The release of No Time To Die marks the 25th official entry in the James Bond franchise by Eon Productions and Daniel Craig's final outing as the titular British spy. The longest Bond flick to date, No Time To Die's hefty two-hour and forty-three-minute runtime is a heartfelt sendoff for an actor who redefined the franchise.
Fortunately, director Cary Joji Fukunaga manages to craft a film neatly tailored by a cascade of robust action set-pieces and over-the-top drama that keeps audiences thoroughly engaged throughout the entire story. While No Time To Die doesn't quite reach the heights of Casino Royale or Skyfall, the film does a marvelous job of paying homage to both Craig himself and the Bonds who've come before him.
Spoilers ahead.
10 Bond's Revenge Comes In The Form Of Death By Car
Daniel Craig proved with 2006's Casino Royale that the suave British agent had a place in the pantheon of gritty, dark reboots, adopting a much more serious and dour tone than its rather whimsical predecessors. No Time To Die pulls its punches in continuing this trend, kicking off the film on a bleak note that sees the tragic end of Bond's close friend, Felix Leiter.
When Craig's Bond crosses paths with Leiter's killer—Logan Ash—in Norway, the spy doesn't hesitate, kicking a collapsing car onto the CIA mole. This isn't the first time Bond has gotten revenge via car though. Moore's Bond in For Your Eyes Only ends Emile Locque in a similar fashion for killing his Italian Secret Service friend, Luigi Ferrara.
9 Nomi References Skyfall: "I Get Why You Shot Him"
Among the more exciting relationships fans get to witness in No Time To Die is the sharp and witty banter between Bond and newcomer Nomi, MI6's newest 007 and Bond's replacement. After revealing to Bond that she's been tasked with bringing in Valdo Obruchev in, the former 007 interferes with her mission in Cuba on behalf of the CIA.
When Bond is called into M's office alone after returning to MI6, the new 007 remarks to Moneypenny: "I get why you shot him." While an obvious callback to Moneypenny's botched shot in Skyfall that hits Bond instead of Patrice, it's also a nice bonding moment for the two women burdened by the salacious spy.
8 Hans Zimmer Brings Back Vesper's Theme In Matera
Known for his iconic work in tentpole movies like Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Inception, music legend Hans Zimmer was brought on board to score the 25th Bond outing. While Zimmer has undoubtedly created a stellar soundtrack for Craig's swan song, much of the music also respects what came before.
Among the more notable callbacks Zimmer employs occurs early on when Bond visits Matera, Italy, the final resting place of his former love, Vesper Lynd, from Casino Royale. When Bond goes to visit her grave, Zimmer overlays the scene with Vesper's theme, which was composed by David Arnold for the 2006 movie.
7 "I'll Be Right Back" Takes On A Whole New Meaning
Fans can sense when No Time To Die begins to move towards its climax as it funnels everyone to an unnamed island between Japan and Russia. After rescuing Madeleine and Mathilde from Safin's clutches, Bond sends his love and her daughter off on a boat with Nomi to escape the blast radius of incoming missiles.
Choosing to stay behind, Bond utters the words "I'll be right back" to Swann, acting as a dark mirror to Tomorrow Never Dies where Paris Carver slaps Brosnan's Bond for not holding true to the same claim. Craig's Bond, unfortunately, doesn't get the second chance Brosnan's Bond had.
6 Safin's Philosophy Mirrors Bond's Original Nemesis
While No Time To Die's main antagonist—Lyutsifer Safin—isn't Bond's original nemesis, Dr. No, fans would be forgiven for theorizing the villains to be one and the same. After all, they both have island bases, harness cutting-edge technology in terrifying ways, and station their equipment over deadly reactor pools.
In fact, both Craig and Connery's Bonds react similarly to their villains' philosophies, pointing out that the antagonists believe themselves to playing God. And, given the air of finality surrounding Craig's Bond as fans watch him meet his ultimate demise, it's only fitting that No Time To Die brings everything full circle in paying homage to Dr. No.
5 Bond's Prior Aston Martins Make A Memorable Return
There are things that make Bond prolific. All his martinis should be shaken, not stirred. He drives Aston Martins, exclusively. The latter icon-ism returns in a big way with No Time To Die. Bond drives two Aston Martins in the film. The first—DB5—actually appears at the end of 2016's Spectre, so its return in No Time To Die makes a lot of sense.
An older model, however, appears when Bond returns to London. The V8 Vintage he uncovers sports the same WUU number plate—B549—as it did when Dalton's Bond debuted in 1987's The Living Daylights. While these are the only two models that Bond drives in No Time To Die, a couple other Aston Martins do make an appearance, like Nomi's DBS Superleggera.
4 Fiennes' "M" Hung Up Portraits Of His Predecessors
As fans of the spy thriller will already know, code names are passed down to new agents after their predecessors either retire or meet an unexpected end. Not even 007 is exempt from this. Ralph Fiennes' "M," who took over from Judi Dench's character, pays a subtle tribute to his predecessors in an unexpected way in No Time To Die.
While Craig's Bond takes a shot at M, criticizing how his office looks more or less like it used to, the hallway leading in actually commemorates all the actors who played the MI6 boss prior to Fiennes, including Bernard Lee, Robert Brown, and Dame Judi Dench herself, whose M tragically perished at the end of 2012's Skyfall.
3 Inspired By Fleming's You Only Live Twice Novel
Given that the character James Bond comes from British writer Ian Fleming's novels, it makes sense that the films draw much of their inspiration from the books. The publication tied to No Time To Die is undoubtedly Fleming's 1964 You Only Live Twice, the final novel he published before his passing and fitting for Craig's final film as the titular character.
While the film contains many elements of Fleming's work, two distinct ones stand out—Safin's poison garden, which is eerily similar to the "Garden of Death" people used to commit suicide, and a quote by Jack London which M reads in honor of Bond's passing. Fleming uses the very same quote in the agent's obituary when he's presumed dead in You Only Live Twice.
2 The Gun Barrel Sequence Opens And Closes The Film
Perhaps the most iconic element of the Bond franchise is the gun barrel sequences that open every film. No Time To Die features the sequence several times. In fact, the classic sequence plays immediately out of the gate, except that the screen fades into a snowy landscape instead of dripping with blood when Craig points the gun towards the camera.
The scenario appears again on Safin's island base, with Bond shooting an unknown assailant down a circular hallway. The most poignant "gun barrel" sequence, however, comes in the film's last scene. Driving her daughter to Matera, Madeleine Swann enters a circular tunnel indubitably reminiscent of the iconic gun barrel.
1 There's A Tribute To A 1969 Louis Armstrong Song
No Time To Die's most heart-wrenching Easter Egg comes in the form of Louis Armstrong's 1969 song, "We Have All the Time in the World." The song originally appeared in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which saw the death of Bond's wife. The film closes with Lazenby's Bond holding Tracy in his arms, whispering that they've got all the time in the world.
When Craig utters the phrase to Léa Seydoux's Swann nine minutes in, fans prepare to expect the worst for Bond's love. However, the film subverts expectations—when Bond utters the words a second time towards the film's end, he does so right before sacrificing himself to save Swann—and his daughter's—lives.
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