While the newest installment in the James Bond movie series, “No Time to Die,” is set to release on April 10, the upcoming adventure-packed film showcases an array of perfectly Bond-suitable undertakings. However, in his newest mission to rescue a scientist while fighting a mysterious villain, a form of new technology that Bond must overcome is a never-before-seen component for fans to behold everywhere.
As the newest installment of the movie series will be the 26th James Bond film, the first one appearing in theaters in 1963, “No Time to Die” will be different from the other Bond films in its runtime alone: 167 minuets.
This is just 20 minutes under the recent “Avenger’s: Endgame” runtime, which was praised for its exceptionally long, three-hour film length.
This time around, Bond filmmakers have chosen Billie Eilish to write the theme-song, making her the youngest songwriter ever across the franchise’s 50-year history. Eilish’s brother, Finneas O’Connell, who also helped in creating the theme song, said, “It feels crazy to be a part of this in every way. To be able to score the theme song to a film that is part of such a legendary series is a huge honor. James Bond is the coolest film franchise ever to exist. I’m still in shock.”
In the last two or three years, Eilish has risen in popularity and, by joining the James Bond franchise, continues the already impressive start to her music career.
James Bond movies present a character in which its audience members and avid fans alike idolize. Bond is smart, handsome, and, to the delight of some viewers, surrounded by women. The spy is presented as everything someone can be when faced with routine threats to his or her own life and the basic safety of those around them. Yet, throughout each film, Bond manages to always get the job done. Throughout the last five decades, Bond has equipped the audience with, perhaps, what it desired most in an action movie: pure thrill.
Though the film’s influence from pop-culture is high, a showcase of technological advancement has also been a huge part of the franchise’s history. As the tech industry has boomed in recent years, so have Bond’s gadgets. Among the newest, advanced technological inclusions is “The Nine Eye Surveillance System,” which was used in the James Bond film “Spectre”: an automatic surveillance system that is controlled by several different countries to watch its citizens and control what they do. The concept of this actually being used reigns fearful in most people across the globe and to experience it in an actualized situation within the film has certainly captivated audience attention.
While James Bond has routinely grasped audience attention, perhaps no time was more apparent–or of greater, real-life magnitude–than his appearance on the big screen during the Cold War: injecting resounding wartime fears with a microperiod of fun and excitement. Dominic Sandbrook talks about the effect of Bond during this time in his article, “How James Bond helped win the Cold War.” Sandbrook explains that, “This was, of course, a war of spies and secrets, but it was also a struggle for hearts and minds.” Audience alleviation of said internal struggle found connection with the Bond film that was released in the same time period: “From Russia, With Love.” The movie ultimately helped calm tensions and showed British heroism while tieing in Russian characters.
In just over one month, audiences around the world will get to see 007 in action once again. While it will be Daniel Craig’s last appearance as James Bond, the renowned actor is expected to deliver a particularly amazing performance. For excited, new and longtime fans everywhere: as Craig says best, “I’ve had a really good run, and I think doing this movie was the right thing to do. It was the right thing to do one more.”