Another take: ReelBob: ‘No Time to Die’ ★★½

Daniel Craig's final foray as 007 is not among the best of the Bond movies, but it is a fitting climax to Craig's tenure as the iconic superspy.

Daniel Craig bids a fierce and sentimental farewell to James Bond in his last outing as 007 in “No Time to Die.”

The movie, though, is much too long — 2 hours and 43 minutes — and too erratic.

Its biggest mistake is that, instead of taking the franchise forward — eventually, a new actor will be given a license to kill — it spends a lot of time looking over the series’ cinematic shoulder.

Strangely, this nostalgic trip down memory lane centers on one of the most divisive films in the Bond canon — “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”

The feature is hotly debated by devotees of the series. Many consider it one of the best — if not the finest — outing in the franchise.

Most of “OHMSS’s” criticism centers on George Lazenby, who had the unenviable task of taking the baton from Sean Connery. Lazenby is not bad. But, compared to Connery, he lacked charisma and was a slightly wooden. His biggest sin to many — unfairly — is that he is not Connery.

So, back to “No Time to Die.” After a brief prologue, the movie begins shortly after the events of “Spectre.” Bond has left MI6 and is spending time with his new love, Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux).

Their idyllic time together is short-lived as Bond is attacked by Spectre assassins. Escaping, he sends Madeleine away to keep her safe.

Jump ahead five years and Bond is living off the grid in Jamaica. But he is cajoled back to the game by his old friend, CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), who needs Bond’s help to capture Russian scientist Valdo Obruchev (a very annoying David Dencik), who has created a deadly bioweapon that could kill millions.

Originally creating the weapon at the behest of M (Ralph Fiennes), the head of MI6, Obruchev has gone rogue and switched his allegiance from the British to terrorist Lyutsifer Safin (Academy Award-winner Rami Malik).

And the hunt is on, as Bond travels to Cuba where, in a delightful sequence, he partners with Paloma (Ana de Armas, Craig’s costar in the delightful “Knives Out”). De Armas is one of the movie’s best assets — she is smart, funny and can kick ass without getting a hair out of place.

As with most Bond movies, the locations vary — Italy, London, a Scandinavian locale and one of those unnamed islands in international waters. on such an island, Safin has created a very formidable — and expensive lair — standard issue for any Bond villain.

It’s no spoiler to reveal that, as usual, Bond triumphs over evil.

But the movie’s emotional resonance takes precedence over the action. In “No Time to Die,” we get a more rueful and introspective Bond who looks back on his life, reflecting on his actions and choices.

Honestly, Craig seems more up to the challenge in these moments, rather than the action sequences, which have become perfunctory. And that shows in Craig’s performance.

Malik is a weak villain, not up to the level of a Dr. No, Goldfinger or even an Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Malik is too young and lacks the gravitas needed to carry off the role.

Christoph Waltz, even in his short appearance as Blofeld, provides more heft than Malik.

Craig is given a splendid send-off as Bond, which — again — hearkens back to “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” But that film was released in 1969, so a majority of today’s filmgoers — unless they are ardent 007 followers — are probably not familiar with it.

This dilutes the power of the emotional finale, but at least it gives Craig a well-deserved bon voyage for his 15 years of service.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

NO TIME TO DIE
2½ stars out of 4
(PG-13), sequences of violence and action, language, disturbing images, suggestive material