The betrayal theme that opens No Time To Die never quite worked for me. Doubt and mistrust have appeared in earlier James Bond movies, but they were usually introduced later and with greater subtlety. Beginning the movie with suspicion between Bond and Madeleine Swann immediately sets a negative narrative tone.

It also feels unnecessary since an alternative storyline could’ve easily carried the plot without undermining their relationship. Instead, the movie leans into melodrama from the outset. In the strange, “Bond dies” world the movie ultimately embraces, it seems like anything goes. Booooo!