Critic scores for the upcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die, are rolling in. The film arrives in theaters in the United Kingdom on September 30th and in the United States on October 8th.
Rotten Tomatoes
On Rotten Tomatoes, the Tomatometer critic score currently sits at 86% with 64 fresh reviews and 10 rotten reviews. The average rating is 7.10 out of 10.
Looking at the Top Critics, the film does considerably worse. It only has a 78% Tomatometer score with 21 fresh scores and 6 rotten scores. However, the average rating is 7.70 out of 10.
Here’s what the critics are saying:
A.O. Scott at The New York Times gives the film a rotten rating. He writes, “If “No Time to Die” were 90 minutes long, it might be worth yours.”
Mike LaSalle at the San Francisco Chronicle gives the film a perfect 4 out of 4 rating. He writes, “Craig leaves the series in a mammoth, 163-minute extravaganza that audiences will be enjoying for decades. It’s a lovely thing to see.”
Brian Tallerico at RogerEbert.com gives the film a rotten 2 out of 4 rating. He writes, “There’s nothing here that’s hasn’t been done better in one of the other Craig movies.”
Philip De Semlyen at Time Out gives the film a perfect 5 out of 5. He writes, “By whatever metrics you measure a Bond movie — tight plotting, gnarly villains, emotional sincerity — Craig’s final outing is a rip-roaring success.”
Keith Uhlich at Slant Magazine gives the movie a rotten 2 out of 4. He writes, “This Bond’s overall arc from modishly merciless killing machine to aging assassin with the familial feels comes off as a treacly sop to psychological complexity.”
Barry Hertz at Globe and Mail gives the film a fresh rating. He writes, “No Time to Die makes sure that my eyes are following each and every oh-whoa stunt. As well as guaranteeing that I actually care about whether (or, really, how) Bond gets out of this one.”
Jonathan Roberts at The New Paper gives the film a 4.5 out of 5. He writes, “It’s bold and ambitious, yet it exudes confidence and moves with such drive, you do not feel most of its admittedly long 163-minute running time.”
Jason Adams at My New Plaid Pants gives the film a B-. He writes, “You can feel the film dragging its heels toward its destination, nobody wanting to say their goodbyes to the franchise, and I’m generous enough and willing to grant them some leeway on that front because Daniel Craig’s James Bond has earned it.”
Yago Garcia at Cinemania gives the film a 4.5 out of 5. Garcia writes, “Craig is having a blast with a script that adds nuances, some blatantly comical… the rest of the performers (especially the female ones) are freed from those mere auxiliary roles.”
Don Kaye at Den of Geek gives the film a fresh 3.5 out of 5. He writes, “While Bond’s never been the most complex of onscreen characters, past attempts at fleshing him out in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Craig’s debut, Casino Royale, have been surpassed here.”
Ryan McQuade at AwardsWatch gives the film an A-. He writes, “An epic, breathtaking conclusion to the Craig era of Bond. After close to two years in the waiting for its release, audiences will finally be able to see it and experience the closure that Craig has found with the fitting end to his run as 007.”
Fred Topel at Showbiz Cheat Sheet gives the film a fresh rating. He writes, “Keep in mind the deconstructions only work because 20 previous movies proved reliable standalone entries. At least the defining trait of Craig’s era will be that none of his movies are interchangeable.”
Christian Toto at HollywoodinToto.com gives the film a fresh 2.5 out of 4. He writes, “Nobody does it better, but this woke-free Bond runs out of gas when it’s needed most of all.”
Dominic Griffin at Looper gives the film a fresh rating. He writes, “Bond movies have to try to be a lot of different things for a lot of different people, but “No Time to Die” had one job: send Daniel Craig off right. It sticks that particular landing.”
Jeffrey Lyles of Lyles’ Movie Files gives the film a 6.5 out of 10. He writes, “The kind of finale that suggests Craig should have hung up his tuxedo and finished his last vodka martini immediately after Skyfall.”
Metacritic
On Metacritic, the film has a Metascore of 73 from 28 critics reviews. It has 19 positive reviews, 9 mixed reviews, and 0 negative reviews.
Here’s what the critics on Metacritic are saying:
Nicholas Barber at The BBC gives the film a perfect 100. He writes, “In general No Time To Die does exactly what it was intended to do, which is to round off the Craig era with tremendous ambition and aplomb. Beyond that, it somehow succeeds in taking something from every single other Bond film, and sticking them all together.”
Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian also gives the film a perfect 100. He writes, “No Time To Die is startling, exotically self-aware, funny and confident, and perhaps most of all it is big: big action, big laughs, big stunts and however digitally it may have been contrived, and however wildly far-fetched, No Time To Die looks like it is taking place in the real world, a huge wide open space that we’re all longing for.”
Robbie Collin at The Telegraph gives the film a perfect 100 too. He writes, “Iit’s often very funny indeed. The mood is often closer to the perkier passages of the Connery films, and the humour feels contemporary and British: the Phoebe Waller-Bridge script polish evidently yielded the desired result.”
Owen Gleiberman at Variety gives the movie a 90. He writes, “No Time to Die is a terrific movie: an up-to-the-minute, down-to-the-wire James Bond thriller with a satisfying neo-classical edge. It’s an unabashedly conventional Bond film that’s been made with high finesse and just the right touch of soul, as well as enough sleek surprise to keep you on edge.”
Johnny Oleksinski at the New York Post gave the film an 88. He wrote, “Cary Joji Fukunaga was the right choice to direct “No Time To Die,” even if he wasn’t the first in this rocky road of a production. His Bond feels reverential and classic, but not campy, and he makes bold choices.”
Jason Solomons at TheWrap gives the film an 85. He writes, “No Time to Die will be remembered for its emotional impact above all. And, to cap it all, Craig may well have delivered the most complex and layered Bond performance of them all.”
Stephanie Zacharek at Time gives the movie an 80. She writes, “With his fifth movie as 007, Craig is so extraordinary he leaves only scorched earth behind. There will be other Bonds for those who want them. For everyone else, there’s Craig.”
Matt Maytum at Total Film gives the film an 80 as well. He writes, “Even a disappointing villain can’t detract from a bold, satisfying climax to Daniel Craig’s time in the tux.”
Bill Goodykoontz at the Arizona Republic gives the movie an 80 too. He writes, “At 2 hours and 43 minutes, it’s a long goodbye for Craig. Too long, really; parts of the last act drag a bit. But as Bond says earlier, “Letting go is hard.” In “No Time to Die,” it’s also satisfying.”
Leah Greenblatt at Entertainment Weekly gives the film a 75. She writes, “The levity of the first half is soon sorely missed, and the run length alone — the movie clocks in at just under 165 minutes — dilutes the intended emotional resonance of the final scenes; Never Say Time might have been a truer title.”
Robert Daniels at The Playlist gives the film a 75. He writes, “No Time to Die works best when Fukunaga and Craig work to reimagine the emotions that can drive a Bond movie.”
Brian Lowry at CNN gives the film a 70. He writes, “To its credit, this two hour, 43-minute movie (thus making the title a bit of a lie) assiduously builds on everything that the recent Bond movies have established, in a way earlier incarnations generally didn’t. That has deepened the character, allowing Bond to experience grief, loss and love without hitting the reset button, the recurrence of the villainous Blofeld notwithstanding.”
Mike Ryan at Uproxxx gives the film a 67. He writes, “The problem is the movie doesn’t always realize this should be a hoot. Rami Malek and Christoph Waltz realize what movie they are in. And I love Craig’s Bond, but there are times when he’s trying to be a Connery Bond in a clearly Roger Moore Bond movie.”
David Rooney at The Hollywood Reporter gives the film a 60. He writes, “It may not rank up there with Skyfall, but it’s a moving valedictory salute to the actor who has left arguably the most indelible mark on the character since Connery.”
Clarisse Loughrey at The Independent gives the film a 60. She writes, “Cary Joji Fukunaga has made a smashing piece of action cinema with No Time to Die – it’s just a shame it had to be a Bond film.”
A.A. Dowd at AV Club gives the film a 50. He writes, “No Time To Die is forgettable in all the places that usually count—it’s a Bond movie with little excitement or panache.”
What do you make of these critic scores and reviews? Do they make you interested in seeing No Time To Die in theaters?