by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: $18.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Patrick Gibson, Lennie James, Noémie Nakai, Gemma Chan, Anthony Howell, Bart Edwards, Lenny Kravitz
Intro:
… a bold, exciting and absolutely gripping reboot of a long-running series …
James Bond, as a character, has been around for over 70-bloody-years, if you can believe it. First conceived by author Ian Fleming back in 1953, the suave, cool superspy really hit proper mainstream recognition with the 1963 motion picture, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery. Since then, we’ve had 24 other official Bond films of varying quality and two unofficial ones (1967’s Casino Royale and 1983’s Never Say Never Again), the most recent of which was 2021’s No Time to Die.
Now, as much as Daniel Craig’s run of films had their moments (the 2006 Casino Royale being a clear highlight), the formula did feel a bit past its prime by the time 2021 rolled around, a fact confirmed by the flick’s rather dour ending. Perhaps, many thought, Bond has finally had his day. Maybe, like video cassettes and saying things are “grody to the max”, ol’ mate Jimmy shoots–and-roots-a-lot is just past his prime.
Then a video game like 007 First Light comes along and makes you think, “Wait, no, there’s life in the old boy yet!”
Shaking off the decades of past baggage, 007 First Light makes the wise decision to start all over again with a rebooted origin story. In this iteration, James Bond (Patrick Gibson) is a cocky but inexperienced 26-year-old brought into MI6 much to the chagrin of his fellow trainees and reluctant mentor John Greenway (Lennie James). After passing his gruelling training with flying colours, Bond is sent off on a mission that involves a former MI6 operative turned traitor, identical twin assassins, evil AI (of course) and the expected lavish locations, sexy but dangerous sheilas and bulk action scenes that has made this property so much fun over the years.
007 First Light comes to us from the good people at IO Interactive, creators of the Hitman series, so a generous amount of immersive sim has been ladled atop the car chases and shootouts. In practice, this means you – playing ol’ mate James – will need to be sneaky, clever and quick with a good line of bullshit to bluff your way into places where you don’t belong. It’s a strikingly engaging gameplay loop, usually involving slow but tense starts and culminating in mind-blowing action sequences with plenty of spectacle. Even the biffo encourages a sense of improvisation, with guns swiftly running out of ammo and being used as hurled missiles before you run in and continue the discussion with an up close, nasty street brawl style of fighting. Combine that with clever use of gadgets and environment, and you’re dealing with quite a stacked roster of elements at your disposal.
The story, also, is a cracker. The initial ‘secret agent is now a baddie’ cliche is swiftly subverted towards the end of the first act and becomes something far more compelling and engaging. James himself is a very likable, charming, cocky protagonist but he’s also buoyed by a great support cast, the best of which is Lennie James who imbues Greenway with genuine pathos and a lovely character arc. The true villain of the piece is also very strong, but we won’t go into details because it’s a great twist that you should experience for yourself.
On the slender downside, some of the controls can be a bit fiddly or clunky at times. This was a problem with the Hitman games as well, however, as you become accustomed to their quirks, it will likely be less of an issue.
Honestly, before booting up this game, your humble scribe had pretty much written off the 007 series as a relic of the past. No shade, but it felt like something more suited to sad dads these days. However, IO Interactive have really nailed a fresh take here, a brand new series with some great ideas and a fantastic base to build upon.
007 First Light is a bold, exciting and absolutely gripping reboot of a long-running series that was gagging for it. Perfect for lapsed Bond fans and newbies alike, it will turn your Dr. No into a Dr. Yes Please, Actually.
