Simon Rushworth

Great film with plenty of action and twists from the offset but what a disappointing end? The Broccoli franchise have perhaps inadvertently killed off the name “James Bond” in order to squeeze as much as they can out of Daniel Craig (should’ve concluded post Spector?) in a moment of desperation, instead of moving on with someone else as a fresh leap of faith in order to attract a more diverse audience. Yes of course, anyone can take up the appointment/ mantle of “007” but the name “James Bond” has quite clearly been wiped off from Ian Fleming’s initial foundation of what “James Bond” was initially all about. No doubt though, the 007 role will of course be ‘wokery’ rejuvenated in some shape or form but ‘No Time To Die’ has quite pivotally mastered a ‘line in the sand’, post the Daniel Craig’s overly trumpet blowing finale’. In essence, totally frustrating and considerably disappointing for the audience that have grown up to love the Bond culture.

I tried my ‘very hardest’ to get into this drama where by the skin of my teeth, I managed to do so. After 3 episodes, which was better than some after looking at previous reviews, the only thing that got me through it was the dry quirky humour, as the plot was a little dire and cumbersome in parts. Come on the BBC, put the License Payers fees to better use and stop wasting our money on such rubbish. Better still, stop ‘making’ people pay the BBC License Fees and let them ‘sign up’ to the BBC out of ‘choice’, just like every other corporate televised network. Ouch!

Nearly factual and often hilarious take on operational life at the highest levels. Having also served in 5 x operational tours of Iraq & Afghanistan, I always found the best leaders with charisma and a slight sense of humour were the best, Brad Pitt portrayed this in abundance.