No Time to Die (2021)

I promised I'd review No Time to Die (2021) back when I did my James Bond review marathon, and today it finally released!  A year and a half later than it was supposed to (which was technically already a 3-year delay from their first announcement), but better late than never.

Unfortunately, I have to mark this review as having HEAVY SPOILERS because there's no way I can talk about this film without discussing the massive elephant in the room that is the central plot and its ending.  Interestingly enough, I've had to mark the entire Daniel Craig era of films as having spoilers, since they're all one continuous storyline that build off one another.

SYNOPSIS:
James Bond (Daniel Craig) has resigned from active duty and is living a new life with Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux).  But the past catches up with the pair, and Bond quickly finds himself thrust back into the fray.  His fellow CIA friend Felix Leiter enlists Bond's help in tracking down a missing scientist, which leads to a dark plot of global destruction!

REVIEW:
The film opens with a glance back at Madeleine's childhood, where the masked assassin Safin (Rami Malek) infiltrates her home to kill her parents, but ends up sparing her.

In the present, shortly after the end of SPECTRE (2015), Bond has quit MI6 and is trying to live a quiet, yet passionate life with Madeleine... until it blows up in his face (literally!).  He finds himself running from SPECTRE assassins and blames Madeleine for being a spy, leaking their location and plans to the organization.  Bond abandons Madeleine, swearing she'll never see him again.

I just want to note here that during Bond and Madeleine's romantic holiday, I caught a modern variation of the familiar song "We Have All the Time in the World," originally by Louis Armstrong, playing in the background.  At this moment, I got real tense because the last time we heard this song was in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).  It was a common theme of that film, and also the line James Bond said about his new wife, Tracy, shortly after she was murdered by SPECTRE.  So obviously, Bond quitting the service and starting a new life with a woman... I'm starting to see a familiar plot developing here!

Five years later, Bond is now living in a lovely home in Jamaica.  It's very reminiscent of Goldeneye, the Jamaican estate that Ian Fleming, the original James Bond creator, lived in while writing his famous novels.

But one day he runs into his old CIA buddy, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright).  Felix informs Bond that a scientist has gone missing and he needs help in tracking him down.  Bond turns down the offer to get involved, until he runs into Nomi (Lashana Lynch), the new 007!  Bond's old number has been reassigned to a new 00 agent, and she informs Bond of Project Heracles, a dangerous nanobot project formerly commissioned by M and now in the hands of the missing scientist.

Nomi, the new 007!

Determined to put a stop to this dangerous plot, Bond teams up with Felix Leiter to track the scientist.  He meets up with the lovely Paloma (Ana de Armas), a new recruit for the CIA who is nervous/excited to be on her first field assignment.  But what she lacks in confidence and experience, she makes up for in skill, keeping up with James Bond when the action gets heated.

The gorgeous and highly-skilled Paloma

Upon finding the scientist, Bond discovers he's fallen into a SPECTRE trap!  Orchestrated by none other than Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) from his prison cell.  Gas is released with the Project Heracles nanobots in it, but much to Bond and Blofeld's surprise, it kills all the SPECTRE agents instead!  The scientist switched out the DNA profile in the nanobots, killing off all agents of SPECTRE, save Blofeld himself.  A scuffle ensues, and Bond makes it out with the scientist.  But another twist!  The scientist was operating on instructions from Safin and is "rescued" from Felix Leiter and Bond.  Felix is mortally wounded in the ensuing fight, and Bond is forced to leave him to ensure his own survival.

This is the second time in Bond history that Felix has been taken out of the story permanently.  The first was in License to Kill (1989), where Felix and his new bride were captured and fed to sharks.  Felix alone survived - at least initially; his ultimate fate was never mentioned - but he was missing some of his limbs, and we never saw him again, at least not until the Daniel Craig era rebooted the franchise.

Bond is reinstated as a 00 agent with MI6 and goes to meet with Blofeld to learn more about his involvement in Project Heracles.  Much to his surprise, Madeleine is also attending the visit!  Turns out the good Dr. Swann, a psychology doctor, was the only person allowed to visit with Blofeld in the past.  But Safin has infected her with deadly nanobots and blackmailed her into using them against Blofeld, the last remaining SPECTRE member.  Bond unknowingly infects himself with the nanobots while speaking with Madeleine and accidentally transmits them to Blofeld, killing him.  But not before Blofeld revealed that it was his plan to set up Madeleine and turn Bond on her 5 years ago.

Bond and Madeleine have a tense discussion after 5 years apart

Seeking reconciliation (and a lead in this new development), Bond tracks Madeleine to her childhood home in Norway, only to discover she has a 5-year old daughter!  Little Mathilde (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet) has the same piercing blue eyes as Bond, and he suspects she's his daughter.

But before they can get too comfortable, Safin seeks them out, capturing Madeleine and Mathilde!  Bond, through MI6's resources, manages to track them to an island in the Pacific.  There, Safin is mass-producing his Project Heracles nanobot poison, with the goal of infecting the world and playing god in a horrifying game of eugenics!  Bond and Nomi team up to infiltrate the island, rescue Madeleine and Mathilde, and shut down Safin's operations for good.

WARNING: The end of the film is spoiled beyond this point.  This is your last chance to walk away!

So here's where things get a little crazy.  I have heard that "We Have All the Time in the World" theme at least twice now and I'm getting really nervous, waiting for it to become highly plot relevant.  Also interesting is the song "Good to Have You Back," by Hans Zimmer. It's on the soundtrack for this film, but it's basically a somber version of the main theme for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).  Another chilling callback to that old film where Bond loses someone he loves dearly.

So far, everyone close to Bond has been dying off in the Craig era.  Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale (2006), the original M (Judi Dench) in Skyfall (2012).  Now in this film, Blofeld (and all of SPECTRE) are gone, Felix Leiter is dead, and now we're in the final moments of this film and I'm expecting something awful and dramatic to strike.

Bond succeeds in rescuing Madeleine and Mathilde and gets them on a boat off the island, as Safin plans his own escape.  To ensure Project Heracles is put to an end before it leaves the island, Bond calls a missile strike on the island.  With only minutes to spare, Bond races to open blast doors to ensure the underground bunkers are fully destroyed by the missiles. He has a run-in with Safin and through a scuffle, ends the villain, although not until after Bond is infected with a special strain of the nanobots - ones that will kill Madeleine and Mathilde if he ever touches them again!  He asks Q (Ben Whishaw) if there's a cure for it, but as Q had stated earlier in the film, once they're in your system, they're there forever.

Unable to ever again see his love and his new-found daughter, and completely out of time, Bond finishes opening the blast doors and then radios to Madeleine to let her know he won't make it.  As the missiles come down on the island, we see Bond on the roof, willingly sacrificing his life so his love and daughter can live.

Bond and Madeleine, in love

This was a ballsy move!  I know Barbara Broccoli, the producer (and head of EON Productions), had said that this film would be a definite finale to the Daniel Craig era of James Bond, but I didn't imagine they'd actually kill him off! I stayed through all the credits, just to make sure they posted the classic "James Bond will return" line at the end.  Fortunately they did, so the franchise is not dead.  Which means the next film will likely be yet another reboot of the series, with a new actor.  I wonder if this is the future of the franchise - each actor runs their own era of films.

I honestly don't know how to feel about this ending.  In one sense, it was a perfect end to a classic character.  The odds were always stacked against him and it was always assumed that people in Bond's profession rarely lived to see old age.  He went out at the top of his game, literally saving the world in the process - the perfect hero death.

But part of the intrigue with James Bond is knowing that, no matter how dire the situation, he'll always find a way out.  He's notorious for being impossible to kill, so sticking him in a no-hope situation and having him play the self-sacrificing hero just feels wrong.  It was a very emotional ending, don't get me wrong.  But I just feel like it was a dark turn to take for our immortal hero who's lasted through the decades.

I do kind of like how he went from the cold, heartless "the bitch is dead" assassin in Casino Royale (2006), to eventually learning to love again.  And they even hinted at him possibly having a normal, happy family life.  But in the end, his service to country came first, especially if it meant protecting his family.

I personally see two future outcomes for the franchise after this - either 1.) This micro-story of the Daniel Craig era is over and the next James Bond will be a complete reboot, with new actors and a new story.  Or, 2.) Bond is recovered from the wreckage and somehow still alive, but horribly disfigured.  After reconstructive surgery, he's given a new face - the face of the next Bond actor!

Honestly, #2 would be awesome.  It would not only continue this current Bond reboot without having to start all over again, but it would also be another subtle nod to On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).  You see, when James Bond was recast from Sean Connery to George Lazenby, the script for the new film had a sub plot where Bond went undercover by getting facial reconstructive surgery.  But the plotline was dropped at the last minute, leading to an awkward continuity error where Bond and Blofeld don't recognize each other, even though they just met face-to-face in the previous film.

The theme song for this film, "No Time to Die," was composed and sung by Billie Eilish.  Surprisingly, the somber and subtle theme song works very well with the theme of this film.  I was hesitant when I heard Billie Eilish was picked to make a Bond song, but it's actually quite beautiful!  You can hear it here:

RECOMMENDATION:
This was a thrilling send-off for the Daniel Craig era.  Very emotional, very action-packed, and a fitting finale for this James Bond.  My recommendation is to binge the entire Daniel Craig series of films for the full effect, now that his story is complete. Or at the very least, watch SPECTRE (2015) for a little backstory to lead into this film.

The Mummy (1999)

Happy Halloween month, everyone!  I don't have the energy this year to do a full Halloween movie marathon, but I do plan to watch and review some films this month.  Starting with a classic: The Mummy (1999)!  I've reviewed the Tom Cruise version of The Mummy (2017) and I've reviewed the original Universal Studios monster film The Mummy (1932). But somehow I've missed the classic '90s action/adventure remake of the classic.

SYNOPSIS:
In 1926 Egypt, a librarian named Evelyn; A.K.A. Evie (Rachel Weisz) and her sticky-fingered brother, Jonathan (John Hannah) stumble across a map leading to Hamunaptra, the lost "City of the Dead."  Expecting the archaeological find of the century, they recruit Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser), a man who claims to have been to the lost city, as their guide.  But during their expedition, they accidentally awaken the 3,000-yr old mummy Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), a very powerful immortal creature who brings the plagues back to Earth.  Rick, Evie, and Jonathan must find a way to end the mummy's curse before he regains his strength and brings devastation to the world.

REVIEW:
This film is absolutely wonderful, expertly combining so many genres in an enjoyable way.  There's action/adventure, romance, comedy, and a touch of horror, all wrapped up nicely in a family-fun package.  All of the characters are well-written and play off each other so well.  You would expect Jonathan to be the bumbling comedic foil, but despite his comedic antics, he's actually very intelligent and slick, and helps to save the day more than once.  Evie is a brilliant librarian with an amazing knowledge of history and archaeological studies.  She may be a bit clumsy/ditzy at times, but she's rarely a damsel in distress, despite Rick trying to treat her as one.  Even Rick is surprised at times when she's able to hold her own.

Rick is our swashbuckling hero, jumping into more than he can handle and half the time escaping death by pure luck.  He does not have a heart of gold; rather, he's more of a gold-seeker, pursuing archeological finds for what treasure he can collect.  But when the chips are down, he always does the right thing.  When the mummy is released, his first instinct is to pack up and get out of town.  But when Evie is in danger, he abandons everything to seek her out and protect her.

A former friend of Rick's named Beni (Kevin J. O'Connor) fills the role of the sleazy coward, taking the easy way out every chance he can.  He holds no loyalties to anyone but his own, abandoning others to save his own skin wherever possible.  From the first moment he's on screen to the last, he's only thinking of himself and how to best to protect his own selfish interests. There's never been a more pathetic, punchable character in film that I can think of.  He's the type you love to hate and I enjoy every scene he's in.

Imhotep is probably the most tragic of the characters.  Despite playing the villain of the film, he's actually a former high priest of the dead who fell in love with the pharaoh Seti's mistress, Anck Su Namun (Patricia Velasquez).  In a plot to be with her, the two murder the pharaoh and then Anck Su Namun kills herself, expecting Imhotep to resurrect her so they could be together again.  But the pharaoh's bodyguards stopped the ritual, instead condemning Imhotep to the darkest curse they knew.  Upon resurrection, Imhotep's goal to resurrect his love becomes his primary focus and he's only the villain because of the extremes he's willing to go in order to complete that ritual.  It's very "Romeo and Juliet."  Two lovers forced to spend eternity apart.

Some interesting trivia: In the original 1932 Mummy film, Imhotep takes on the name Ardath Bay to blend in with other mortals.  In this 1999 Mummy film, "Ardeth" Bay (slightly different spelling, to become an anagram for "Death by Ra") is a separate character, the leader of the Medjai who watch over and protect Hamunaptra to ensure the mummy stays dead.

RECOMMENDATION:
I cannot recommend this film enough!  It's the perfect blend of family-fun action, adventure, fantasy, comedy, and romance.  The story keeps you well engaged and the characters are fun to watch.  This is truly the best Mummy film out there, and one of my favorite Brendan Fraser roles.  It's also my wife's favorite film of all time, and she has a habit of re-watching it several times a week. She never gets sick of it!

If you plan to watch the sequels, I'd recommend seeing The Mummy Returns (2001) and The Scorpion King (2002).  And nothing else.  The third Mummy film (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)) falls flat. They replace Evie's actress, Rachel Weisz, with Maria Bello, who does a generic "British clumsy girl in distress" role.  She had absolutely no chemistry with Brendan Fraser's Rick O'Connell and just made the film uninteresting to watch. Not to mention, the plot felt very forced.  Not creative and fun like the other films, but just going through the motions.  Also, there are 4 straight-to-video sequels for The Scorpion King.  They're pretty low quality and not really worth checking out.  Although Dwayne Johnson is producing a remake of The Scorpion King right now, so keep your eyes peeled for that.  No word on if he'll be reprising his role as the Scorpion King himself or if he's just producing/directing.