And so it was emotional closure, as much as tying up loose plot threads, that I hoped No Time to Die would provide.Īnd, I’m happy to confirm, No Time to Die certainly delivered all of the emotional closure that I was hoping for. The emotional fallout from Vesper’s actions in Casino Royale has echoed throughout Daniel Craig’s run, as has the impact of M’s death in Skyfall, and it’s the emotional baggage that Craig’s Bond carries that has been the key to the success of his more continuity-focused tenure, more so even than the plot-driven elements like Mr White, Quantum, Spectre and Blofeld. With the knowledge that this would be Daniel Craig’s final film as Bond, I was desperately hoping that No Time to Die would give him the send-off that he so clearly deserved.īecause unlike any of the earlier incarnations of James Bond, Craig’s Bond has told one, unified story across the course of the five movies, which meant that it deserved a “proper” conclusion. Quantum of Solace has some great ideas, but felt much more like “Bond by the numbers” after the mould-breaking Casino Royale (although in fairness, it was badly affected by the 2008 screenwriters’ strike), and 2015’s Spectre was enjoyable enough but fell short of the heights of Casino Royale and Skyfall. I say this because, coming into No Time to Die, my expectations were sky high, and if I’m being honest, not all of the Daniel Craig films have lived up to those expectations.

I’ve enjoyed the whole of Daniel Craig’s 15-year tenure as Bond since then, with Casino Royale and 2012’s Skyfall both standing out as my two favourites from the 24 Bond films made up to No Time to Die.

In fact, I was so impressed with how they’d managed to reinvigorate the 50-year-old character, that Casino Royale was my Film of the Year for 2006. I’ve been a huge fan of Daniel Craig’s take on James Bond ever since he burst onto the big screen (and through the drywall) in the opening of Casino Royale.

Dinner and a movie casino