Story
The story begins with James Bond (Daniel Craig) in a loving relationship with the secretive Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux). Bond seems to have finally found happiness, but when he’s targeted and nearly killed, he starts to think that Madeleine has betrayed him. After saving them both, he leaves her.
Years later, Bond is living a quiet life off the grid, having retired to a remote island, when Felix (Jeffrey Wright), an old pal from the CIA, approaches him. Felix asks Bond to help with a case involving a biological weapon featuring genetic nanotechnology, which has the power to target its victims in the most horrific ways. Bond initially refuses, but when Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) appears to be involved, Bond comes out of retirement to join the search for an abducted Russian scientist with the ability to program the virus.
Aided by a beautiful new operative, Paloma (Ana de Armas), and vying for control with the new Agent 007 (Lashana Lynch), Bond meets Madeleine again. Haunted by a past she can’t escape, Madeleine inadvertently aids the unexpected and villainous mastermind.
Madeleine and her daughter are taken hostage, brought to the place where it all began and ultimately, thanks to Bond, where it all will end.
Themes
Revenge; death of a parent; children as victims; biological weapons that target innocent people; violence as a means to solve conflict; betrayal; lack of trust
Violence
No Time to Die has frequent violence. For example:
- A young man describes how a man killed his entire family and how he watched his own mother die at his feet. This man then shoots Madeleine’s mother with a machine gun.
- A bomb in a cemetery nearly kills Bond.
- Numerous men shoot at Bond and chase him off a bridge, where he swings on a wire to a lower level. The men chase Bond through the streets, shooting at him. Bond catches one around the neck and tries to strangle him to death.
- There’s a street race through the narrow lanes of an Italian city. The cars smash and crash until Bond and Madeleine are surrounded by black cars. Numerous gunmen shoot at them at point-blank range through the bulletproof windows of the car. Bond uses an automatic weapon concealed within his car to shoot in all directions, which allows him and Madeleine to escape.
- An office worker is shot as men with laser guns blast through the doors of a laboratory.
- Officers later shoot all the lab workers in an execution.
- A man is shot in the head.
- The floor of a building is blown up to conceal evidence.
- Men are shot at a party that’s meant as a trap for Bond. The new biological weapon is meant to kill Bond, but it’s turned on others instead.
- There are numerous fight scenes during the party, which include people getting shot with machine guns and hand guns, being kicked or punched, and being trapped by collapsed scaffolding.
- Felix is shot, and he and Bond are trapped on a ship that explodes. They’re caught underneath. Bond tries to save his friend, but Felix drowns in front of him and Bond only just makes it to safety.
- The weaponised disease can target any person based on their DNA. It can also kill anyone who’s related to the target.
- A group of men attack Bond, Madeleine and her daughter. They drive them off the road, shoot at them and repeatedly try to kill them.
- A man on a bike chases Bond, Madeleine and her daughter through the woods until Bond sabotages him and later pushes a car down to crush him.
- A Russian scientist is kicked in the face and chest.
- Madeleine’s daughter is threatened at gunpoint.
- A scientist is thrown into a poison bath, where he writhes in pain and appears to be chemically burned to death.
- There are many machine gun fights. People are also killed randomly through poisonings at the factory and by grenades that explode. Men are choked, strangled and thrown from heights. A man’s electric eye gets too close to Bond’s watch, which causes the eye to explode while still in its socket.
- The man who killed Madeleine’s mother repeatedly shoots Bond and then poisons him. Bond shoots the killer in the head and then orders a missile attack on the island, knowing full well that he won’t live to see his family again.
- Bond stands at the forefront of the factory as the missiles rain down around him and the island is engulfed in explosive flames.
Sexual references
No Time to Die has some sexual references. For example, a woman who meets Bond on the side of the road accompanies him back to his house and asks about the bedroom. She removes her wig and Bond says, ‘That wasn’t the first thing I thought you’d take off’.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
No Time to Die shows some use of substances. For example:
- Pills are scattered over a table in a house where the mother obviously consumes a lot of substances.
- A young girl brings her mother a glass of wine.
- Some people smoke cigarettes and Cuban cigars.
- Many characters drink in bars and offices. They also drink at a memorial and at parties and events.
- Bond orders his classic drink of a Vodka Martini and a young woman gulps one down to calm her nerves.
- Someone says that it has been 4 or 5 hours since they last had a drink.
Nudity and sexual activity
No Time to Die has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Bond and Madeleine are kissing passionately in a hotel room. Madeleine is later seen sleeping naked with her back and hips exposed.
- Bond is shown naked in the shower though his genitals aren’t exposed.
- Paloma accompanies Bond while wearing a dress with a plunging neckline and no back. She helps him fight their common enemies by doing high kicks and rolling around on the floor.
- Bond and Madeleine kiss passionately and are later shown in bed together.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in No Time to Die: Nokia mobile phones and Range Rovers. Also, a Heineken beer commercial featuring James Bond is shown just before the movie starts.
Coarse language
No Time to Die has some coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
No Time to Die is an action adventure set in many locations around the world. It’s the 25th James Bond movie and the fifth to star Daniel Craig in the lead role. Because of its violence and themes, this isn’t a family movie. It’s best enjoyed by older teenagers and adults.
These are the main messages from No Time to Die:
- Life is for living, not just for existing.
- Negative experiences can scar us but our choices and responses make us who we are.
Values in No Time to Die that you could reinforce with your children include forgiveness, courage, determination, sacrifice and hope.
No Time to Die could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of things like:
- focusing all your energy on revenge
- using violence to solve conflict
- trusting people who want to harm you
- betraying the people you love.