Sean Parker
Dunuh-Dunah-Dun-nah-nah! Don’t lie. You heard the iconic 007 sounds in your head as you read that. You may have even giggled at yourself while doing it. I’m not judging! The final No Time to Die trailer has arrived, and it has fans buzzing. Maybe it’s the return of the souped-up Aston Martin DB5, which has been a bit of a staple in the Daniel Craig era appearing in four out of five of the recent films. It could be Rami Malek’s turn as villain Lyutsifer Safin. For me, it’s the potential for a cat and mouse game between Spectre villain Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) with James Bond seeing him in a cage in a near Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal Lecter situation. But, mostly, it feels like it’s the finality of Craig’s tenure as the beloved character.
Don’t forget No Time to Die is stacked with talent as well. Besides those already mentioned, we have another spy figure in Ana De Armas’ (Knives Out) Paloma, The return of Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient) as M, Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), Billy Magnussen (Made for Love), and Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful) and not to mention the director of Beasts of No Nation and True Detective’s acclaimed first season, Cary Joji Fukunaga. I also confess I became briefly confused and had to remember that Léa Seydoux is playing her Spectre character of Madeline Swann here, and not her assassin counterpart Sabine from Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. It’s hard keeping track of characters in various spy-ence fiction thriller universes.
Some clues suggest that Safin is doing some fringe science here, as he’s able to track Bond in a crowded room of people as if seeing through their eyes. There’s also some question as to what is in those tanks on the wall in the lab. Could this have to do with singular sentient consciousness? Biological weaponry? Cloning? I don’t know. Those are the wildest guesses I can throw out there, and you never know with Bond. Hints also lie in the dialogue. Bond says, “People become the weapon” while consulting with Q, and there are further clues when Safin muses, “your skills die with your body, and life is all about leaving something behind.” Whatever the threat, the filmmakers are playing it close to the chest.
Furthermore, we also have Swann’s apprehension at seeing James back in the swing of things. Blofeld telling James that her secret will destroy him. And that morose sense of calm on James while he and Swann are surrounded and shot at as if his heart is melting inside his chest. If the action doesn’t get you here, maybe the drama will.
I think I may have enjoyed No Time to Die’s second trailer a little more than this one, mainly because it felt a lot more action-oriented with car chases and rope swings from a gorgeous stone bridge. Nevertheless, I’m still ready to see Daniel Craig on one last mission. For what it’s worth, I’m going to miss Daniel Craig as 007. As crazy as it seems, there was a time when having a blonde-haired Bond was an absurd notion. Maybe it’s hard to believe after his five-film stint, but only fifteen years ago, that idea was shocking. Obviously, the argument was absurd, and Craig has been nothing short of fantastic, even if some of the films weren’t. Now, as we stand on the cusp of Lashana Lynch, ready to take become the next Bond, we hear the same negative criticisms all across the internet. All I can say is: I can’t wait.
I’m such a big James Bond fan. They’re movies my father delighted in showing my brothers and me when we were kids. Especially as, at the time, Pierce Brosnan was set to pick up the mantle with Goldeneye. We watched the Connery’s, Moore’s, Dalton’s, and even the Lazenby in strict anticipation of what was to come. Some of the films were great. Some were objectively ridiculous. Certainly, they were all action-packed fun, but one constant about the series is that change is imminent, and no one stays Bond forever. As Craig comes to the end of his run as the beloved character in No Time to Die, I’m delighted and hopeful for what may be next for the series, and if Lashana Lynch is the future of the series, I wish her the best of luck, and I’ll be the first one to buy a ticket.
No Time to Die arrives in theaters on October 8.
So what do you think of the trailer for No Time to Die? Will you be sad to see Daniel Craig hang up his bow-tie too? Are you excited to see Lashana Lynch as the next 007? Let us know in the comments! And if you’re looking for horror trailers, we’ve got you covered!
