Author: Zhang Wei
Daniel Craig’s 007 farewell style has dragged on like fate. Before the filming started, I first didn’t want to act, and then the director withdrew due to differences, the script was constantly rewritten, and the soundtrack was changed midway. When everything finally came to an end, there was an unprecedented new crown epidemic. In this way, “007: No Time to Die” was delayed from 2019 to 2020, and it was postponed three more times before it was released in the fall of 2021. It was the title of the phrase “no time”.
The longest-running Bond candidate
Back in 2005, when Craig was announced as the new 007 actor, public opinion was in an uproar, just like yesterday. Now he has played the role for 15 years, which is the number one in film history. In terms of numbers, he ranks behind Roger Moore and Sean Connery with five 007 movies. Craig, who is so close to Bond, really needs a “long farewell”. “No Time to Die” became the longest 007 movie in history with a length of 163 minutes.
When bidding farewell, it is natural to look back. Before the release of “No Time to Die”, the documentary film “Becoming James Bond” was released at the right time. The industry once thought that he was not a material for a leading actor, let alone playing Bond, but he not only did it, but also allowed 007 to get a higher box office and enter the Chinese mainland market for the first time. Craig, who has become a superstar from a young actor, has now paid a hefty $100 million for two movies. However, while becoming an actor, this role is also “requested” in large quantities, and injuries are commonplace. Craig retired after the filming of the previous film, but the producer who singled out him clearly refused because the story has not been finished yet.
It is true that the 007 movie that Craig starred in is different from the past, more like a high-end drama, each plot is not completely independent, but intertwined with each other. While this raises the threshold for viewing movies, it also gives the story more completeness and complexity. The Bond girl played by Léa Seydoux appeared continuously in “Ghost Party” and “No Time to Die”, completely breaking the existing model of “bond with iron, Bond girl with flowing water”, proving that women are not a foil at the same time, Also let the story stretch for thousands of miles. Therefore, “No Time to Die” is not just an action movie pursuing excitement, but also an important task for the end of the series.
In an interview, Craig said that the last time he starred in 007 was “no regrets.” The film finally made Bond die heroically for love, giving it a unique position in the 007 sequence. Craig’s 007 debut novel “The Battle of Casino Royale” is adapted from the first novel in the James Bond series, which can be called the origin of 007 agents; now “No Time to Die” brings it to the end of death. Daniel Craig became the only actor to fully present Bond “from life to death”, truly achieving the beginning and the end, and making it difficult for latecomers to surpass.
The “strongest villain” of misnomer
Craig’s five 007 movies have two styles, “Casino Royale” and “Break the Quantum Crisis” to the flesh, changing people’s solid impression of 007’s gentleman’s demeanor and technology. The classic character Q did not even appear. After “Breaking the Quantum Crisis” failed word-of-mouth, the takeover director Sam Mendes changed the situation while also changing the plot direction and movie settings. The quartermaster Q finally showed up in “Departure from the Sky”, which means that Bond is gradually using high-tech weapons to move closer to the classic elements of 007. When it comes to “No Time to Die”, a lot of equipment is shown, including luxury cars with real guns and live ammunition, powerful super watches, and flying tools that can dive.
However, the equipment can only be the icing on the cake and cannot be the cornerstone of the film. The success of “No Time to Die” depends on the plot layout and character creation. It is a pity that Safin played by Oscar actor Rami Marek is far from the propaganda stunt of “the strongest villain in the series”. The shape of the thriller mask in the past is bright, and the clever removal of dissidents when the Ghost Party party is caught off guard, but this powerful figure who dares to be an enemy of the Ghost Party can be described as horrible in the decisive battle.
Constructing biochemical bases on disputed islands between Japan and Russia, using DNA weapons to achieve targeted elimination, and embarking on a road of revenge due to family tragedies… Safin’s villain is set up in a proper manner, and there is even the possibility of innovating, but all fantasies collapsed with the climax. The ashes disappeared. The combat effectiveness is low, and the subordinates are useless. Early in the morning, they acted in the drama of threatening women and children, but somehow let them go. All dangers turned into hypocrisy, and the accumulated tension was destroyed by falsehood.
The audience seems to have strayed into a third-rate literary film with unclear motives of the protagonist. Safin dressed in Japanese style on the tatami is even thinner and lacks aura. The strange thing is that, except for the location of the base, Safin has no relationship with Japan, perhaps because the director Kerry Fukunaga is a Japanese hybrid. , It unnecessarily implanted Japanese elements, self-defeating.
Ruthless agent died for love
In “No Time to Die”, there are more than villains who drive high and low. At the beginning of the film, Bond and his girlfriend return to the burial ground of their first love. The two try to forget the past, but they can hardly get away. One is chased by the Ghost Party, and the other is used by Safin. This is a near-perfect start. The first and last two episodes Echoed around. But with the development of the plot, the film has gradually become ridiculous. The plot turns and the action elements are both, so what is the final effect? In my opinion, the rhythm of “No Time to Die” has a big problem.
The length of 163 minutes is a test of public endurance, requiring the director to have a smooth narrative level and repeated climax settings. But the film’s rhythm is fast and slow, sometimes loose and sometimes tight. In terms of literary and opera, the area that should have been portrayed, what can be reduced, but it has been procrastinated; in terms of action, the danger that should have been shown can be easily resolved and can be carefully designed. The scenes were monotonous and the same, even the well-received Cuban girl fighting in Cuba seemed too blunt. The plot of “No Time to Die” has been reversed many times, but the explosive point of the plot has turned into a plot suspicious. Bond and M have serious conflicts, but they quickly disappear; Bond and the new 007 are at odds with each other, and suddenly shake hands and greet each other. This makes the audience feel unclear and greatly affects the viewing experience.
It was Bond’s final ending that saved the movie. At the end of watching movies that sometimes enjoy and sometimes endure, Bond was hit by a DNA weapon and became a carrier. The weapon was fused with his girlfriend’s DNA sample and could kill all lives with her blood. In other words, as long as Bond sees his girlfriend and daughter again, they will die.
This cruel reality rather than an evil villain knocked down Bond. After the base shield was lifted, before the missile hit the island, he had a chance to jump into the sea and escape, but Bond chose to give up. Because he knew that if he survived, it would be difficult to suppress the urge to meet with his family, and eventually hurt them; and if he didn’t see him for the rest of his life, what was the difference from death. As a result, 007, known as a ruthless agent, eventually died of emotion. This ending is unspeakably tragic.
By convention, when Bond is trapped by love, the Bond girl must die, so that he has no worries and set off again. But now it is not the Bond girl who is dying, but Bond himself. The appearance of the daughter has allowed the agents who are at home from all over the world to have a complete family. These can be accepted by everyone because Craig has injected ordinary emotions into Bond for 15 years and is no longer just a cold-blooded machine. It is a pity that the emotional performance of the family witnessing Bond’s death and the memory of his boss and colleagues are too scribbled, and the hero’s ending lacks a bit of weight.
After the cast and crew ended, the declaration of “James Bond will return” appeared on the big screen. Decades of classic roles will certainly not stop there, but Craig’s version of Bond has entered history. 007 is not only a code name, it is the only remaining male power and national business card after the sun never sets, the empire is no longer the scenery; the Bond series is not only a set of movies, it is the predecessor and industry benchmark for all spy films. Soon, the world will focus on the final candidate for the next Bond. (Zhang Wei)
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责编：崔益明 ]
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