No Time to Die * * * ½

 It seems every time I start this blog the city goes into lockdown again.  I don't know if the two are connected.  Are the Government making up Covid19 and the need to lockdown the city and the cinemas just to stop me blogging?  There are a few conspiracy theorists out there who would probably believe such a thing.

Due to the global pandemic this new James Bond film has been sitting in the can for nearly two years.  If it had been any longer we might have found ourselves giggling at his latest gadgets.

Topically the new James Bond film has a villain who cultivates a virus.  I'm not sure why, I don't think it was to hold the world to ransom, but there must have been some reason. I think it was John Cleese who said that for such no-brainer films the plot in a James Bond film is usually very hard to follow. He's right. You just have to go with it. 

"Bond, James Bond."
"Paloma, scene stealer."

This is Daniel Craig's last outing as James Bond and it's a good farewell to a man who has carried the role well. He's probably been the best Bond since Sean Connery. The film continues with his story of him being happily married (Lea Seydoux plays his Misses) and wanting to get out of the whole nasty business, but he's dragged back into it after being convinced his wife is a double-agent.  His wife incidentally, is also a psychologist who has to cross examine him at some stage - awkward.

James has his Aston Martin and visits many exotic locations. He also has a new assistant at one stage.  A young spy who steals the show.  More of Ana de Armas as "Paloma" would have been welcome as opposed to some of the less charismatic new faces from HQ who are imposed upon us. I hope they don't continue with some of them.

The grand finale is far too long.  The necessary wiping out of hundreds of anonymous beings who work for the main villain just goes on and on. It becomes rather like a John Wick movie at that stage. 

They've given themselves quite a conundrum in the end. Sure, they killed off Daniel Craig as Bond, but I don't know  how the next Bond is going to continue with the lineage But I'm sure they'll think of something and I'm sure we won't mind.

Overall it's pretty good and makes for a fun day out with friends, which is they way I saw it.