No Time to Die First Reactions Land Online

Patrick Cavanaugh, ComicBook.com

"No Time to Die manages to serve audiences nearly everything they'd want from a Bond film, whether it be the debut or final entry of a performer, while somewhat managing to avoid series pitfalls. The plot ends up feeling nonessential, as does Safin's entire trajectory, yet we're still given multiple surprisingly touching moments with Craig, making for an earned sendoff for the actor whose initial casting for Casino Royale was met with backlash from devotees. No Time to Die likely won't be the favorite installment among fans when it comes to Craig's legacy, but it surely offers the actor the opportunity to showcase all of the skills in his arsenal that he so rightly deserves."

You can read the full review here.

Brian Lowry, CNN

"Bond also finds his slot at MI6 having been ably occupied by a new agent (Lashana Lynch) who has inherited his 007 license. Yet while Lynch makes a strong addition, their squabbling banter is relatively weak, and merely adds to the abundance of moving parts that the even more-convoluted-than-usual plot has to service. An underlying theme is that the world has changed -- certainly from the Cold War period in which the character was born -- clouding alliances and making it, as Leiter muses, "hard to tell good from bad." That measure of complexity, however, hasn't enhanced a formula built on world-threatening villains and muscular action.

In terms of Bond staples, the movie does deliver some impressive chases and action sequences, with Ana de Armas (Craig's "Knives Out" co-star) adding another dose of female empowerment during a mission that takes Bond to Cuba. Still, "No Time to Die" feels as if it's working too hard to provide Craig a sendoff worthy of all the hype associated with it -- an excess that might be summed up as simply, finally, by taking too much time to reach the finish."

You can read the full review here.

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"Craig's final film as the diva of British intelligence is an epic barnstormer, with the script from Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge delivering pathos, action, drama, camp comedy (Bond will call M 'darling' in moments of tetchiness), heartbreak, macabre horror, and outrageously silly old-fashioned action in a movie which calls to mind the world of Dr. No on his island. Director Cary Fukunaga delivers it with terrific panache, and the film also shows us a romantic Bond, an uxorious Bond, a Bond who is unafraid of showing his feelings, like the old softie he's turned out to be."

You can read the full review here.

Nicholas Barber, BBC

"The plot that proceeds from there is too complicated to go into, but Fukunaga and his team keep the action racing along at breathless speed and in ways that seem more or less logical. With so much to fit in, not every element is satisfying. Ana de Armas's gorgeous CIA agent manages to be both charmingly ditzy and hyper-competent, so it's a shame she doesn't have more to do. Malek seems to be missing a few key scenes, as well, but when he is on screen he is too young, too wet, and too unscary to be a classic Bond villain. He looks as if he spends more time on his haircare than his evil plans.

If there are other elements, too, which don't quite reach the heights they're aiming for, in general No Time To Die does exactly what it was intended to do, which is to round off the Craig era with tremendous ambition and aplomb. Beyond that, it somehow succeeds in taking something from every single other Bond film, and sticking them all together. To quote a certain song that makes a wistful reappearance: if that's all we have, we need nothing more."

You can read the full review here.

Johnny Oleksinki, New York Post

"Craig's maturity shows in his emotions. He's still confident and aggressive, but erratic and quick to anger. He's never been more vulnerable - nor, really, has the character - than he is here. He's also accompanied by three very different Bond girls: Alongside Madeleine, who becomes a therapist, there's M16 agent Nomi, Lashana Lynch, and Ana de Armas as a CIA agent who's "had three weeks training." All three are terrific and bring out varied shades in brooding Craig. Malek is the eccentric weirdo you'd expect him to be as a maniac hellbent on destroying the world with chemical weapons. But some more backstory on Safin would've been nice.

Cary Joji Fukunaga was the right choice to direct "No Time To Die," even if he wasn't the first in this rocky road of a production. His Bond feels reverential and classic, but not campy, and he makes bold choices."

You can read the full review here.

Jason Solomons, The Wrap

"Where will "No Time To Die" rank in your all-time Bond list? That's for pub arguments and inter-generational family dinner squabbles; these things take time to settle and find their place, but in the first adrenalized flush of being among the first in the world to see it, I'd happily stick it straight into the Top Ten.

But Craig has surely settled the arguments that surrounded him when he was announced as 007 back in 2005 and cemented himself as a singular Bond, taking on one of the great roles in film history and, with this final, career-defining performance, doing something unique and unforgettable with it. Whoever's next has got one hell of job on their hands."

You can read the full review here.

Pete Hammond, Deadline

"That this longest-running franchise in movie history is still going strong is a miracle itself, but after seeing the latest edition, screened simultaneously for critics in 20 countries around the globe (a studio exec sitting in back of me at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre today said they all had a code, "The Lion Is Roaring," to give the cue to start the movie), I have to say much of the credit for keeping it vital has to go to Craig, who truly humanized James Bond, gave him more complexity than he ever had and brought him firmly into a new century.

With the deaths of Connery and Moore, there is a different kind of profound loss we might be feeling as Craig's Bond heads for the exit and the series moves into brand-new territory with an as-yet-unknown choice will take up the mantle of one of the most iconic screen characters of all time. This review will be as spoiler-free as I can make it because No Time to Die deserves to be seen by fresh eyes. And as Craig said in a taped video at the film's start, it should be seen on the biggest screen possible because that is where it was made to be seen."

You can read the full review here.

Mae Abdulbaki, ScreenRant

"No Time to Die reckons a lot with legacy: what remains and what one leaves behind. Bond's trust issues are still a problem, and yet he's managed to maintain the loyalty and respect of those he has worked with on various missions. The film, albeit only slightly, also tackles the dangers of secret agencies developing weaponry under the guise of protecting populations. The escalation is exponential and made even worse just by virtue of its existence, no matter whose hands it's in. And yet, it doesn't go far enough, putting the blame onto one villain who decides to go just far enough to involve Bond in stopping him. Safin's plans are muddled and not focused on for too long, with the final act dragging out unnecessarily. There are pockets where the tension fails to ramp up and the action falls flat, though the film does satisfy in its last moments as it brings Bond's story to a close. And while Safin's global plot is mediocre at best and doesn't feel as threatening as it should, the villain (and Rami Malek's performance) works best when he is more of a personal threat to Bond and Madeleine rather than a worldwide one; as even when his plans become far-reaching, the film refuses to shift the focus from its main character. That often brings the tension to a halt and the third act of the film is where the lack of proper buildup for Malek's Safin, in particular, begin to show."

You can read the full review here.

Mike Ryan, Uproxx

"It's all pretty fun and pretty ridiculous. The problem is the movie doesn't always realize this should be a hoot. Rami Malek and Christoph Waltz realize what movie they are in. And I love Craig's Bond, but there are times when he's trying to be a Connery Bond in a clearly Roger Moore Bond movie. (When Craig let's himself have some fun, the movie is better for it. There's one truly terrific one-liner.) And then the end, which I won't spoil ... let's just say it doesn't end on the typical James Bond high note.

After waiting so long for No Time to Die - and truly, after all we've been through, just wanting to see a throwback fun action movie - it almost delivers, but then sends us on to the streets in, let's say, not the best mood. I want to watch James Bond and feel good after. That feels like the point of these movie. Not feel ... forlorn. There's been enough of that lately. I guess not even our old pal James is here to make us happy these days."

You can read the full review here.

Alex Flood, NME

"...With so much at stake thanks to COVID decimating cinema, No Time To Die producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson should be applauded for taking some bold risks. The gobsmacking ending, in fact, may be the biggest in Bond history. Yet when the credits finally roll on Daniel Craig's last hurrah, all those difficulties fade into the background. If we didn't know better, we'd say it even looked like he enjoyed himself."

You can read the full review here.