No Time to Die

A fitting swan song for Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond, even if it does get a little too mushy here and there. There are some minor pacing problems, but when the action comes it does so in sequences that rival any in the series. As with any Bond film, the eye candy must be first rate; here Lea Seydoux and Ana de Armas admirably fill that need here. Other cast members do good to excellent jobs in support. Mostly, though, this is about Craig, stating his case as (maybe) the best Bond ever. It may be hard to lift him above Connery--who after all defined the role, and had the advantage of better context (Cold War) and, frankly, better productions (storylines, writing, and that certain, mid-century spy movie joie de vivre) on his side--but the modern man probably sits at at least No.. 2. That's hardly something to be ashamed of. This last trip through the MI6 underworld reminds us how lucky we’ve been to have had the franchise resurrected from its seeming expiration back in the Dalton/Brosnan days, when the joy largely went out and camp was practically king. Our man--or, at least, the original king's man--will return, per the post-credits teaser--but it’s hard to imagine the new guy doing any better than Craig's body of work. (That is, assuming the new Bond is a guy, and that the producers don’t go really far off the reservation with their choice). This Bond may not have gone out with the biggest bang, but he left a big, shining legacy for film history to remember and enjoy.