Nick BURMAN

This is the first time I’ve ever posted a review anywhere. This is entirely IMHO. I’m a true lifelong Bond fan since seeing Dr. No as a kid. I started to read all of Fleming’s works and never missed a Bond movie. I, along with many others, I’m sure, long awaited Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007. From the top: The opening sequence with the titles is the best I have ever seen. A true tribute to Bond. The song was okay. The action and filming outstanding. The storyline got very close to OHMSS - Bond showing his vulnerable side and falling in love. OHMSS gets closer to Fleming’s realisation. Nevertheless, NTTD touches reasonably well on that note. I really enjoyed seeing the constant tributes and references to the Bond movies: The eternally enjoyable presence of Aston Martin’s; The one liner’s; The portraits of previous “M”’s within HQ. etc. Some weak points, again IMHO: The casting of whoever 007 was in Bond’s absence was very annoying. I can’t recall her name which shows my feelings towards that particular casting. Bond’s dialogue at times - for example his interaction with Blofeld in the Prison. Overacted. The part that Malik played, very stiff and two dimensional. I enjoyed the continuation of M, Q, Moneypenny and Tanner’s roles (Tanner: he’s as mad as a bag of bees 🤣🤣). I’m using that line. Bond having a child - great plot twist. The overall action was a fitting tribute to Bond. The stunts were outstanding. The end, for a lifelong Bond tragic, was damn sad but in a lot of ways very fitting as a tribute to Bond. I don’t say this as solely as a nod to Craig’s time in the role but as an overall tribute to the character and the movies that I have loved. I’ve loved the books and I’ve loved the movies. I’ve loved every actor that has represented Bond from Connery (RIP) to Craig. Unfortunately and very sadly, I believe Bond & 007 died in “No Time To Die.” Goodbye Bond & 007. Thank you for many years of enjoyment.

I’ve only stumbled across this on Netflix. I’ve been a fan of Toby Stephens since his role as Gustav Graves. He was also fantastic in Black Sails. In this series he continued his versatility. I wonder whether he brought a bit of Rik Mayall (RIP) into this role. If so, it’s a fitting tribute.