No Time to Die (spoilers)

[Hypestyle]

I would give the film an A-minus. The narrative meanders in parts. I am just now learning that there was not a completed script before filming? Wow. spoilers:

I had completely forgotten that Madeleine was in the previous film, so at first I was struggling to figure out why this woman in particular was so special. I have no qualms with Rami Malek as an actor. But in this film it seems he didn't have much to do except to look and sound creepy. I would have wanted his backstory explained further than the expository dialogue. So he was a child when his own parents were murdered. how old was he supposed to be when Madeleine was a child? That part I'm not quite getting. The Russian scientist seemed to be a throwback to Boris from Goldeneye. Maybe that was on purpose? I don't mean to be controversial, but with Q's dinner with a friend being interrupted, it was hinted to be a date, and with a guy; thus possibly Q is gay. I'm wondering if some folks see this as a kind of low-key "erasure" since Q's friend is never seen and nothing is ever mentioned afterwards. Like Tony Stark in Avengers Endgame, Bond makes a heroic sacrifice at the end, while also leaving a young daughter behind. Had this film been released in 2019, I wonder if that aspect would have been critiqued heavier?

end of spoilers