No Time To Die: A Refreshing Take on James Bond

Spoiler warning: this article contains major plot information.

James Bond is an iconic character that has been the star of movies for over fifty years. Known for grandiose action sequences, classy confidence, and many romantic affairs, he has been a staple of the film industry and has once again returned to the big screen for another film.

It came as a surprise, then, when the spy became somewhat of a family man in a way he has never been portrayed before.

The latest installment of the Bond film franchise begins with Bond and his current love interest, Madeleine, in Matera, Italy where he is unexpectedly attacked. Believing Madeleine has betrayed him, Bond leaves her, unaware that she is pregnant with their daughter. The film continues with the main plot of Bond trying to track down a missing major bioweapon and stop the main villain, Lyutsifer Safin, from releasing it on the world.

However, Madeleine also has a connection with Safin because, when she was a child, Safin killed her mother and spared her life; an action which Safin believes gives him control over her.

The second act into the third act follows Bond protecting Madeleine and their daughter from Safin. The mother and daughter get captured and taken to an island that is the epicenter of the bioweapon’s production. Bond then has to make his way onto the island to rescue them, but when he finally sends them to safety, he has to go back to make sure the facility is destroyed. 

While there, Safin releases a vial of the bioweapon on himself and Bond, which will kill Madeleine and their daughter if they ever come in contact. Knowing that he is putting them in danger and already heavily wounded, Bond remains behind to ensure that the facility is able to be destroyed as the missiles come in, killing him, and destroying the bioweapon.

The clear emphasis on Bond’s desire to protect his family is such a fresh take for the franchise and gives a needed emotional weight to the film and the character. Not only is he happy to learn that he is a father, but he is excited to embrace his new role of fatherhood before the final tragedy of the movie. Also, the love Madeleine has for her daughter despite Bond’s initial abandonment makes for some sweet scenes and a good, refreshing story.

Along with these satisfying changes, there were also some very clear religious images throughout the movie. The main antagonist’s name, Lyutsifer Safin, is made to sound exactly like “Lucifer Satan” and throughout the whole film, his main goals are focused on revenge and control. A few times in the film, he tries to lure characters into taking tea made from a plant that forces the drinker to be completely controllable, even leading Bond and Madeleine’s daughter into a garden of poisonous plants, tempting her to grab the plant while her mother calls from the perimeter, telling her not to.

Safin is also constantly trying to separate the family, first taking Madeleine and her daughter from Bond, then taking the daughter from Madeleine. Yet in the end, it is his own careless apathy that leads the family back together when Safin abandons the daughter in the facility.

Overall, No Time To Die is a good action movie, and its surprising family-centered climax and story of resisting vengeance and temptation make it a powerful movie with a refreshing take on the character of James Bond.