No Time To Die is packed full of references to the 24 other movies in the James Bond franchise.
We’ll start with the obvious ones, like the dots in the opening titles being a direct
reference to Dr. No, and the Aston Martin DB5 showing off its gadgets in its first chase
sequence since Goldfinger.
The DB5 isn’t the only car reference of course. Bond later drives the Aston Martin
V8 from the Living Daylights – even the number plates match.
But did you notice the black 1957 Chevy in the Cuba scene, otherwise known as the first
car Bond drives on film?
This movie has more references to earlier Bond movies than you might think.
The most direct influence for No Time To Die was of course On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
The parallels are clear through Hans Zimmer’s score, the use of Louis Armstrong’s We Have
All the Time in the World, as well as the line itself being used by Bond in the movie.
We have all the time in the world.
Other obvious call backs to earlier Bond films include the portraits of Judi Dench’s M,
who first appeared in Goldeneye, as well as Robert Brown’s M, who first appeared as
that character in Octopussy. Fans of the Craig films will also appreciate
the French bulldog from Skyfall, and this line from Nomi:
I get why you shot him.
The ring from Spectre appears here, plus we get to see Q’s cats.
I also have a mortgage and two cats to feed.
Also the entire opening sequence of No Time to Die is foreshadowed in Spectre.
A man came to my house to kill my father.
Papa kept a Beretta under the sink with the bleach.
But the connections go way deeper than these obvious ones, and show just how passionate
the film-makers were about this franchise.
Let’s go back to Dr. No for a second. Sure, we all spotted the dots in the title sequence.
But what about the hazmat suits being worn by the scientists in the lab at the start,
or the pink suits of Safin’s henchmen?
What about the Jamaica location?
Bond’s bachelor pad in No Time To Die is actually Goldeneye – the residence of Ian
Fleming, the author of the Bond novels. It’s not the only Fleming reference either.
The quote M reads at the end comes from the novel You Only Live Twice, as does this line
from Bond. Not just that but Safin’s Poison Garden, and the Hans Zimmer track from the
score are inspired by that book.
Moving through Bond cinematic history here, Lea Sedoux’s Madeline Swann being in No
Time To Die marks the first time a Bond woman has appeared in two movies since Eunice Gayson’s
Sylvia Trench reappeared in From Russia With Love.
We’ve already covered Goldfinger, so let’s go to the opening titles of Thunderball, where
this scuba diver appears like in No Time To Die. Staying in the opening credits, we have
another OHMSS reference with the tridents, hourglass, clock and Britannia imagery.
The credits also give us flashes of past characters from Craig’s Bonds – Vesper, Silva, and
M. The falling statue is reminiscent of the falling statues in Goldenye’s opening titles.
The most obvious connection to the Roger Moore films is of course to For Your Eyes Only.
In both movies Bond knocks the car and kills a secondary villain who betrayed his friend.
Plus Bond avenging Felix Leiter is the plot of Licence to Kill.
For Your Eyes Only opens with Bond visiting the grave of his dead lover. We have another
musical reference here by Hans Zimmer, playing Vesper’s theme from Casino Royale.
Other references to Moore’s films include the parallels between Safin’s lair and Stromberg’s
in The Spy Who Loved Me.
The visuals of the Cold War era submarine base are clear, but there’s also subtle
touches like the floor to ceiling fish paintings like the underwater lair, and a vehicle that
converts into a submarine.
There’s a plot parallel to Moonraker, which is also about an evil villain proposing to
wipe out humanity with a bioweapon.
Similarly, you could see a connection between the ending of No Time To Die and the opening
of Tomorrow Never Dies with the missiles being fired at Bond from a British naval vessel,
or even driving the DB5 along a clifftop in Italy like he does in Goldeneye.
But the main reference to Pierce Brosnan’s Bond era is Felix’s Delectado cigar
I’m here to pick up some Delctados.
And while we’re with Felix, his death floating slowly away from Bond underwater is the same
as Vesper’s death from Casino Royale, In that movie, Felix introduces himself there
as
a brother from Langley
Which explains this line
I had a brother. His name was Felix Leiter.
Bond and Felix sharing a drink at the bar is a nod to Quantum of Solace, as is the repetition
of this shot. We round out Craig’s films with Madeline
being trapped under the ice like Bond is in Skyfall.
In Moneypenny’s office, Bond tosses his visitor badge into the bin – Bond throwing
things around her office is a hallmark of the Bond franchise, as is the tuxedo, the
Walther PPK, the licence to kill, the gun barrel – both of them – and of course
his two most famous lines:
Bond, James Bond
Vodka martini, shaken not stirred.
The first video I ever made on this channel was about how to make a good James Bond movie,
and one of the things I talked about was the importance of paying tribute to the heritage
of the franchise, while at the same time taking it forward.
None of the references in No Time To Die ever feel forced or unnatural – they’re woven
into the film in a way that I think most casual viewers wouldn’t even notice, but make Bond
fans go like this.
Unlike other franchises that seem permanently trapped doing the same thing in the hope that
nostalgia is a substitute for story, James Bond is always taking us somewhere new, but
still doing so in a way that pays tribute to its rich history.
No Time To Die broke so many of the tropes and conventions that have been established
for what a Bond movie should be.
This never happened to the other fella.
And I think it’s one of the best ones ever because it showed us that so long as you respect
and acknowledge the history of a character and franchise, you can take risks and do something
new and innovative with them.
Because whether you liked the latest one or not, there will always be another Bond movie.
The final Bond reference in No Time To Die is a four word promise that appears at the
conclusion of almost every other James Bond movie.
James Bond will return.
Thank you for watching. I am sure there are other references I have missed so please let
me know what they are in the comments below.
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See you next time.