The end of an era has arrived.
No Time to Die will be Daniel Craig's final foray as British super-spy James Bond, his
fifth Bond film in 14 years, making him the longest-serving man to play the role.
Let's break down the trailer for this Bond's final bow.
Bond and Dr. Madeleine Swann's drive off into the sunset at the end of Spectre was apparently
the only retirement announcement MI6 was ever going to get.
Bond took off to Jamaica to live an idyllic existence on the water.
He's been there with Swann for five years, with his colleagues believing he's dead.
From the end of 2015's Spectre to the beginning of 2020's No Time to Die - the real-life and
fictional timelines basically align here - life has gone on without Bond, exactly as he wanted.
It's given Lashana Lynch's Nomi the opportunity to replace him as a 00 agent and acquire a
significant amount of experience.
Nomi also appears to take on a more militaristic, tactical style for clandestine operations
compared to Bond's suave tuxedo look.
Dr. Swann is hiding something.
"Why would I betray you?"
"We all have our secrets."
The No Time to Die trailer suggests that Bond and Madeleine will break up following that
betrayal.
Considering her father was Mr. White, the assassinated Spectre ally, and that she was
very aware of Spectre's existence, she no doubt has an insidious history she's worked
to bury.
If she knew about her father's criminal ties, was she possibly more of a party to it than
she originally led on?
It's also possible Dr. Swann has some connection to Safin, the villain played by Rami Malek,
because she's been sent the same mask he wears.
Could Bond be trying to avoid re-experiencing the heartbreak Vesper Lynd put him through
at the end of Casino Royale?
At the end of Spectre, Bond relinquishes Spectre leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Christoph
Waltz, to MI6 head M for arrest.
Now in custody and under what appears to be solitary confinement, Blofeld is a highly
important prisoner.
"He's the most valuable asset this country has."
But every good supervillain knows how to turn the screws while in captivity until the moment
they can once more act independently, and that cunning is what draws us back to character
archetypes like his again and again.
Hannibal Lecter became a movie icon from a prison cell, after all.
M asks Bond to not lose control in Blofeld's presence, given all the horrors Blofeld has
orchestrated and inflicted upon Bond's life.
Bond says he would never do that, but then turns the corner to find Dr. Swann with a
folder clearly suggesting a psychological profile.
They haven't seen each other in what seems like a while and now meet here, preparing
to speak with Blofeld.
Blofeld knows Dr. Swann's secret, too, and weaponizing it against Bond is surely a master
stroke in a grand plan.
It's been a while since we've seen CIA agent Felix Leiter in the James Bond franchise.
The character has been a staple of Bond franchise films since the first film, Dr. No, but the
version played by Jeffrey Wright hasn't appeared since 2008's Quantum of Solace, only rating
a mention in Spectre.
In No Time to Die, Leiter seeks out his now-retired friend to take an off-the-books assignment.
"I need a favor, brother.
You're the only one I trust for this."
But how does he know Bond isn't dead?
We need answers, Felix.
Longtime James Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli describes Rami Malek's Safin as:
"[...] the one that really gets under Bond's skin [...] a nasty piece of work."
He appears in the No Time to Die trailer as limping and scarred.
He even holds his gun a bit oddly.
His villainous connections aren't clarified in the trailer, but it's difficult to believe
he doesn't somehow tie back to Spectre and Blofeld in some as-yet-unknown way.
And some fans have theorized he's really an updated Dr. No, who was a member of Spectre.
The word "no" is in the title of the movie, after all…
Either way, Safin clearly sees parallels between himself and Bond, even saying he could be
"speaking to [his] own reflection" when monologuing to the famous agent.
But he sees one big, obvious difference:
"Only your skills die with your body.
Mine will survive long after I am gone."
It seems like the stakes in No Time to Die will involve Bond's own mortality against
the world-threatening plots that have become standard for the franchise.
With No Time to Die, Craig is officially finished playing Bond, and nobody has been officially
announced to replace him.
Audiences will be saying goodbye to a specific iteration of Bond that has transformed a franchise
we've known for 50 years.
Craig's Bond has gone from being a fresh-faced rookie in Casino Royale and to basically a
hermit who actively hates his job because it has killed his humanity.
He's an orphan who has never known familial connections, except for with one person: Judy
Dench's M - who died a terrible death right in front of him.
Vengeance and loss have been key themes through all the Craig Bond films.
Unlike most of his predecessors' versions of the character, Craig's James Bond has often
been completely wrong, and has time and again been portrayed as desperate.
He's no immortal superhero.
He's human, and he asks for help because he knows exactly where his strengths begin and
end, as much as it annoys him to admit it.
And he is always, always tired.
That doesn't cheapen his Bond; it makes him more real.
The No Time to Die trailer sets the stakes around Bond himself - his life, his friends,
his love.
The threatened destruction isn't strictly political or social, it's personal, which
is really the perfect bookend for Craig's Bond.
Maybe James Bond does need to die, and in doing so, represent the humanity that has
been so central to the character since Casino Royale.
Fans can find out everything when No Time to Die opens in theaters April 2, 2020 in
the U.K. and April 8, 2020 in the U.S.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite movies are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.