Warning: this post contains some spoilers for No Time to Die.
No Time to Die jumps ahead in time, but when is the opening of the film actually set? No Time to Die ended Daniel Craig’s five-film run as James Bond. It included plenty of action and personal storylines that brought his iteration of 007 to its conclusion. The film’s synopsis suggests Bond has already retired to Jamaica, but it’s not how the story begins.
Interestingly enough, No Time to Die sort of has two openings — one that is set decades prior and follows Madeleine Swann’s run-in with the villain Safin, who appeared at her home to kill her and her mother. The second opening sees Bond and Madeleine in Matera, Italy, with the now-retired 007 going to visit the grave of Vesper Lynd. The couple’s vacation is, as one can expect, short-lived. While the majority of No Time to Die takes place five years after Spectre, the opening is set shortly after the events of the latter film, which saw him driving away with Madeleine after taking down Blofeld.
The couple’s trip to Italy was supposed to be a fresh start, but the secret-keeping between them led to Bond to distance himself from Madeleine, likely believing she betrayed him the same way Vesper did. After getting away from Spectre assassins, James Bond puts Madeleine on a train and disappears and it’s only after these events that No Time to Die skips forward five years into the future. This decision makes more sense than having the film begin years after Spectre. The setup for Craig’s fifth and final James Bond film wouldn’t have had the same impact if it had started with 007 living in Jamaica already. Madeleine’s past and the couple’s separation in Italy had to be established to allow the time jump to create more than just physical distance.
The events of the previous films, and especially Spectre, rattled Bond to the point that he was unwilling to listen to Madeleine’s side of the story before jumping the gun and leaving her behind. Blame it on his trust issues, but having the opening scene be set ahead of the five year gap explains Bond’s rash behavior and also sets up his eventual reunion with not only Madeleine, but the daughter he didn’t know existed. The emotional payoff at the end — and the sendoff for the character — would not have been as good or as effective had No Time to Die begun with Bond living in Jamaica already.
The opening being set immediately following Spectre also allowed Bond to bid farewell to Vesper, a woman he loved deeply despite her betrayal. The opening also works to show just how affected Bond was by the events of the previous film. All told, it wouldn’t have been an authentic farewell to 007 if No Time to Die had simply begun with a five year time gap without filling in what ultimately led to Bond living under the radar, alone and retired.
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October 05, 2021 at 01:45AM
