No Time to Die (spoilers)

[Hypestyle]

I would give the film an A-minus. The narrative meanders in parts. I am just now learning that there was not a completed script before filming? Wow. spoilers:

I had completely forgotten that Madeleine was in the previous film, so at first I was struggling to figure out why this woman in particular was so special. I have no qualms with Rami Malek as an actor. But in this film it seems he didn't have much to do except to look and sound creepy. I would have wanted his backstory explained further than the expository dialogue. So he was a child when his own parents were murdered. how old was he supposed to be when Madeleine was a child? That part I'm not quite getting. The Russian scientist seemed to be a throwback to Boris from Goldeneye. Maybe that was on purpose? I don't mean to be controversial, but with Q's dinner with a friend being interrupted, it was hinted to be a date, and with a guy; thus possibly Q is gay. I'm wondering if some folks see this as a kind of low-key "erasure" since Q's friend is never seen and nothing is ever mentioned afterwards. Like Tony Stark in Avengers Endgame, Bond makes a heroic sacrifice at the end, while also leaving a young daughter behind. Had this film been released in 2019, I wonder if that aspect would have been critiqued heavier?

end of spoilers

[Frontier]

So are we assuming Craig's cast are going to carry over to the next Bond or will they do a complete overhaul since it seems like they really wanted to cap off and "end" the Craig era? Like they just got done seeing Bond die and toasting to him, but then in the next movie it's business as usual?

Killing Craig's Bond just opens up a lot of questions for where they're going to move forward with the franchise.

[AnakinFlair]

So are we assuming Craig's cast are going to carry over to the next Bond or will they do a complete overhaul since it seems like they really wanted to cap off and "end" the Craig era? Like they just got done seeing Bond die and toasting to him, but then in the next movie it's business as usual?

Killing Craig's Bond just opens up a lot of questions for where they're going to move forward with the franchise.

Well, Ben Whishaw has said in an interview that he's done the three he was contracted for and is done. But this is an intriguing question. In the past when the supporting players carried over, you never really questioned it because it was always Bond going on another mission. Even with the Craig reboot, having Judi Dench carry over felt natural. But with Bond having died, it would feel kind of weird to see Moneypenny bantering with a new Bond. I could go with Mallory carrying over, though. It would be a kind of symmetry.

[Thunderous Monkey]

So are we assuming Craig's cast are going to carry over to the next Bond or will they do a complete overhaul since it seems like they really wanted to cap off and "end" the Craig era? Like they just got done seeing Bond die and toasting to him, but then in the next movie it's business as usual?

Killing Craig's Bond just opens up a lot of questions for where they're going to move forward with the franchise.

My guess is there will be a need for some kind of non 00 agent and the current cast will get together and decide the new code name for this agent will be James Bond, after their friend who sacrificed himself to save the world.

[Frontier]

My guess is there will be a need for some kind of non 00 agent and the current cast will get together and decide the new code name for this agent will be James Bond, after their friend who sacrificed himself to save the world.

The "James Bond as a codename" thing just doesn't make a lot of sense in my opinion.

[Username taken]

Well, Ben Whishaw has said in an interview that he's done the three he was contracted for and is done. But this is an intriguing question. In the past when the supporting players carried over, you never really questioned it because it was always Bond going on another mission. Even with the Craig reboot, having Judi Dench carry over felt natural. But with Bond having died, it would feel kind of weird to see Moneypenny bantering with a new Bond. I could go with Mallory carrying over, though. It would be a kind of symmetry.

Yeah, I think they'll go for a complete reboot.

Craig was also a reboot but a soft reboot (as you mentioned Judi Dench carried over), I think they want to start it all over again.

I'm not sure why though....

[Frontier]

Yeah, I think they'll go for a complete reboot.

Craig was also a reboot but a soft reboot (as you mentioned Judi Dench carried over), I think they want to start it all over again.

I'm not sure why though....

I guess it begs the question whether they'll handle the next Bond like they handled Craig where he gets a character arc and a "final ending" instead of the usual handover to a new Bond.

To be honest this kind of opens up a whole host of questions about where the franchise goes from here.

[Thunderous Monkey]

The "James Bond as a codename" thing just doesn't make a lot of sense in my opinion.

As a retcon trying to apply it to past movies I agree. But setting it up as the standard going forward might be what they are thinking.

[Frontier]

As a retcon trying to apply it to past movies I agree. But setting it up as the standard going forward might be what they are thinking.

Yeah, but like some person's identity gets completely subsumed by a dead guy? And the people who knew him have to call someone else that constantly?

[Thunderous Monkey]

Yeah, but like some person's identity gets completely subsumed by a dead guy? And the people who knew him have to call someone else that constantly?

It would let them go a bit Dr. Who going forward, where each new 'Bond' brings enough of their own characteristics to make it believable. In their world they call each other M and Q, Bond wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

It would also let them keep the previous Craig arc as canon, wouldn't have to replace the surrounding cast, and can tell non Fleming stories. Each time an actor is ready to leave there is a built in mechanism to replace them without the hand waving of the past.

[Panic]

The code-name thing would be a massive shark-jump, imo.

[Thunderous Monkey]

The code-name thing would be a massive shark-jump, imo.

If they do it poorly, absolutely. I just have a feeling that's how they will handle the next movie.

[AnakinFlair]

The "James Bond as a codename" thing just doesn't make a lot of sense in my opinion.

The code-name thing would be a massive shark-jump, imo.

They actually used that idea in Casino Royale. No, not THAT Casino Royale. I'm talking about the 1967 film staring David Niven, Peter Sellers, and Woody Allen.

Yes, this is a real thing.

[Panic]

They actually used that idea in Casino Royale. No, not THAT Casino Royale. I'm talking about the 1967 film staring David Niven, Peter Sellers, and Woody Allen.

Yes, this is a real thing.

Not what you'd call a good film, but I do like the soundtrack. You've got to admire Niven's performance though, he plays that daft script totally straight. Class act.

[ChrisIII]

It would let them go a bit Dr. Who going forward, where each new 'Bond' brings enough of their own characteristics to make it believable. In their world they call each other M and Q, Bond wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

It would also let them keep the previous Craig arc as canon, wouldn't have to replace the surrounding cast, and can tell non Fleming stories. Each time an actor is ready to leave there is a built in mechanism to replace them without the hand waving of the past.

There's actually the fan theory that James is a time lord, but that his Craig persona had amnesia or had his memories erased somehow (Last season stated that the Doctor had many incarnations before Hartnell, but his/her memory of those were erased).

It is a bit of a stretch going into the 90s that Bond has been active since at least the 1960s. It was kind of believable with Connery-Moore since they were pretty much the same age (although Lazenby was somewhat younger) and Moore also retained Connery's Moneypenny. However, then Living Daylights comes along and both Bond and Moneypenny are significantly younger. By the end of the Brosnan era, Bond would presumably be in his early 70s, instead of appearing like a man in his late 40s.



BTW anybody know if there's any dedication to Roger or Sean in the credits? Although NTTD was already completed before Sean died.