Daniel Craig plays James Bond for one final film.
MGM/Universal Pictures

Craig. Daniel Craig. He’s back for the final time as superspy James Bond in No Time to Die, the 25th 007 film. For a while, the British actor made it sound like he wouldn’t put on Bond’s dinner jacket for a fifth time, so savor this one, fans. Here’s what to know about the upcoming movie.

It’s an “epic, explosive and emotional swansong,” says Richard Trenholm in CNET’s No Time to Die review, “that throws everything it has against the wall for a genuinely unique entry in the series.”

Plot teasers and trailers

Bond, retire? When the film opens, Bond has indeed left active spy service. But you can’t keep a good spy down, and when CIA pal Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) comes calling and wants Bond to help him find a missing scientist, you know he can’t say no. The film has familiar characters, such as Leiter, Q, M and Moneypenny, plus new ones, such as Lashana Lynch’s Nomi, who’s taken over Bond’s familiar 007 number.

The most recent trailer reminds fans that No Time to Die will carry on plot threads from 2015’s Spectre, which introduced love interest Madeleine Swann and Christoph Waltz’s villainous Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

The first trailer, from 2019, features some good old-fashioned Bond movie staples, including Craig leaping off a bridge and riding his motorcycle up a steep stone staircase. Choppers, shootings, danger under ice, formal events where Craig looks great in a tux — it’s all there.

When does No Time to Die come out?

No Time to Die had its world premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sept. 28, and will open in the UK on Sept. 30.

Americans will have to wait a little longer. No Time to Die opens in the US on Oct. 8.

It comes to Australia on Nov. 11. So what do the reviews say? See below.

Early reviews

Reviews started coming in Tuesday after the London premiere.

“Packed with familiar faces but shepherded by some shrewdly chosen newcomers, No Time to Die packs a quintessentially Bond punch while also taking huge risks with the aging character and decades-old formula. Every Bond film markets itself as a fresh twist, but No Time to Die is genuinely bonkers at how far it goes. It’s so un-Bond at times it’s almost anti-Bond. These creative choices may be divisive, but you’ve got to hand it to the filmmakers for thinking big and bold.“
—CNET

“Yes, it largely adheres to the formula that’s the franchise’s blessing and curse: you get spectacle galore in terms of action set pieces, incredibly shot locations and attractive characters wearing the hell out of killer costumes. While the conventions can occasionally feel confining, there are enough significant deviations to make this entry stand out.”
—Games Radar+

“What holds it all together is Craig, given some longer speeches and passages of performance the like of which I can’t recall a Bond previously delivering.”
—The Wrap

“No Time to Die feels as if it’s working too hard to provide Craig a sendoff worthy of all the hype associated with it — an excess that might be summed up as simply, finally, by taking too much time to reach the finish.”
—CNN

How to see No Time to Die

No Time to Die will be showing in theaters only. Sure, it will eventually come to streaming, but when and where isn’t exactly clear. So if you’re not willing to venture out to theaters at this point in the coronavirus pandemic, you’ll need to be patient for now. Maybe check out our recommendations for which older Bond films to watch and in what order.

Cast

Daniel Craig as James Bond
Rami Malek as villain Lyutsifer Safin
Christoph Waltz as iconic Bond bad guy Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Lea Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann, Bond’s love interest
Lashana Lynch as Nomi, another 00 agent
Ben Whishaw as gadgetmaster Q
Ralph Fiennes as M, Bond’s boss
Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, M’s secretary
Jeffrey Wright as CIA agent and Bond’s longtime pal, Felix Leiter