The trailer of the James Bond movie No Time to Die has just been released and we're in suspense. It is classic James Bond in many ways: high-speed car chases, bullet-proof Aston Martins and of course, the iconic "Bond, James Bond" introduction. However, the little over two-minute trailer gives us a glimpse of the highly anticipated 25th film of the franchise. The spy flick, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, will be released on April 3, 2020.
Here are our five takeaways from the trailer.
Blofeld is back, and he doesn't look great
Ernest Stavro Blofeld is perhaps James Bond's greatest nemesis. The character appears in seven films in the series, and has most recently appeared in 2015's Spectre. Two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz portrayed the character in Spectre, and he makes an appearance in the new trailer. Unfortunately for old Blofeld, he seems to be imprisoned, and missing an eye. He's seen better days, but at least he isn't being dropped into a factory's chimney as had happened to him previously in For Your Eyes Only from 1981.
Introducing the next 007
The trailer may have also introduced us to the next 007 agent. Actress Lashana Lynch looks out amusingly at Craig’s Bond from the driver’s seat of her jet-black Aston Martin. A symbolic image of her picking up the mantle. In another scene, she admits to being a 00 agent but stops short at revealing the final digit of her code name. “Stay in your lane,” Lynch’s character warns Bond. “Get in my way and I’ll put a bullet in your knee… The one that works.” We’re sure to see a firey confrontation between old and new.
Rami Malek: Phantom of the Opera
In July, Rami Malek revealed that he thought twice about playing the lead villain in No Time To Die. His main concerns were that because of his Egyptian ancestry the part would end up being a caricature of a Middle Eastern terrorist. Malek agreed to play the role after Fukunaga assured him that would not be the case. With the trailer, we get a first look at Malek's villain. His face is scarred in one scene and in another is covered by a mask that seems to be taken from the prop-bucket of a Phantom of The Opera production. We hear him too. Malek seems to have an ambiguous foreign accent. We're not sure if that obscures his Middle Eastern heritage or underlines it. We're yet to see the villain's intentions and motivations.
Not one, not two, but three Aston Martins
Daniel Craig's Bond has driven some of the most iconic cars in the series, and it seems No Time To Die will have the best line up yet. As soon as the trailer starts, we see 007 bombing through an old mountain city with his iconic Aston Martin DB5. We last saw the DB5 in Skyfall when Bond and Dame Judi Dench's M were travelling to Scotland. Later in the trailer we see Bond in the lesser known Aston Martin V8 Vantage which featured in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights starring Timothy Dalton. Finally, we see Bond with his newest Aston Martin, the DBS Supperlegera. This sleek and monstrous looking vehicle is sure to be a winner with Bond fans, as it keeps with the tradition of memorable and sought after James Bond cars. It is also rumored that the Aston Martin Valhalla, the company's newest supercar, will make a cameo in the film.
007: Mission Impossible?
After watching the trailer, you start to notice the huge influence the Tom Cruise helmed Mission Impossible films have had on the direction of the James Bond series. The look is perhaps driven by the first American director to be calling the shots of a James Bond film. From the manner of explosions, stunts, and locales you can see that the film resembles any of the last three Mission Impossible films, which were quite successful, and perhaps showed in comparison that they are much more serious iterations of the spy thriller genre.
