YMMV / No Time to Die

• Actor Shipping: Daniel Craig and Rami Malek got a bit of this due to acting quite chummy and flirtatious during the shoot and press tour.
• Alas, Poor Scrappy: Blofeld was hated by fans during his previous appearance in Spectre for feeling more like a parody of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, as well as being a Psychopathic Manchild obsessed with ruining Bond's life. Not only was he better received in this film, but fans were even disappointed to see him killed off after just one scene. Many were hoping he would play a larger role due to being James Bond's nemesis, and this being Daniel Craig's last outing.
• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • The note that Bond writes for himself to symbolically burn at Vesper's grave simply reads "Forgive me." Is Bond writing the note as if from Vesper's point of view, asking him to forgive her for her betrayal, or is he asking her to forgive him for failing to save her?
  • Does Bond put Madeline on the train because (a) He thinks she's betrayed him? (b) Knows he can never trust her completely even if she hasn't? or (c) Is he actually trying to protect her, having realized from the attack that she'll always be in danger if they stay together?
  • Does Obruchev actually have genocidal racist ambitions to use Heracles to wipe out the West African "race"? Or was this simply a spectacularly poorly judged attempt on his part to get under Nomi's skin and give himself a chance to escape from her?
  • Certain aspects of Safin's character are left rather ambiguous and thus wide open for different interpretations.
    • Why exactly did he choose to spare Madeleine despite initially intending to kill them all to avenge his own family? Safin seems largely detached from feelings of remorse or empathy, but in this one instance he made an exception. Maybe it was all just part of his God complex, indulging in the idea that he holds power over life and death; it could even be speculated this incident helped propel him into believing himself a 'god'. Maybe he admired Madeleine's courage and determination to survive. Or is it something else? Safin later remarks to Bond how he had to watch his mother die a slow and agonizing death, so maybe this is why he couldn't bring himself to watch Madeleine die when she fell under the ice. It's worth noting that Safin also never harms Mathilde (he threatens her but doesn't ever do anything) and when she bites him he just lets her go, so one could possibly interpret Safin as being unwilling to harm children, at least directly.^note the Heracles virus would likely result in children dying but Safin doesn't have to witness it personally, so maybe for him that 'doesn't count'
    • During his "Not So Different" Remark to Bond, Safin has one rather interesting line; he states that one thing he and Bond share in common is that they're "in love with Madeleine Swann". It's not elaborated on further but it raises some intriguing questions. Does Safin indeed feel some kind of twisted affection for Madeleine? He does seem eager for her and Mathilde to come live with him on his island, stating the latter will "grow up here", so maybe this is him trying to recreate his family; perhaps he even thinks he can 'replace' the family he took from her. In which case, why Madeleine specifically? Does he see them as kindred spirits due to their similar pasts? He clearly feels some kind of ownership over her because he saved her life which may extend to her child, who would otherwise never have been born. In his mind he might see himself as being kind by keeping Madeleine 'safely' under his control, especially given his comments about 'protecting' Mathilde.
  • Does Bond sacrifice himself solely to save Madeleine and Mathilde? Or is he so despondent at the realization that he can never see them again even if he survived that he’d rather kill himself than deal with that agony for the rest of his life?
• Anti-Climax Boss:
  • Blofeld, Bond's Arch-Enemy, is easily defeated when Bond chokes him and indirectly poisons him.
  • The final fight with Safin lasts no more than a few seconds when Bond breaks Safin’s arm. And as cited below, the vagueness of the reasons for his plot as well as how he intends to carry it out is distracting.
• Award Snub:
  • Despite Oscar nominations for Best Song, Sound, and Visual Effects, the film wasn't nominated for anything else, even other technical awards that it seemed a shoo-in for, such as Editing/Cinematography/Score, and only won one of the three awards it was nominated for (Song).
  • Given the MTV Movie & TV Award Best Hero nomination that Daniel Craig received for the movie—it was his last chance to ever be nominated for the character there as well, it was surprising that Rami Malek with how praised his performance was didn't also receive a Best Villain nomination though on that end.
• Awesome Music: Now has an entry on the series' main page.
• Broken Base: People either love or hate the movie for the same reasons; Bond becomes a father and dies in the end.
• Captain Obvious Reveal: The film barely even tries to pretend anyone believes Madeleine's claims that Bond isn't Mathilde's father, which unfortunately diminishes the impact of the moment when she confirms that he is.
• Catharsis Factor:
  • For all the horrible things Blofeld did to Bond since childhood, up to including this film revealing that he caused Bond and Madeline to break up, and in the process caused Bond to miss out on his daughter's birth and the first few years of her life, Bond strangling Blofeld while angrily whispering, "Die, Blofeld, die" and indirectly killing him with poison definitely qualifies.
  • Doctor Obruchev's well-deserved Death by Racism, wherein he is kicked by Nomi straight into the vat of nanomachines he despicably threatened to wipe out the entire African Race with if she does not let him go. Nomi spectacularly ridding the world of such an openly racist villain is incredibly satisfying to watch.
  • Cyclops and Logan Ash each getting killed by Bond with extreme prejudice is very satisfying too. From the audience's perspective, it's not just for their respective parts in Safin's plot, but for Cyclops, because he relentlessly pursued Bond and then switched sides so willingly showing no genuine loyalty to SPECTRE at all and Ash because he personally killed Felix.
• Common Knowledge: A Fandom-Enraging Misconception at that. It was claimed that the role of James Bond was being given to Lashana Lynch, a black woman, except this isn't true. Lynch's character Nomi is entirely separate from Bond, as the premise of the film is that Bond has retired from active service, and she is his replacement at holding the 007 codename for about half of the film. It is contentious among fans because it is hardly ever said in good faith.
• Complete Monster: Ernst Stavro Blofeld. See here for details.
• Contested Sequel: A worthy sendoff for Daniel Craig’s James Bond or an unnecessary sequel that overstays its welcome and is too tragic for a Bond film? At best, there are at least those who consider this to be a Surprisingly Improved Sequel to Quantum of Solace and Spectre.
• Continuity Lock-Out: Like Quantum of Solace, its plot is very dependent on the previous movie, so better not have skipped Spectre.
• Delusion Conclusion: Some have speculated that Bond was knocked unconscious during the opening sequence and that the entire film was a dream he had while in a coma, thus allowing him to be alive for the next film.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Paloma, who’s not only a Ms. Fanservice Nice Girl who spends her entire scene in a Sexy Backless Outfit, but is also an Action Girl capable of Kicking Ass in All Her Finery as she easily mops the floor with the SPECTRE agents, with great chemistry with Bond. Most people agree she was one of the best parts of the movie despite her limited screen time. Many are hoping she gets her own spinoff series, like was previously planned for Wai Lin and Jinx. What's even more impressive is that she was only added late in the film's production.
• Fan Nickname: The early images◊ of Safin led to some calling him The Phantom of the Tundra.
• Fanon Discontinuity: Some might feel inclined to decide that Craig's tenure ended with the previous film, given that it has a much happier ending than this one.
• Friendly Fandoms: A part of the film's fanbase is shared with that of Knives Out, which also stars both Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig in main roles. It helps that Paloma's character was a late addition exclusively to take advantage of Craig and de Armas' well-received chemistry in Knives Out.
• Genius Bonus:
  • The way the Heracles virus affects Bond mirrors the story of the mythological figure that is the virus's namesake. Heracles was famously driven mad by Hera which resulted in him killing his wife and children. The nanobots in Bond's system were specifically designed to kill Madeleine and Mathilde, paralleling the above. Also, the manner of Bond's death brings to mind the death of Heracles himself, who is poisoned by an enemy whom he kills, and then ascends to a mountain where he builds his funeral pyre. In the film proper, 007 heads to the top of Safin's island base to allow himself to be completely immolated by the explosions from the missile strike the Royal Navy Destroyer launches to wipe out all traces of the virus and the technology used to manufacture it.
  • The manner of 007's demise happens to resemble the full, completed Jack London quote Ian Fleming originally used as part of James Bond's obituary in the original You Only Live Twice novel.
    "I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, ever atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • In a case of unexpected prescience, the first movie delayed by the COVID-19 Pandemic turns out to also feature a microscopic threat (namely, nanomachines), and after over a year of isolation and such, viewers could perfectly understand why the heroes are doing all in their power to prevent it from going global. This makes the ending even more heartbreaking because similar to James Bond dying, many people also lost their loved ones to COVID and couldn't be close to them one last time due to the spread of the virus.
  • The tragic ending of the movie gets even worse when you remember Rami Malek was also filming the final season of Mr. Robot around the same time of filming this movie. The twist in one of the episodes involved Elliot finding out he was sexually abused by his father as a child. Meaning Rami ended up filming two heartbreaking scenes related to fatherhood. One who turned out to be a monster and the other who died a hero. It even hurts when in the episode "Request Timeout", Elliot sobs and says, "I can't do it. I am sorry." It nearly felt like Rami genuinely cried out of grief and remorse towards what his character did to Daniel's at the end.
  • Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the film isn't just the first one where Bond dies, it's also the last film where he's on "Her" Majesty's secret service.
• He's Just Hiding: Bond's death is presented in a completely unambiguous manner, as he is vaporized by missiles onscreen, with his Smart Blood clearly showing his vitals dropping to zero before going offline. Word of God has also confirmed the character's death. This hasn't stopped fans from coming up with explanations for how they could have survived, which is understandable considering Bond has been making improbable daring escapes from death for 60 years and 24 films, and the credits still end with the traditional "James Bond Will Return", although this is mostly likely intended to imply that there will be a Continuity Reboot. Some have even found a way to explain away Bond's Smart Blood going offline; the EMP from the explosion was so strong that it knocked the signal out.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • If you were among the people who worried about the state of Bond's "family jewels" after that infamous torture scene in Casino Royale, worry not: Bond wasn't rendered infertile, as he fathered Mathilde years later. Even better, the girl's maternal grandfather (Mr. White) saved his life that day, and thus his descendance without knowing.
  • The James Bond novel Devil May Care was released in Italy with the title No Time to Die. Because the novel was released long before this movie's title was chosen, the two products sharing the title is merely a coincidence (and there's no grounds for confusion, as the book's title was translated into Italian while the film's was kept in English). However, the two share a similarity as both involve a female 00 agent and Bond returning in action from retirement.^note This isn't even the first time that this happened. Dr. No was released in Italy with the title Licence to Kill... 27 years before a Bond film with that same title was released. As a result, the latter film was released there as Private Vendetta, which is part of a line uttered by M in the movie.
  • Bond working (albeit briefly) for the CIA in a Grand Finale film. In his live-action debut, 1954's Casino Royale, Bond was a CIA agent.
  • In one interview, Daniel Craig revealed that he once kissed Rami Malek on the lips, which caused Malek to respond by asking if that makes him an official Bond Girl. In the opening sequence, Safin's Noh mask resembles one of the most common masks for female characters. Which is very fitting considering there is a pattern where Rami usually plays characters who have a huge disdain for most men as shown previously in Mr. Robot and The Little Things, which was usually done for female characters in the past whether they were Vigilante Woman or Femme Fatale driven by vengeance.
  • The last movie's revelation that Bond and Blofeld are brothers was met with amusement by those who recall that the exact same twist was done in Austin Powers in Goldmember. Almost as if trying to keep up the joke, this film has Bond doing the Consulting a Convicted Killer routine with Blofeld behind a glass cell, a set-up also lifted wholesale from Austin Powers in Goldmember.
• Ho Yay: Q's reaction to Bond's impending death and the way Bond comforts him is very similar to the way he later talks to his lover Madeleine.
• Jerkass Woobie: While it's horrible enough that Safin was willing to destroy and kill millions with the Heracles virus, he was also one of the victims of Blofeld whose life was ruined by him.
• LGBT Fanbase: The movie has gotten a lot of attention and hype from mostly bisexual 007 fans because not only does it have Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris returning but also Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas joining the cast, which gained their interest even more. And the reports that Craig kissed Malek on the lips after a particularly stressful take didn't help. It's also worth noting that this film finally acknowledges Q's sexuality, alluding to a (male) date coming over to his place for dinner when Bond and Moneypenny seek his assistance after Spectre's defeat.
• Magnificent Bastard: Lyutsifer Safin was the son of chemists supplying weapons to SPECTRE until the day their usefulness came to an end. Disfigured in an attempt on his family's life, Safin waited and plotted until the day he could achieve his vengeance. Sparing the life of the daughter of Mr. White—his family's killer—Madeleine Swann, Safin went on to prepare a nanobot virus to make the world "a little tidier". Tricking MI6 and SPECTRE alike by reprogramming the virus to wipe SPECTRE out and organizing the death of Blofeld himself, Safin is able to craft his own operation with preparation to distribute the virus and kill millions so he may control the world and better it by freeing it of the threats of terrorism for good. Even in defeat, he forces James Bond's own Heroic Sacrifice by infecting him so Bond might never touch his lover Madeleine or their child ever again.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Bond's quote to Safin that "history isn't kind to men who play God" as been sprouting everywhere on the web.
  • "More Time to Die" / "Lots of Time to Die" ^ExplanationDue to the film's numerous Release Date Changes and long run time (at 163 minutes, it is the longest Bond film to date), many people on the internet have noted that the film's title is becoming more ironic by the minute.
  • "Time to Die" ^{Explanation (spoilers)}The film ends with Bond's death, which led viewers to point out that the title of the movie isn't accurate, suggesting this amendment.
  • James Bond will return? No, Time to Die! ^{Explanation (spoilers)} A variation of the above, referencing the famous "Works on contingency? No, money down!" scene from The Simpsons.
  • RIP Dou Dou. ^{Explanation (spoilers)}In French, "doudou" is a frequently used word for stuffed or wool toys/ragdolls for babies-to-preschoolers, although English-speaking audiences interpret it as the toy's name and separate it in two. In any case, it's about Mathilde's wool doll, which she dropped after she got taken away by Safin on his island. Later on, Bond storms the island and finds it after completing his mission, only to die from tomahawk missile incineration. This led to many people mourning the doll just as much as Bond, since the doll was never returned to Mathilde.
  • You have all the time in the world. ^{Explanation (Spoilers)} Madeline wishing she had more time with her husband and Bond assuring her that she has all the time in the world saw some use as a meme template, commonly referring to the poster using this dramatic scene in the context of having to leave something much more mundane behind such as a cool stick they found on a walk as a child or a car that they'd been on the same route as taking a different turn.
• Moe: Very surprisingly for this franchise, Paloma is like this. Although she’s still an amazing fighter, outside of her fight scenes she has an awkward, sort of nerdy disposition with shy, cutesy mannerisms to boot. She even seems so innocent that she chokes on her alcohol in a way that implies she hardly does any drinking, and the one time it seems like she’s coming on to Bond, it turns out she didn’t mean it and was just being awkward.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • Logan Ash turns out to be a traitor working for Safin, which he reveals by shooting Felix Lieter, trapping him and Bond, his supposed idol, in the engine room of the ship they're on, then smugly setting off a bomb to kill the two; Bond makes it out, but not Felix, who dies from his wounds.
  • Most of Safin's actions in the first half of the movie could be considered reasonably sympathetic: although he targets the innocent Mrs. Swann as Revenge by Proxy for the death of his family, his grudge against Mr. White is very understandable, and he even decides to take pity on the young Madeleine and spare her life. His destruction of Spectre and assassination of Blofeld are completely justified, and nobody's going to shed any tears for any of them. However, he crosses the line when he kidnaps Madeleine and Mathilde and manufactures a strain of Heracles to specifically target them, proving his claim to love her is total bullshit and he just sees her as another person he is entitled to control. At this point, it's clear that any claim he is a Well-Intentioned Extremist who will use Heracles to make the world a better place is a hollow one, and he simply intends to bend the world to his will to satisfy his God complex. He then proceeds to prove this by exposing Bond to the strain, ruining his and Madeleine's last chance to be together and raise a family out of petty spite for Bond ruining his plans.
  • If Doctor Valdo Obruchev didn't cross the line by teaming up with Safin to use Heracles on a larger scale, he definitely crosses it when he threatens to program Heracles to wipe out everyone of West African descent on the planet if Nomi doesn't let him go.
• Narm Charm: No Time to Die is a pretty silly-sounding title, but it fits in nicely with other silly titles from the franchise's past.
• Nightmare Retardant: Though Safin is an extremely dangerous threat, for many that's diminished by his rather awkward demeanor.
• Older Than They Think:
  • Nomi is not the first "Agent 007" not to be James Bond in the history of the wider franchise, with the 2018 Anthony Horowitz novel Forever and a Day, which is a prequel to Ian Fleming's Casino Royale, having Bond investigate the death of his predecessor as 007; and a predecessor to Bond as 007 was also suggested in John Pearson's James Bond: The Authorised Biography.
  • Others viewed with skepticism the idea of there being female 00 agents at all, but this is something that the film series has alluded to twice before: A Freeze-Frame Bonus in Thunderball shows that one of the double-0s at the briefing (the only time where every double-0 is seen together) is a woman (seated to Bond's left), and there is also a female double-0 (who receives an order when Bond doesn't) in The World Is Not Enough. Likewise, a female 00 agent had also been prominently featured in the novel Devil May Care.
  • The idea of Bond fathering a child is not a new one, dating back all the way to Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice in which Kissy Suzuki is pregnant with Bond's child at the end of the novel, unbeknownst to him. Continuation author Raymond Benson would later feature this child as a grown man named James Suzuki in his short story Blast from the Past. In fact, this isn't even the first time that the idea of a Bond Girl having a child was considered. One of the ideas considered for Quantum of Solace was for Bond to discover that Vesper Lynd had a child with the boyfriend whose kidnapping by Quantum forced her to work for them; the final scene of the film would've had him visit the orphanage the child was in. This idea was discarded after it was decided that, since it was established that Bond was himself orphaned at a young age, he wouldn't just leave the child behind, and was instead changed to the reveal that Vesper's boyfriend was a Quantum agent who faked his kidnapping.
  • This technically isn't the first time James Bond has died. The novel From Russia with Love ends with Rosa Klebb apparently killing Bond with a poisoned blade hidden in her shoe, and his survival was only revealed in the following novel. All seven James Bonds (don't ask) in the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale ended up getting blown up in the "Everybody Dies" Ending, even if that was Played for Laughs.
  • The concept of the Heracles virus, which specifically targets people based on their DNA, is something previously explored in the Metal Gear franchise with the FOXDIE virus. The protagonists of both works also end up getting infected by those viruses by the villains who used them as living biological weapons to kill specific individuals that they come across in their missions.
    • Similarly, Hitman (2016) has a very similar DNA targeting bioweapon, where it's a specially curated virus that remains asymptomatic unless it infects its intended target, much like in this film. The protagonist, Agent 47, is sent in to destroy said virus, its creator Silvio Caruso and his potential replacement, Francesca De Santis. The hit, while contracted by one of the private stockholders of ETHER (the company De Santis and Caruso work for), was fast-tracked by the ICA (47's employers) as it'd make hiring Professional Killers an obsolete profession, and they are very motivated to stop its wide adoption. It should be noted that IO Interactive, the developers of the Hitman series, would go on to secure the videogame rights to the Bond franchise, and are currently working on a bond game; currently titled "Project 007".
    • Yet another older work that also revolved around a customizable virus that could target specific ethnicities was the Syphon Filter series.
• One-Scene Wonder:
  • Ana de Armas as Paloma has proven to be very popular with audiences despite her limited screen time. Audiences clearly sought to pay special attention to her as well given she was reuniting with Daniel Craig onscreen after Knives Out. There's also no wonder she was cast in Ballerina (a Spin-Off of the John Wick films) and Ghosted (where she's a CIA agent wearing a similar dress at one point), in the very weeks that followed the release of No Time to Die.
  • Blofeld has little screen time, but Christoph Waltz makes the most of what he has, continuing to deliver a giddily loathsome performance with his big scene being regarded as a highlight.
• Questionable Casting:
  • Rami Malek as Safin has gotten a confused reaction. An actor who is Older Than They Look, and he plays a character who's potentially a full decade older than himself, with the only difference between his appearance in the decades earlier opening and the present day scenes being just slightly greyed hair. In addition to that, a good amount of viewers singled him out as a weak link amongst the otherwise strong cast, with many claiming his performance comes across as more bizarrely awkward than creepy or intimidating.
  • There was a lot of coverage in the British media of the casting of Comedian Hugh Dennis, of all people, in the film. The point of bafflement comes from the fact he's usually best known for appearing on Mock the Week and Outnumbered; comedy shows that aren't drama focused, so his appearance here in a serious movie as one of the biochemical scientists really threw people for a loop.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap:
  • Madeleine had been considered by many to be the weakest and most forgettable of the Craig-era Bond Girls, for her undeveloped character and backstory, lack of chemistry with Bond, and for spending most of Spectre as a Damsel in Distress. Here, her backstory is far more developed, as is her relationship with Bond, and she proves far more capable of handling her own in a fight, largely because she's now a Mama Bear. Some have gone so far as to declare that she's BETTER than Vesper, pointing out that unlike Vesper, she never betrayed Bond.
  • To a lesser extent, Blofeld was rescued by this film too. Despite only appearing in one scene, Christoph Waltz makes the most of his dialogue and gives a great performance. A lot of fans were upset to see him killed off at the end of his only scene, given that he's Bond's nemesis and this take on the character was better received than in Spectre.
• Ships That Pass in the Night: Even before the movie's release, many have started shipping Nomi and Paloma together despite them having never directly interacting with each other. In fact, they are technically opposing sides with one being MI6 and the other being CIA. But given they're both badass Action Girls, that doesn't stop them from being shipped together, with some even hoping for a spin-off starring the both of them.
• Shocking Moments:
  • Felix Leiter's death, both for how sudden it is and because Leiter wasn't killed off in the novels or any previous film, not even Licence to Kill where he almost died with his leg fed to a shark.
  • A big one at the end of the film: for the first time in any James Bond film, James Bond Dies.
• Spiritual Successor:
  • As previously inferred in Older Than They Think the movie’s plot about Nanomachines and viruses effecting the central jaded Action Hero and killing his evil brother, is all highly reminiscent of Metal Gear. Not to mention besides Bond’s similarities with Solid Snake, Q as played by Ben Whishaw is extremely similar to Octacon and fulfils the same role as Mission Control in the climax.
  • "No Time To Die" to "Writing's on the Wall", which is itself this to "Skyfall". Dark, moody, melodramatic ballads that sound as though they're from the perspective of one of the main characters.
  • The movie could possibly be this to the fourth and final season of Mr. Robot (which starred Rami Malek), as Elliot Alderson's plotline bears some similarties with both Bond and Madeleine's, like Madeleine, he also experienced a near-death as a child during winter and ends up having killers obsessed with him/in love with him and like Bond, he also loses his ally who gets shot in the stomach by a mook and sacrifices himself to save his loved ones after the main villain traps him, though unlike Bond, he gets spared at the end.
• Strangled by the Red String: Safin admits late in the film that he's in love with Madeleine. Though by that point we clearly see he's become fixated on her, we're never given any explanation for why he feels this way. At most from their onscreen interactions you could claim that the strength she showed opposite him as a child is the reason, though it's still very vague and the implications of it mean that's likely not why. Aside from that we never see or hear a single other thing about their past together to justify why he's so obsessed with her in the present day. Not helping matters is the film doesn't even offer any indication that their history together extended much at all beyond their initial meeting. While Safin more than likely was keeping an eye out on her, the entire relationship and attraction is just incredibly unclear. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for a big part of the climax centering around it.
• Surprisingly Improved Sequel: The film's reception (both by critics and audiences) is overall better than that of Spectre. It's considered to have finally broken the trend of underwhelming final instalments that characterized the tenures of each Bond actor that did multiple films (Diamonds Are Forever, A View to a Kill and Die Another Day are considered among the weakest films in the Eon Productions franchise, while Licence to Kill has been somewhat Vindicated by History but still has its detractors).
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Paloma is a ton of fun and has great chemistry with Bond in her introductory scene. Unfortunately, that is also her only scene in the film, which means that after her brief appearance, you'll be hoping in vain if you spend the rest of the movie wondering if she'll show up again. This is due to Paloma's character being a late addition to the script, meaning that she sadly could not have a significant role in the movie beyond her scene in Cuba.
  • Given it's 007's sendoff, you might think it would've been better to have him face off against Blofeld one last time rather than a new villain. Adding to this is criticisms of Blofeld already being underutilized in the prior film, which could've been amended by giving him an expanded role as the main baddie here. The fact that this iteration of the character has an even more personal rivalry with James than before and the Big Bad of this film has only two scenes opposite Bond just makes it all the more noticeable.
  • Several viewers have noted that Safin has the potential of an interesting character, but between his extremely vague plans and his absence from almost the entirety of the film until the third act, he comes across as very underdeveloped. Not helping matters is that even when his expanded role in the climax occurs, he still only ever interacts with Bond twice. The fact that he's the only villain to kill Bond just makes this small role and underutilized rivalry feel even more noticeable.
  • Given Moneypenny was something of an Ascended Extra in the previous two films, Skyfall even establishing that she's a former field agent, it's a bit disappointing that she's mostly on the sidelines here, with her bringing James over to Q's residence being her only impact on the plot.
  • A few people were hoping to see more from Nomi given taking up the mantle of 007 is no small feat, but she's mostly separated from the action of the film, and when she does take part she gets overshadowed by Bond.
  • After sitting out the last two films, Felix Leiter returns only to play a rather minor role in the plot due to his untimely death.
  • M is relegated to grabbing the Idiot Ball and being a Unwitting Pawn of both Blofeld and Safin, developing an ultimate weapon for them both to fight over. Given how bloated the plot of the movie is, some viewers would have preferred M commit to a Face–Heel Turn and become a Knight Templar regarding the use of the weapon. He could have taken a more personal Final Boss role to the Craig continuity compared to Safin.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • Even positive reviews of the movie generally agree that Safin's exact plan and motivation are not entirely clear and this undermines the tension and makes the finale a little confusing. We are told that he is planning the death of millions of people and sees himself as a Well-Intentioned Extremist, but who he is targeting and what he thinks he will achieve are never properly discussed, nor is it really clear that he can deliver his WMD effectively (we are told that he is putting Heracles onto ships for transport, but we never even see those ships or learn their destination and since Q spots them they would easily be taken out by the Navy before becoming a threat so Safin has pretty much lost before he even does anything). Given that Bond villains are notorious for explaining the details of their Evil Plan, this is pretty glaring. Not to mention that he and Bond don't even interact until the final confrontation.
  • There's also the decision to kill Bond when it would have been just as revolutionary to see him go off with Madeleine and Mathilde in order to be a full time husband and father, especially to make amends for distrusting and abandoning Madeleine and consequently missing the first few years of Mathilde's life.
  • Having Logan Ash responsible for Felix Leiter's death feels like a missed opportunity. Given it's not until the third act that James even meets Safin, their lack of history altogether, and Ash being a fairly secondary player, it arguably would've worked better if Bond had met Safin earlier in the film and he was the one who killed Felix. This would've given the underutilized villain more to do whilst also strengthening the underwritten rivalry between him and the hero.
• Too Cool to Live: The most iconic characters in the franchise: Felix Leiter, Blofeld for the villains and last, but not least James Bond himself, Anyone Can Die indeed this time around.
• Win Back the Crowd:
  • After Danny Boyle departed over Creative Differences, the hiring of Cary Fukunaga to replace him as director was warmly received by many.
  • The Troubled Production news left many uneasy over the film's quality. Cue the trailer and TV spots, which left many impressed by the action sequences and enticing plot threads followed through from the previous Daniel Craig films.
• The Woobie: Sweet Jesus, does this film's universe conspire to make Madeleine Swann's life miserable. Her backstory is revealed - where she witnessed her mother's murder at a young age (and the man responsible tracks her down, revealing it was Revenge Myopia for something her father did). Her relationship with James Bond is strained because he can't let go of Vesper, and they have to separate, cutting short what would have been a happy relationship. It's later revealed the bomb was planted by Blofeld purely to make Bond doubt Madeleine, meaning she spent five years suffering over something she wasn't responsible for. She also has to raise the daughter of the man who broke her heart, becomes an accomplice to Accidental Murder, is held hostage and fears for her child's safety. Then to cap it all off, Bond dies while declaring his love for her.
  • Bond doesn't fare much better—he pushes his newfound love and happiness away because of his mistaken belief that she's betrayed him, spends five years in isolation, loses his best friend, gets only a few hours of happiness with his lover and daughter—though she denies that she is—before they're kidnapped, and after finally eliminating all potential threats to them, is just about to escape and be reunited with them to live the rest of their lives happily when he's shot and infected with a virus that will be lethal to them, forcing him to sacrifice himself in order to ensure their safety, only to learn in the final seconds of his life that Mathilde IS his daughter after all.

---