No Time To Die Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

5. It Cleverly Reinvents Bond For The Modern World

There are of course more "traditional" Bond fans who've expressed concerns that No Time to Die would "go woke" or basically serve to erase the character as fans know him.

But one of the smartest things the producers have done here was bring Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge aboard to polish the script, as her witty, self-aware influence is felt all throughout the film.

It's clear that Waller-Bridge was tasked with helping deliver a more contemporary James Bond that moves away from the gross womanising and casual sexism of the past to something more respectful for 2021.

That's not to say that the film makes Bond seem like a dinosaur or sanitises his edges, but simply put him in situations where he's forced to team up with extremely capable female agents - such as Nomi (Lashana Lynch) and Paloma (Ana de Armas) - rather than hook up with them.

Almost all the female characters in the film feel fleshed out and substantial, and the script nimbly draws attention to 007's sexist past with wit and humour without turning it into an Issue.

It's sure to rub less open-minded Bond fans the wrong way, but considering some of 007's questionable interactions with women in even the recent Craig movies, it was absolutely a long time coming.