The next entry in MGM’s 59-year long James Bond film franchise, No Time To Die, is the 25th to be released. Finally released after massive COVID delays, the film stars Daniel Craig as the beloved hero, reprising his role as the character for his 5th and final movie.

 The film ties up the loose ends from Spectre, the previous film, as well as creating new challenges for Bond to face in his final outing in the form of the criminal mastermind, Safin, played expertly by Academy Award-winning actor Rami Malek. 

After enjoying several years of retirement, Bond is pulled into action one last time to save the world from a virus that will kill billions if it is unleashed by Safin. The virus releases nanobots into the body of the victim, killing them and passing more nanobots to their family members and others who share similar genetic material.

Bond must face this massive threat with the help of the new 007, Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch, the first woman to have the title of 007. Although the two start as rivals, they quickly learn to work together, understanding how important the threat they must face is.

The film follows Bond on his usual exploits: car chases, shoot-outs, drinking, falling in love, but the ending of the film crosses into territory never before explored by any Bond film. At the end of the movie, James Bond dies with no signs of survival. However, this will not be the end of 007 or James Bond, as during the end credits, the message “James Bond will return” appears.

Although the character of James Bond is dead, it is still possible to continue the franchise without completely ignoring this film. One of these ways would be to have a James Bond film that takes place in the past, possibly even the 1950’s where the first Bond novel takes place. Jumping across the past would make it easy to feature different actors and threats than that of the more recent, more modern films. 

At the end of the day, the film is a satisfying conclusion to the story of Daniel Craig’s James Bond, and fans of the series should definitely No Time To Die to see the sendoff of his Legendary portrayal.