Fast cars, nostalgic gadgets, and tasteful one-liners, No Time to Die walks down a familiar path with an exciting coat of paint. Although as sad as it may be to see Craig pass on the title, he can do so knowing that his story knew when to end, and does so admirably.

Generally speaking, I try to avoid the modern, spoiler-filled, three-minute trailer as if it were a global pandemic – in essence, with difficulty. As teasers pop-up in my recommendations, I keep scrolling but can’t help from finding myself trapped in my cinema seat as climactic moments from upcoming blockbusters flash across the theatre screen. Whether it is a coincidence, or my evasive skills are finally increasing, I managed to find myself out of the loop for Daniel Craig’s last stint as the poster boy of British espionage. Excited and unexpectant, No Time to Die is a thrill ride, closing out the longest chapter in Bond history with style.

If you are looking for a fresh and innovative Bond, then No Time to Die is No Place to Look. Functionally, the latest instalment of the much-beloved franchise is very similar to the rest, especially those in Craig’s canon. Retired, Bond is called back into action for a final hoorah. Yet what interests me aren’t the broad strokes but the finer details; another disillusioned villain (Rami Malek) needs defeating and although there is a predictability in Bond’s worn-out motions, this wiser, greyer, and funnier version of the spry hero is anything but boring.

The journey may seem familiar, but James Bond is no longer the cold-blooded killer he once used to be. Matured, Craig is empathetically charming; the years of trauma may have hardened 007 but there is a yearning for emotion, for something more than solitary retirement. Bond isn’t simply attached to the returning Dr Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), he has found an equal; their scarred pasts getting in the way of their future happiness.

There is a depth that Craig carries knowingly and respectfully. The weight of Craig’s years as Bond and Bond’s years as a government assassin feed off each other, as if even Bond knows that this may indeed be his last battle. The fire that burns inside him is no longer spurred by survival or hatred, emotions from a younger time, instead gnawing regret and compassion for those few he allows himself to trust pushes him to new limits.

An incredible performance as another Bond-ian baddie… Rami Malek. Photo: Universal Pictures

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga shines a spotlight on the tired but needed agent by going deeper and showing all the cards he has to play while finding an element of brevity that has always felt amiss during Craig’s term. Unafraid of the odd tempo-breaking joke or a witty one liner that is never too cringy, there is always a comedic oasis to chip away at the walks of the seemingly emotionless Bond.

In the middle of a shoot-out in a Cuban bar, Bond finds the time to pour shots for himself and the stunning, green, and not-so-innocent Paloma (Ana de Armas). There is a new sense of kindness, of vague humility written here, no surprise coming from co-writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Bond just might be an agent amongst many… Lashana Lynch. Photo: Universal Pictures.

No Time to Die chooses a new path rooted in the old ways. The same amount of jargony MI6 convolution is still here, but it all fades into the background as Bond is fleshed out into a person instead of his normal status as a weapon. Old friends (such as Jeffrey Wright’s CIA agent, Felix) and new ones (Lashana Lynch is both intimidating and down-to-earth as 007’s replacement) help paint a richer portrait of what it means to be in the business: the level of dedication to their profession and Bond’s larger than life presence within it.

James Bond is a mythological creature; a legend passed down through the generations as each reincarnation lives up to Fleming’s image in their own way. Although I had averted my gaze to all its marketing, I couldn’t help myself from expecting greatness; an unfair judgement on a film I had yet to see. No Time to Die is neither magnificent nor a masterpiece, but as the film faded to black, there was nothing left to say except a content and complete goodbye.