Of all the actors to have portrayed James Bond, Daniel Craig easily ranks among the highest. Hired as a mostly unknown actor, any concerns that he would fail as 007 were quickly washed away upon the release of Casino Royale. Craig has perfectly been able to capture the cool, suave, and charismatic nature of Ian Flemming's iconic character. Across five films, Craig has successfully helped bring Bond into a grittier and more grounded age without ever losing sight of the fun spy narrative that has made the series popular for decades.

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With the release of this year's No Time to Die, Craig's run as Bond has finally come to a definite close. And while many have already begun to discuss who could take his place in the next Bond adventure, it's also worth appreciating how the filmmakers gave Craig a perfect outing in his final film. No Time to Die gives fans of the Craig installments and the overall franchise plenty to be excited about as Craig gives a wonderful sendoff to James Bond.

Billie Eilish's Song

As per tradition with the Bond franchise, every entry begins with an opening title sequence set to a new original song. No Time to Die's song is recorded by Billie Eilish who, at 19, is the youngest artist to record a song for a James Bond movie. Her "No Time to Die" may not have the classiness of Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger" or the intensity of Adele's "Skyfall", but it perfectly captures the essence of this Bond film.

The softer and more emotional tone fits in well with No Time to Die, which many have remarked as one of the most emotional James Bond films in the series. The song acts as a perfect goodbye to the character, while still not becoming overly sentimental. The moving song also fits in well with the film itself, appearing right after one of its most emotional moments.

Role of Women

As popular and acclaimed as the James Bond movies are, it's hard to deny some of the casual sexism of their earlier entries. Women in early James Bond installments cast women mostly in the roles of underdeveloped love interests, usually playing up the roles of the male characters instead. While not perfect, the recent Craig movies have done a rather good job of creating interesting and engaging female characters without ruining the charismatic nature of Bond himself. One such example is the choice to bring over Judi Dench as M from the Pierce Brosnan Bond films, who wildly outshines her successor Ralph Fiennes.

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Not only does No Time to Die include several female characters, but they're also all heavily involved in the film's narrative. Léa Seydoux returns from Spectre as Madeleine Swann, bringing her talented acting skills into her character that shows a much more nuanced portrayal of the classic "Bond girl". Moneypenny, portrayed by Naomie Harris, is also given as much screen time and care as her role in Skyfall. Ana de Armas also appears as CIA agent Paloma, helping Bond track down Spectre in Cuba. Her fun and relatable personality, along with her insane fighting skills, nearly steal the show away from Craig. The most noteworthy character however comes from Lashana Lynch, whose character Nomi replaces Bond as MI6's new 007.

A New 007

A hotly-contested fan theory has made the argument that the name James Bond is really a code name that MI6 assigns to agent 007. And while it's fun to speculate, Skyfall shoots down that theory by visiting Bond's childhood home. That being said, anyone in Bond's line of work would need to hang up his gun at some point. After the film's prologue, Bond has retired from MI6 and moved to Jamaica. When Bond is brought back to help combat Spectre, he meets Nomi, who has taken up the 007 title in light of Bond's retirement.

Nomi holds herself just as well as Bond whenever gunfire breaks out, though also sports a new fun spark that Bond as a character rarely taps into. The fact that Nomi is the new agent 007 clearly gets under Bond's skin. Though later, Nomi has the same small panic when she learns that Bond has been reinstated as a 00 agent, though doesn't learn what that last number is. It's fun to see how the fictional MI6 replaces its 007 in the same way the series replaces James Bond and know that there will always be agents to fill in his shoes. Even though we're likely to see a new actor take up the Bond name, it's hard to imagine anyone complaining if Nomi got her own movie.

Great Action Setpieces

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the past two years have been relatively light on good action movies. And with four previous impressive entries, No Time to Die had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, the action in No Time to Die is just as exciting, exhilarating, and thrilling as any of Bond's best missions. The film opens on a genuinely tense moment from Madeleine's childhood that's so well executed it's easy to forget that it's for a James Bond movie. This is followed by a breathtaking chase scene set in Italy, with Bond being chased by countless goons through the streets of Matera. And that's all before the opening titles.

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Even though the modern Bond movies have turned more toward action and away from the espionage of the early movies, they still haven't lost sight of the series' spy origins. Bond still acquires a series of gadgets from Q that help him on his adventure, though are used for action rather than spy work. The film itself still uses elements of spy thrillers but also combines them with action setpieces, perfectly blending the old Bond with the new. This all culminates in an exciting climax with Bond facing off Rami Malek's villainous Lyutsifer Safin in a way that manages to mix the thrilling with the emotional. The final moments of No Time to Die are a fantastic way to end a great action movie and the legacy of a legend.

Tying Loose Ends

One thing that sets the Craig era of Bond movies from the previous is the story. Instead of each installment being a standalone adventure, the modern Bond films chose to have an overarching story that ties all the movies together. Each film is just as important and necessary as the one before and after it. No Time to Die doesn't just reference the previous entries with easter eggs, but also with its narrative. Old characters return, and events dating as far back as Casino Royale have a direct impact on No Time to Die.

But No Time to Die isn't just a goodbye to Craig. It's a goodbye to its other characters and actors, too. Craig's take on Bond is just as good as Ben Wishaw's take on Q or Naomie Harris's take on Moneypenny. Even Judi Dench makes a small appearance in the form of a portrait at MI6. No Time to Die takes its time to say farewell to the gritty age of Bond adventures as well as everyone that made them possible. As Madeleine drives away with her daughter, reciting the legend of James Bond, it's difficult for fans not to think that she's speaking directly to them as well.

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