On Friday the 5th of November, 2021 I went and saw the latest James Bond movie No TIme To Die on assignment for Scenestr.
For a lot of us Bond kind of marks time, this is maybe the only film franchise in the world that gets handed down from generation to generation. They have proven timeless and yet current releases speak to our times.
The first Bond film I saw was Goldfinger with Sean Connery so it imprinted on me that he was Bond as much as TImothy Dalton was featuring on the cover of a fresh VHS packet.
As a kid Moore’s entries like Moonraker and Octopussy were treasured and fit right along The Living Daylights and You Only Live Twice.
When I saw Goldeneye on Boxing Day 1995 with Dad and siblings something new clicked into place. Pierce Brosnan was my Bond for my time although my Dad seemed to enjoy it just as much. That is the magic of Bond.
I was twenty-six when Daniel Craig reinvigorated the franchise and did something new with it. Now I was days away from turning 41 and taking one of my oldest friends to a Bond screening on assignment as a freelance writer and Craig was retiring the role.
Bond marks time.
So there I was a middle aged man with a friend I have known for 30 years seeing the last Daniel Craig Bond film. Let’s just say themes conveyed in this new film seemed to fit the occasion.
You can read my review here https://scenestr.com.au/movies-and-tv/no-time-to-die-film-review-20211108
My friend didn’t pose for pictures on the red carpet, he didn’t partake in the free food upon entry (after all he had just gone downstairs to wolf down a burger from Grill’D).
He came because I asked him to, he knew I wanted to share this experience with him just once.
He came after work from across town, his wife patiently taking care of their toddler for a few hours.
Afterwards we drove down to a local shopping centre and stood outside for a little bit. We had done this many times in the wee hours during our 20s to talk. Tonight we did not delay too long. We had homes and responsibilities to get too.
But that night he came and with James Bond we marked time. I’m very lucky to have such a friend.
Produced by Eyeball Media Enterprises Scenestr is an online national magazine with local offices around Australia. Having started in 1993 they’ve excelled at moving into the digital realm but they remain at heart from the streets. They still publish magazines in print for Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland every month.
-Lloyd Marken
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