No Time to Die will serve as Daniel Craig's final appearance as James Bond after he first played the iconic Ian Fleming creation in 2006's Casino Royale. It's been quite a ride since then; Quantum of Solace underwhelmed, Skyfall was a legit Oscar contender, and Spectre...well, the less said about that, the better.
This movie promises to wrap up all those different plot threads for what sounds like a satisfying conclusion if the first reviews are anything to go by.
"The longest Bond movie of all. It feels long, too. But it packs in so much that you can hardly complain," reads the BBC's verdict on the British blockbuster. That lengthy runtime seems a tad problematic as The Hollywood Reporter notes, "Even if the two-and-three-quarter hour running time is occasionally a slog, it ultimately delivers."
Awards Radar agrees with that sentiment, concluding: "No Time to Die ends Daniel Craig's time as James Bond in epic style. It's everything you want out of 007, including a bit of emotion. It's long, but it earns your time." Mama's Geekly was similarly impressed. "Every time it feels like it is about to start to drag, the adrenaline and action start back up again! Visually stunning and action packed, a great send off to Craig!"
Forbes was not. "'No Time To Die' is pretty good when it's focused on just being 'the next James Bond movie,'" their review states, "but it stumbles in the back half as a direct sequel to 'Spectre.'" Neither, as it happens, was AV Club: "No Time To Die is forgettable in all the places that usually count -- it's a Bond movie with little excitement or panache."
Overall, it sounds like No Time to Die should be a fun and eventful farewell to Craig's 007, though we're definitely a little concerned that it could drag in places. We'll have our verdict to share with you this weekend, but you'll want to check back here tomorrow for our Venom: Let There Be Carnage review!
Check out the Tomatometer reveal (the score now sits at 90% with 42 reviews) below: