Violent Bond adventure is flawed but still epic, emotional.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Guns and shooting. Many characters are shot and/or killed. Explosions. Faces blister, characters scream and die from a deadly chemical weapon. Blood drips from a wound. Choking. Fighting, stunts. Car and motorcycle chases and crashes. Sinking boat. Children in peril. Teen who's stalked by a masked killer falls into a frozen lake; teen shoots man with pistol. Jump scare. Villain's false eye pops out, false eye fried by electromagnetic pulse. Poison plants.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
A couple is shown kissing passionately and lying in bed together. A topless woman lies face down with her bare back shown (bottom covered by sheet). Revealing clothing. Man takes a shower, shirtless, shown to his waist and hips. Background kissing at a party.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
As with other Bond movies, this one features many sponsors with product placements, including Heineken beer, Omega wristwatches, and various outfits, fashion accessories, and vehicles. Advertising isn't overt.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Frequent drinking in bars, clubs, parties, etc. -- beer, scotch, vodka martinis, etc. A minor character seems to drink too much (she passes out). Another character gulps down a martini to combat her nervousness. Young girl pours her a glass from a box of wine. Smoking. Pill bottles shown.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
While Bond is (as ever) a White man, there's a fairly diverse cast of supporting characters. Nomi, a Black woman, is the newest double-0 agent; Moneypenny is also now a Black woman; Poloma proves she can fight alongside Bond with no trouble; and CIA agent Felix Leiter is Black. This installment also shares the fact that Q dates men. The actor who plays the villain, Rami Malek, is of Egyptian ancestry. Unfortunately, the series continues to indulge in the damaging stereotype that people with disabilities are villainous. In this case, Malek's character has a facial difference.
Movie is largely about violence and how it scars us. Asserts that it's our choices that make us who we are. A choice is made here that proves the point.
Positive Role Models
a little
Bond often relies on violence to accomplish his goals, is frequently driven by revenge, has his share of vices, has been known to choose iffy ways of resolving problems. But he's loyal to the end, determined to carry out his mission. He even makes a great sacrifice to save the rest of the world. The three main characters all have violent pasts and have been shaped in various ways by those pasts.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that No Time to Die is the 25th James Bond movie and the fifth with Daniel Craig in the lead role. It's more epic, tragic, and emotional than is typical for the franchise, and, despite its length (163 minutes), it's worth seeing for teen and adult fans. Expect the usual guns and shooting, fighting, chases, crashes, and stunts. While there's little blood, characters are killed, some by gruesome, face-blistering chemical weapons. A child and a teen are in peril at different points; the teen shoots a gun and falls into an icy lake. Characters kiss passionately and lie in bed together; there's the suggestion of nudity, but nothing explicit is shown. Infrequent language includes a use of "f--k" and a use of "s--t," plus "ass," "Jesus Christ," etc. Characters drink frequently in social situations, and one minor character appears drunk. Smoking is also shown. While there are more diverse representations here than in previous Bond movies, it does still perpetuate the stereotype that people with disabilities are villainous. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
I loved it!! I enjoyed the stunt driving, beautiful scenery, fast moving action, great cars, gorgeous girls and Daniel Craig's excellent performance. Sorry to see the end of James Bond however but at least he went out with a bang and no whimper.
Above all there were no ridiculous effects used and what a relief. Just good old fashioned acting and stunts.
Most enjoyable Bond yet in my opinion. Wish there were going to be more ...
i am actually a 13 yr old, this movie is my all time favorite movie. violence is brutal,but nothing a 12 yr old cannot handle. sad. making out is in one scene. he dies, made me cry. better than john wick,and even casino royale.
What's the Story?
In NO TIME TO DIE, James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) are in a loving relationship. Madeleine wants Bond to find closure for his feelings for the late Vesper Lynd, but when he visits the cemetery, her memorial explodes. He's then chased by mysterious gunmen, who nearly kill him. Bond realizes that Madeleine might have tipped someone off, and he leaves her. Years later, Bond is living alone, off the grid, when his old CIA pal Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) approaches him, asking for help. A deadly weapon that uses nanotechnology and could destroy the world has been stolen. It could be the work of Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), although he's still in prison. It's up to Bond and new helpers Paloma (Ana de Armas) and Nomi (Lashana Lynch) -- the latest double-0 agent -- to find out who's behind this. But what's at stake when Madeleine re-enters the picture?
Overlong and with some weak (and confusing) spots, this outing still has a grand, tragic arc, with spectacular action and characters -- both James Bond and the others -- who feel more human. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, No Time to Die certainly could have been trimmed a bit shorter than its 2 hours and 43 minutes. A comic Russian scientist (David Dencik) is a bit much; he recalls -- and pales in comparison to -- Alan Cumming's Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye (1995). And the attempt to keep the villain's identity a secret, when Rami Malek is second-billed, seems needlessly convoluted. (Malek gives a Bela Lugosi-like performance, slathered in Boris Karloff-like makeup.) But the movie's confidence in both its action and its characters is infectious.
Craig feels totally alive here, pulling off incredible stunts. Yet his quieter scenes are even more impressive. He's allowed to feel rage, regret, even caring. While No Time to Die includes the standard Bond vodka martini, tuxedo, watch, car, and "Bond, James Bond" tagline, it's not just another formulaic entry. It shares DNA (and a song) with the series' most unique entry, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and it's thematically similar to both The Dark Knight Returns and Logan, increasing its scope but also deepening its emotional intensity. The notably (especially for Bond) diverse supporting cast gets many moments to show their own emotions and developments, rather than merely being there to serve or react to 007 (perhaps credit for that is due to co-screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge?). Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch in particular would be most welcome back in any future movies.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about No Time to Die's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Do you consider James Bond a role model? Why, or why not?
What is the movie's theme? Can we escape the things that happened to us by making good choices, or are we locked in to a certain destiny? How so?
Have you noticed that James Bond movies tend to have villains with disabilities or differences? What message does that send viewers? How does it perpetuate harmful stereotypes?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
