‘No Time to Die’ Marks The End Of Daniel Craig’s Bond Era 

Whatever Bond does next, it appears Craig is done, and he gets to go out in a way that no Bond has before.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

No Time to Die, the latest James Bond film, goes where no other James Bond film has gone before in its conclusion: it kills James Bond. An iconic character who has been in 24 previous films (not including two unauthorized appearances) and has remained virtually indestructible to this point eventually dies, and while it’s a tortuous path to get there, it’s a fitting conclusion for the sadder, human Bond of the Daniel Craig era.

To summarize, the cause for Bond’s death. First, he gets shot in the back twice by Safin while attempting to reopen the blast doors so missiles may strike Safin’s base and destroy the bioweapon. Then, during a confrontation with Safin, Safin injects Bond with a poison that turns him into a carrier who will murder everyone who comes into direct touch with him. So Bond is both bleeding out, and even if he got to escape the island, he’d be doomed to live the remainder of his natural life surrounded by toxic nanobots. Also, if the island isn’t destroyed, the bioweapon might slip into the wrong hands if the blast doors aren’t closed.

Bond returns to the tower to reopen the blast doors just as the missiles approach. He calls Madeleine one final time, assuring her that she and their daughter will be safe and that she has “all the time in the world,” a reference to his comments to her at the start of the film . Then the missiles hit the island, and Bond, along with everything else, is destroyed.

While it’s a long way to kill Bond, it appears to fulfill two goals. For starters, it marks the conclusion of Daniel Craig’s James Bond career with No Time to Die. On film, being hit by 50 missiles leaves no doubt that he survived, which is probably exactly what Craig wants.

From the moment he lost Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, the Daniel Craig Bond has been steeped in tragedy, and while there have been other women along the way, this was a Bond who was usually fighting against his own broken-down body and increasing obsolescence in an increasingly interconnected world, to the point where he’s straight-up retired by the time you get to No Time to Die.

With trailers and previews, No Time to Die clocks in at over three hours. That can get frustrating at some point but for those who have grown to appreciate and admire Daniel Craig’s Bond tenure, waiting through the credits at the conclusion of the film may bring a sense of relieve, particularly following the film’s dramatic third act finish. After all of the waiting, delays, and anticipation for the film, as well as the pandemic’s effects on the movie-going experience, the act of simply sitting in a cinema, even if it’s just for the credits, may be enjoyable.