by Josh Sewell
No Time to Die
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, brief strong language and some suggestive material. Opens in theaters on October 8.)
It’s arriving a couple of years later than originally planned (thanks, Covid), but Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond hits theaters this weekend. Because it’s such a momentous occasion, No Time to Die makes sure audiences have ample opportunity to bid him farewell: clocking in at nearly three hours, it’s the longest entry in the franchise’s 59-year history. (Get ready for a barrage of headlines with jokes like “plenty of time to die.”)
So, is it worth all the buildup and the epic running time? That depends on what you’re looking for in a 007 movie. Those who just want tons of action and Craig looking cool while saving the world will be in spy movie heaven. However, viewers who mostly care about a coherent story and characters who behave logically will find large chunks of the movie frustrating. While I enjoyed it overall, I fell into the latter camp.
No Time to Die, the overstuffed conclusion to the Craig era that began in 2006, finds Bond retired from MI6 and enjoying his new life in Jamaica. However, that comes to a halt when his old CIA contact Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) shows up asking for help. The mission, which turns out to be far more dangerous than anticipated, involves rescuing a kidnapped scientist (David Dencik) with ties to a mysterious villain (Rami Malek) devoted to global catastrophe.
That’s the official synopsis, anyway – I’m sticking with it to avoid accidentally revealing any of the story’s twists and turns. Though, to be honest, I don’t know if I could tell you the whole plot if I wanted to. It’s so convoluted that after a while I just gave up trying to piece everything together.
There’s an entire mini movie before the traditional opening credit sequence (accompanied by Billie Eilish’s killer theme song) before the primary narrative kicks in, which advances via a series of episodic action sequences. These are hit-and-miss, whether it’s Bond and a rookie agent (Craig’s Knives Out co-star Ana de Armas, who needs her own spinoff ASAP) dispatching goons at a black-tie event, or Bond and his former love (Lea Seydoux) evading faceless henchmen in a forest.
Overall, No Time to Die is a fun experience thanks to Craig’s phenomenal performance (complete with a rejuvenated sense of humor) and fine supporting work from Lashana Lynch (as the “new” 007), and returning cast members Wright, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw. Sadly, the Oscar-winning Malek delivers his typical unsettling work, but a fuzzy backstory and a lack of clear motivation makes his character one of the weakest Bond villains in recent memory.
Thanks to director Cary Joji Fukunaga, the film looks incredible; he ensures all the action sequences are expertly choreographed and easy to follow. I just wish the slapdash screenplay managed to do the same – it’s credited to four different writers (Fukunaga, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Fleabag mastermind Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and you can feel the tonal whiplash throughout.
Fortunately, at the end of a far-too-long journey, No Time to Die manages to stick the landing and provide a definitive end to Craig’s tenure as Bond. It’s a choice that’s sure to spark plenty of debate, but I think it works for this particular iteration of the character – someone who has evolved over the course of his five-film arc. While the finale doesn’t reach the brilliant heights of Casino Royale and Skyfall, it’s worlds above Spectre and Quantum of Solace.
Grade: B-
The Addams Family 2
(Rated PG for macabre and rude humor, violence and language. Now playing in theaters and available On Demand.)
I liked 2019’s Addams Family cartoon reboot a bit more than other critics, but there’s no sugar-coating this lazy sequel. It’s a soulless cash-in designed to provide mindless entertainment for kids so their pandemic-crazed parents can nap or catch their breath for 90 minutes.
The plot, essentially a tenuous shelf on which to hang a few stitched-together episodic shorts, finds Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia Addams (Charlize Theron) distraught that their kids are on the verge of growing up. To strengthen their familial bond, the parents throw Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz), Pugsley (Javon “Wanna” Walton) and Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) into their creepy RV and set out on an epic cross-country drive. All the while, they’re being pursued by a mad scientist (Bill Hader) and his henchman (Wallace Shawn) for nefarious reasons.
Where to begin with this massive disappointment? The road trip plot is boring, as are the switched-at-birth non-mystery and Uncle Fester’s slow transformation into an octopus (don’t ask).
Screenwriters Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen and Susanna Fogel don’t seem to have a clue what made previous iterations of these characters so much fun. Charles Addams’ original single-panel comics, the 1960s television series and Barry Sonnenfeld’s live-action films in the 1990s were satirical and relied on dark, deadpan humor to sell the characters.
The Addams Family 2 cranks up the weirdness to maximum levels but forgets to make the family interesting or funny, relying on a ton of bodily function gags instead. At least the voice cast seemed invested in the last installment. This time around, you can practically hear the actors sprinting out of the sound booth once the checks clear.
Grade: D+
Home Video Spotlight
Inglourious Basterds
(Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality. Available October 12.)
Quentin Tarantino’s gripping, darkly comedic World War II tale celebrates its 12th anniversary with this new 4K release (which also includes Blu-ray and digital copies). Brad Pitt leads an incredible cast (including Christoph Waltz in the breakout role that won him an Oscar) as a soldier tasked with leading his squad deep into enemy territory to take down the Third Reich.
The disc comes with over two hours of bonus content, including extended/alternate scenes; a roundtable discussion with Tarantino, Pitt and Elvis Mitchell; The New York Times Talk; “Nation’s Pride,” an original short featured in the film, with its own making-of featurette; and more.
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, brief strong language and some suggestive material. Opens in theaters on October 8.)
It’s arriving a couple of years later than originally planned (thanks, Covid), but Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond hits theaters this weekend. Because it’s such a momentous occasion, No Time to Die makes sure audiences have ample opportunity to bid him farewell: clocking in at nearly three hours, it’s the longest entry in the franchise’s 59-year history. (Get ready for a barrage of headlines with jokes like “plenty of time to die.”)
So, is it worth all the buildup and the epic running time? That depends on what you’re looking for in a 007 movie. Those who just want tons of action and Craig looking cool while saving the world will be in spy movie heaven. However, viewers who mostly care about a coherent story and characters who behave logically will find large chunks of the movie frustrating. While I enjoyed it overall, I fell into the latter camp.
No Time to Die, the overstuffed conclusion to the Craig era that began in 2006, finds Bond retired from MI6 and enjoying his new life in Jamaica. However, that comes to a halt when his old CIA contact Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) shows up asking for help. The mission, which turns out to be far more dangerous than anticipated, involves rescuing a kidnapped scientist (David Dencik) with ties to a mysterious villain (Rami Malek) devoted to global catastrophe.
That’s the official synopsis, anyway – I’m sticking with it to avoid accidentally revealing any of the story’s twists and turns. Though, to be honest, I don’t know if I could tell you the whole plot if I wanted to. It’s so convoluted that after a while I just gave up trying to piece everything together.
There’s an entire mini movie before the traditional opening credit sequence (accompanied by Billie Eilish’s killer theme song) before the primary narrative kicks in, which advances via a series of episodic action sequences. These are hit-and-miss, whether it’s Bond and a rookie agent (Craig’s Knives Out co-star Ana de Armas, who needs her own spinoff ASAP) dispatching goons at a black-tie event, or Bond and his former love (Lea Seydoux) evading faceless henchmen in a forest.
Overall, No Time to Die is a fun experience thanks to Craig’s phenomenal performance (complete with a rejuvenated sense of humor) and fine supporting work from Lashana Lynch (as the “new” 007), and returning cast members Wright, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw. Sadly, the Oscar-winning Malek delivers his typical unsettling work, but a fuzzy backstory and a lack of clear motivation makes his character one of the weakest Bond villains in recent memory.
Thanks to director Cary Joji Fukunaga, the film looks incredible; he ensures all the action sequences are expertly choreographed and easy to follow. I just wish the slapdash screenplay managed to do the same – it’s credited to four different writers (Fukunaga, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Fleabag mastermind Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and you can feel the tonal whiplash throughout.
Fortunately, at the end of a far-too-long journey, No Time to Die manages to stick the landing and provide a definitive end to Craig’s tenure as Bond. It’s a choice that’s sure to spark plenty of debate, but I think it works for this particular iteration of the character – someone who has evolved over the course of his five-film arc. While the finale doesn’t reach the brilliant heights of Casino Royale and Skyfall, it’s worlds above Spectre and Quantum of Solace.
Grade: B-
(Rated PG for macabre and rude humor, violence and language. Now playing in theaters and available On Demand.)
I liked 2019’s Addams Family cartoon reboot a bit more than other critics, but there’s no sugar-coating this lazy sequel. It’s a soulless cash-in designed to provide mindless entertainment for kids so their pandemic-crazed parents can nap or catch their breath for 90 minutes.
The plot, essentially a tenuous shelf on which to hang a few stitched-together episodic shorts, finds Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia Addams (Charlize Theron) distraught that their kids are on the verge of growing up. To strengthen their familial bond, the parents throw Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz), Pugsley (Javon “Wanna” Walton) and Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) into their creepy RV and set out on an epic cross-country drive. All the while, they’re being pursued by a mad scientist (Bill Hader) and his henchman (Wallace Shawn) for nefarious reasons.
Where to begin with this massive disappointment? The road trip plot is boring, as are the switched-at-birth non-mystery and Uncle Fester’s slow transformation into an octopus (don’t ask).
Screenwriters Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen and Susanna Fogel don’t seem to have a clue what made previous iterations of these characters so much fun. Charles Addams’ original single-panel comics, the 1960s television series and Barry Sonnenfeld’s live-action films in the 1990s were satirical and relied on dark, deadpan humor to sell the characters.
The Addams Family 2 cranks up the weirdness to maximum levels but forgets to make the family interesting or funny, relying on a ton of bodily function gags instead. At least the voice cast seemed invested in the last installment. This time around, you can practically hear the actors sprinting out of the sound booth once the checks clear.
Grade: D+
Home Video Spotlight
(Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality. Available October 12.)
Quentin Tarantino’s gripping, darkly comedic World War II tale celebrates its 12th anniversary with this new 4K release (which also includes Blu-ray and digital copies). Brad Pitt leads an incredible cast (including Christoph Waltz in the breakout role that won him an Oscar) as a soldier tasked with leading his squad deep into enemy territory to take down the Third Reich.
The disc comes with over two hours of bonus content, including extended/alternate scenes; a roundtable discussion with Tarantino, Pitt and Elvis Mitchell; The New York Times Talk; “Nation’s Pride,” an original short featured in the film, with its own making-of featurette; and more.
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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