History YMMV / LiveAndLetDie

* TheyChangedItSoItSucks: There was resentment about the absence of Creator/DesmondLlewelyn's Q, who was brought back for every next film up through 1999's ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough''.

* BrokenBase: Relating to Baron Samedi's immortality, Solitaire's VirginPower of clairvoyance, and the implication that Kananga is old enough to be Solitaire's grandfather despite appearing to be in his late 40s. Accepting that these are real (and there is a lot of potential evidence that they are) means that you are accepting the existence of magic in the James Bond franchise, which is understandably something that a lot of people have a problem with in their spy fiction. Especially if you are a fan of the darker and more realistic incarnations of Bond such as Timothy Dalton. (That said, "magic in James Bond" is OlderThanTheyThink - in the novels, this one, ''Literature/FromRussiaWithLove'' and ''Literature/YouOnlyLiveTwice'' all feature [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight surprisingly accurate prophesies]].)

** Bond hears Felix communicating to his car through a cigarette lighter, noting "[[{{Pun}} A genuine Felix Leiter/Lighter. Illuminating.]]" In ''Film/LicenceToKill'', Felix (again played by David Hedison) gives Bond a cigarette lighter as a gift for being his wedding's best man [[spoiler:which he uses to kill Franz Sanchez as vengeance for the maiming of Felix and the death of Felix's wife]] ...all of which happened to him in the book ''Live and Let Die''.

* GeniusBonus: At the close of the pre-credits sequence, to ratchet up the tension of the agent's death, the musical score quotes the Huge Chord from Music/TheBeatles' "A Day in the Life". The film's composer was George Martin., the Beatles' producer.

* BrokenBase: Relating to Baron Samedi's immortality, Solitaire's VirginPower of clairvoyance, and the implication that Kananga is old enough to be Solitaire's grandfather despite appearing to be in his late 40s. Accepting that these are real (and there is a lot of potential evidence that they are) means that you are accepting the existence of magic in the James Bond franchise, which is understandably something that a lot of people have a problem with in their spy fiction. Especially if you are a fan of the darker and more realistic incarnations of Bond such as Timothy Dalton. (That said, "magic in James Bond" is OlderThanTheyThink - in the novels, this one, ''Literature/FromRussiaWithLove'' and ''Literature/YouOnlyLiveTwice'' all feature [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight surprisingly accurate prophesies]]).

* CaptainObviousReveal: The reveal that Doctor Kananga and Mr. Big are the same person, not just because Creator/YaphetKotto obviously plays both, wearing [[PaperThinDisguise paper-thin makeup]] as Mr. Big, but also because he has the same henchmen serving him in both personas.

** The "reveal" that Mr. Big and Kananga are one and the same, thanks to the ludicrously [[PaperThinDisguise paper-thin]] makeup.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Bond shoots Baron Samedi, only for him to shatter like a vase and then reappear. In fact, with the HollywoodVoodoo and Solitaire's tarot card ability, this is the only Bond film to have any implied supernatural elements.

* AssPull: The circular saw function on Bond's watch comes completely out of nowhere. Although since we don't have the usual Q scene, it's justified InUniverse. M just returns Bond's watch that Q has repaired, and when he makes a snarky comment about the waste of taxpayer's money, Bond reveals it's a Q watch by magnetically stealing his spoon.

* AssPull: The circular saw function on Bond's watch comes completely out of nowhere.

* MagnificentBastard: Dr. Kananga, dictator of San Monique, uses Voodoo religions to maintain a tight control on the populace. Eliminating a number of MI6 agents investigating him, Kananga plots to monopolize the heroin trade in America. Disguising himself as rough Harlem gangster Mr. Big to fool any onlookers and divert suspicion to a man who doesn't even exist. Kananga processes heroin on his island and intends on sending 'free samples' to double the amount of addicts before he begins charging, utterly dominating the trade. Staying two steps ahead of Bond for most of the film, Kananga proves himself a charming, suave mastermind and more than a match for 007's best.

* BrokenBase: Relating to Baron Samedi's immortality, Solitaire's VirginPower of clairvoyance, and the implication that Kananga is old enough to be Solitaire's grandfather despite appearing to be in his late 40's. Accepting that these are real (and there is a lot of potential evidence that they are) means that you are accepting the existence of magic in the James Bond franchise, which is understandably something that a lot of people have a problem with in their spy fiction. Especially if you are a fan of the darker and more realistic incarnations of Bond such as Timothy Dalton. (That said, "magic in James Bond" is OlderThanTheyThink - in the novels, this one, ''Literature/FromRussiaWithLove'' and ''Literature/YouOnlyLiveTwice'' all feature [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight surprisingly accurate prophesies]]).

* BrokenBase: Relating to Baron Samedi's immortality, Solitaire's VirginPower of clairvoyance, and the implication that Kananga is old enough to be Solitaire's grandfather despite appearing to be in his late 40's. Accepting that these are real (and there is a lot of potential evidence that they are) means that you are accepting the existence of magic in the James Bond franchise, which is understandably something that a lot of people have a problem with in their spy fiction. Especially if you are a fan of the darker and more realistic incarnations of Bond such as Timothy Dalton. (That said, "magic in James Bond" is OlderThanTheyThink, as regarding the novels, this one, ''Literature/FromRussiaWithLove'' and ''Literature/YouOnlyLiveTwice'' feature [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight surprisingly accurate prophesies]]).

* MagnificentBastard: Dr Kananga. His plan (to give away a billion dollar's worth of heroin free to drive every other crime family out of business so he can take over the market completely) is rather ingenious and you get the impression that, if not for Bond, it would have gone off without a hitch.

* BadassDecay: Bond is supposed to be a very good spy and secret agent. Yet on this movie it is quite jarring how ''everybody'' seems to know what he is, what's he's up to, and what he's doing. Not only that, but they're following and tailing him at almost ''every single instant'' in the whole film, to the point he gets betrayed twice ''and'' trapped three times. At least part of this is explained by Solitaire's tarot reading giving the bad guys a heads up. After that, Mr. Big ''is'' well connected. There is also a recurring theme in the Creator/RogerMoore films where Bond is less of a secret agent and more of a ''living legend'' given Scaramanga's reaction to him (which is not entirely unlikely given how he is a OneManArmy who has saved the whole world at least twice by this point).

* TheyChangedItSoItSucks: There was resent about the absence of Creator/DesmondLlewelyn's Q, who was brought back for every next film until 1999.

** Mr. Big's reveal as Dr. Kananaga; the mask simply does not achieve the intended effect and most can probably make the connection by the time he's shown himself to Bond.

* BadassDecay: Bond is supposed to be a very good spy and secret agent. Yet on this movie it is quite jarring how ''everybody'' seems to know what he is, what's he's up to, and what he's doing. Not only that, but they're following and tailing him at almost ''every single instant'' in the whole film, to the point he gets betrayed twice ''and'' trapped three times. At least part of this is explained by Solitaire's tarot reading giving the bad guys a heads up. After that, Mr. Big ''is'' well connected. There is also a recurring theme in the Creator/RogerMoore films where Bond is less of a secret agent and more of a ''living legend'' given Scaramanga's reaction to him (which is not entirely unlikely given how he is a OneManArmy who has saved the whole world at least twice by this point.)

--> "The Negro races are just beginning to throw up geniuses in all the professions-scientists, doctors, writers. It's about time they turned out a great criminal. After all, there are 250,000,000 of them in the world. Nearly a third of the white population. They've got plenty of brains and ability and guts. And now Moscow's taught one of them the technique."

** Tee-Hee is fairly popular. It's easy to like a tough, cheerful and AffablyEvil hencheman. So much that some like to believe [[spoiler: that he [[HesJustHiding survived being thrown out of the train]] in the epilogue.]]

* AudienceAlienatingPlot: Not to an especially egregious extent, though the idea of the supernatural existing in the world of James Bond is something even the franchise's most ardent fans have a hard time accepting, which is perhaps why it is the only film to date to imply that it does. Also worthy of mention is Kananga's elaborate plot to distribute heroin for free across the US to monopolize the drug trade, a rather underwhelming scheme when lined up against the ambitions of so many other villains in the series.