the film’s villain Safin, and Christoph Waltz playing, and it is a joy to say this following all his denials during the Spectre press tour, the legendary Ernst Stavro Blofeld. This has all the hallmarks of classic Bond- top performances, top action, a witty one liner here and there, the return of gadgets, and an ending which comes with the warning of ‘bring tissues’. This isn’t just Daniel Craig’s time to shine, this is cinema’s time to shine- because this is the film which can prove to the naysayers that our industry ain’t dead yet.

THE VERDICT

No Time To Die is a fitting way to bring the curtain down on Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007- his impact on the role will be felt for many years to come, and on behalf of the entire cinema industry we wish him a very happy retirement from a franchise he has made his own since 2005. This is certainly one best enjoyed in a cinema.

RATING: 5/5