No Time to Die ignores all the development and opportunities of the four previous Bond films to deliver a movie that doesn't understand or care who James Bond is at all.
I am just so frustrated. Daniel Craig's run as Bond was solid overall, with some of the greatest films of the 80-year franchise and a couple that weren't amazing but still entertaining. But the conclusion to Craig's Bond was poorly written, out of character, and just plain disappointing. No Time to Die was The Last Jedi of James Bond. Long-time Bond fans will hate it, while those who are indifferent to the franchise or have not seen this entry will find it entertaining and possibly thoughtful. But I just don't see it. The writing was awful. The screenplay couldn't find better ways to motivate or shock than killing off characters that had been developed for over a decade. The idea of a new 007 was pitched as intriguing but hardly affected the story and sidelined Lashana Lynch's character altogether. The villains were generic, and their motivations inconsistent at best. And Bond's love for Madeleine didn't fit the character at all. He said and did things that Bond just wouldn't do. One shining moment in a film of disappointments was Ana de Armas as Paloma. Her performance was witty, engaging, and the most entertaining part of the movie. So, of course, she was only given 5 minutes of screen time. No Time to Die was clearly at a loss for what to do and failed to close this excellent chapter of James Bond history with nothing more than a mess of dreadful writing and unsatisfying conclusions.