After 19 months of waiting the 25th Bond film has been released. It has been delayed three times due to covid. This film is important because it’s Daniel Craig’s last Bond movie which means someone else will take the 007 title. The film is meant to create a clean slate and kill off the rest of Bond’s enemies in “Spectre”. There are several returning characters from “Casino Royale” and “Spectre.”  The movie starts with Bond visiting Vesper who was killed at the end of “Casino Royale.” The gravesite blows up and throws Bond onto the floor. This leads to a fight scene with SUVs and motorcycles. Bond eventually gets into a damaged Aston Martin DB 5 and gets away from his enemies. In the car with him is Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) but they develop a mistrust which causes Bond to live inclusion away from society. Another amazing chase scene was in a dark foggy forest. This chase scene is different from other Bond movies (which are extremely bright and open) and led to some great action shots. The enemy in this Bond film is Rami Malek who plays Lyutsifer Safin. We don’t see the villain well over halfway through the film which is unusual for most action movies.

The big question is if it’s worth the wait? The answer is that it isn’t. This Bond movie is repeating several different plots from previous Bond movies. The movie appears to not be new and just continues the “Spectre” storyline. The best part of the film is the action scenes. Bond finds himself in Cuba and of course, it ends in total chaos but each scene is like poetry. You see each move calculated in perfect precision. Each Bond movie has its own distinct fighting scene and this one is very good in the action department. Even with great fighting scenes, I would still say it’s nothing like “Skyfall” or “Casino Royale” which are some of the best Bond movies.

The director Cary Joji Fukunaga, adds beautiful scenic shots of Italy, Scotland, Norway, and Jamaica. All of these countries add their culture and beauty to the film. I have also never seen this many countries in one film. Fukunaga gives us such a diverse view of the world through Bond’s eyes. This is common in Bond films where there are several different landscapes that all play a role in his story. 

For me personally the best part of the film is the cars. The Aston Martin DB5 is the most famous of all the Bond cars and plays an important role in this film. I’m always happy to see this car again because it looks great on screen and is known to have the best tech out of any other Bond car. However, the car that surprised me is the Aston Martin V8 because this is my personal favorite of all the Bond cars. It hasn’t been seen in years but in this movie, it’s very prominent. I’m glad that Fukunaga stuck to Aston Martin because it’s the defining car of James Bond. 

I grew up with Daniel Craig as James Bond. He created the most exciting Bond and gave the action movie genre adrenaline. It’s sad to see him go but I believe it’s time to continue the Bond story. I can’t wait to see what Lashana Lynch will bring to the 007 title.