The twenty-fifth Bond film finally received a proper title on August 20th: No Time To Die. The movie promises to follow up directly where Spectre left off. Other than the impressive cast list, featuring Rami Malek from Mr. Robot and Bohemian Rhapsody, little is known about the plot.
Whatever director Cary Joji Fukunaga has planned, he’s gotta a lot of work to do in order to live up to the franchise’s high standard. Because fans are still in the dark about most of the film, the following list will detail ten things we want No Time to Die to include.
More Fun
Skyfall took itself way too seriously, but the tonal shift seemed to pay off, judging by its warm critical reception and over one billion dollar box office intake. This success got some fans worried that the series would continue its dour, somber trajectory. Spectre was similarly grim, but had more levity to it.
The set pieces were more fantastic, people cracked cringe-inducing puns, and there was even a silent muscle-bound villain in the vein of Jaws and Oddjob. Here’s hoping No Time to Die remembers that Bond films have a lighthearted air to them. It doesn’t mean they have to be silly, but it still is an action-adventure spy film.
More Gadgets
Part of the franchise’s appeal is seeing what tools the always helpful Q will gift upon 007 for his next mission. Sometime they aren’t gifts, but trinkets from the lab the spy takes for himself without permission. The more recent Bond films have been lacking in this department, really skimping out on the innovative apparatuses.
Perhaps it’s due to the more serious nature of these outings and the unrealistic gadgets take away from the grounded tone. At the end of the day though, people expect these inventions from the film, and the producers do no favors when they deprive the audience of them.
Female Villain With An Intimidating Physical Presence
Female Bond villains are few and far between. It is even more seldom when they have combat prowess, proving a worthy foe for the secret agent. Xenia Onatopp from Goldeneye and May Day from A View to a Kill come to mind as women who could take out Bond in a fight, but that’s only two over the course of twenty-four movies.
Rami Malek is already cast as the villain, but what about his number one muscle? Blofeld had Hinx, played by Dave Bautista, and this is an opportunity to get a woman in as a deadly assassin.
No More “Bond Is Old” Subtext
2006’s Casino Royale detailed Bond’s first mission as double-0 agent. Fast forward six years to Skyfall and all of a sudden Daniel Craig is the oldest Bond yet, and the characters never let him forget it. It’s done better in Spectre, where the perceived archaic nature of his job works into the plot, but it is ultimately unnecessary. Not every movie in the franchise from here on out has to remind the viewers it’s almost a sixty year old series; nor does it constantly have to reassert its relevance for modern times.
Lea Seydoux
One of the big surprises from Spectre was Lea Seydoux’s role. Not only was she a delight in the part, but it was also one of the few times audiences see the beloved spy form a real relationship. The French actress is already confirmed for No Time to Die, though there’s no telling how big her role is. Given that Bond is pulled back into the spy world, one immediately thinks a terrible fight will befall on Seydoux’s character during the film. If the worst does happen, she better at least get a decent amount of screen time.
Better Pacing
The two films directed by Sam Mendes also happen to be two of the longest films in the franchise. The average Bond film is about two hours, and a couple of others almost get up to two and a half hours, but there’s something about the pacing of Skyfall and Spectre that really makes the audience feel its run time. Casino Royale, for example, is about as long as Skyfall, but it moves along at a brisker pace, despite being on a smaller scale and using fewer locations.
Awesome Theme Song
With a new Bond movie comes a new theme song. It’s always exciting when news drops about the artist receiving the honor of either writing or interpreting somebody else’s composition. They are hit and miss, but when they land it is a monumental victory. Adele and Sam Smith did decent jobs with their respective songs, but the last theme to make a big impact was Chris Cornell’s “You Know My Name” from Casino Royale. If they can capture that feeling again, they have another hit in the bag.
Less Misoginyst
Spectre was on the right path in this respect, and all signs already point to No Time to Die leaving behind the more questionable ways of Bond’s past. Hopefully there will be no more unexpected jumping into the shower with a complete stranger like in Skyfall or blackmailing a masseuse like in Thunderball.
Bond is kind of a bad person, and his treatment of women is a symptom of this, but it’s the film’s job not to celebrate it. That’s not to say he cannot get steamy with the ladies, but just make sure nothing about it feels uncomfortable for the audience.
More Christoph Waltz
Long-time fans of the series were delighted to see Bond’s number one nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld return to the series after more than forty years (not including his unnamed appearance in For Your Eyes Only.) Christoph Waltz knocked the role out of the park, and we sincerely hope he comes back for a second run.
As of now he is not confirmed for a role, but our fingers are crossed that he at least has a cameo. Nobody wants him to steal Rami Malek’s thunder, but there is enough space in the movie for two villains, especially if it is going to be as long as Spectre.
Play Down The Twist From Spectre
While Blofeld should have a part, they would be wise to play down the twist the villain reveals while he is torturing Bond. Their childhood connection is foolish enough, but the way they hide it from the audience is lazy. The movie follows Bond, and he recognizes this man immediately, but the film doesn’t let the audience know until the end. Had Bond not realized it until that moment, it would have still been a poor twist, but at least it wouldn’t have felt like the movie was purposefully hiding information from the audience. Ultimately, there was no need for it and Blofeld could have just been this awesome, deliciously evil villain with no prior connection to 007.
Next: Shaken, But Alive: 10 Times James Bond Should Have Totally Been Dead
