20 Best Films Of 2021

Daniel Craig's long-delayed final outing as James Bond largely lived up to the hype, delivering a potent and affecting swan song for one of the finest to ever don the tuxedo.

Sure, Rami Malek's villain is a massive disappointment and some aspects of the plot could be tidier, but for the most part No Time to Die is a thrilling spectacle that also never forgets about the beating heart of its super-spy protagonist.

More than any other Bond film, No Time to Die humanises 007 in the most intimate and ultimate terms, and thanks to scripting contributions presumably made by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it also reckons with Bond's sexist past, bringing the character storming into the progressive present.

While not everyone will agree with some of the bolder decisions the movie makes, it's tough to picture a more fitting finale for Craig's tenure as the character.