Naturally, the critical responses to “No Time to Die” are a mixed bag, but the thumbs up certainly outnumber the thumbs down.
“Classic Bond, classic villain, classic gadgets & a story that seems to question how much we still need James Bond to save the day,” wrote @ErikDavis, in a glowing review.@mcastimovies was in the same boat, applauding the film for its twists and adding, “Really enjoyed all the action and callbacks Cary Joji Fukunaga fit in. A fitting finale.” Seemingly agreeing, @JRParham notes that it will “make diehards happy” and that it “gives Craig’s tenure a well-earned sendoff.”
At the same time, some “No Time to Die” reactions didn’t quite fit into the positive or negative camp. For example,@PhilNobileJr stated, “I think I need to sleep on it,” and @mikeryan referred to it as “nonsense” and the plot as “Roger Moore-level absurd,” though not necessarily in a negative way. Additionally, @ScottMendelson put it up against Craig’s previous Bond-centric flicks, claiming that it works as a continuation of most of them but “Stumbles When It Becomes A Sequel To ‘Spectre’.”
Of course, there were a few folks who weren’t sold on “No Time to Die” at all and weren’t afraid to voice their disinterest. “The Craig era ends with a whimper,” tweeted @cevangelista413, critiquing the movie for its lengthy 163-minute runtime and the letdown that was Rami Malek’s villain character, Safin. @Brian_Tallerico found it equally disappointing, saying, “It’s almost impressive to make a three-hour end of an era movie that still feels like it has no real stakes.”
At the end of the day, everyone watches and appreciates movies differently. To really get a sense of whether or not “No Time to Die” is the swan song Daniel Craig deserves, we’ll all just have to head to our local theater on October 8 and decide for ourselves.