No Time to Die: The classic James Bond film you should watch before seeing new Daniel Craig outing

Forget ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Spectre’ – this is the 007 film to watch in preparation

No Time to Die is finally here – and it features several references to a classic Bond film.

Daniel Craig returns to play the British spy one final time, for an adventure that pits him against Rami Malek’s villain, Lyutsifer Safin.

The critical reception has been largely positive – but audiences will undoubtedly get more from the film should they rewatch On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) before seeing it.

It turns out that No Time to Die has several references to George Lazenby’s sole Bond outing, so watching it might help when it comes to unpacking the new film’s ending.

For those who are yet to see the film, stop reading and re-watch On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. For those, who have seen the film, read on.

*Major spoilers follow – you have been warned*

*One final warning for major spoilers*

It’s been known for a while that this was to be Craig’s final Bond film. Still, that might not prepare people for what actually happens.

In the closing moments of the film, following a tearful call with his true love Dr Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), Craig’s version of 007 gets blown to pieces on Safin’s island. This moment has divided Bond fans, with some being left confused as to how it is Bond can get killed off.

Léa Seydoux and Daniel Craig in ‘No Time to Die’ (MGM)

It’s known that each actor who plays 007 plays a different version of the spy; whoever succeeds Craig will play a character who is given the name James Bond by M (Ralph Fiennes).

The rules of the Ian Fleming film adaptations were officially set in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, when Lazenby’s Bond (referencing Connery’s Bond) addressed his change in appearance by saying: “This never happened to the other fellow.”

Also in No Time to Die, composer Hans Zimmer incorporates several of John Barry’s beloved score for On Her Majesty Secret Service.

The most brazen nod to the film, though, comes when its theme, Louis Armstrong’s “All the Time in the World”, is played over the end credits. The song’s title gets name-checked in Bond’s final words to Swann, too.

It’s easy to see why Cary Joji Fukunaga felt On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was an effective counterpoint to No Time to Die.

In the Lazenby film, which is directed by Peter R Hunt, Bond is left grieving after his wife Tracy (Diana Rigg) is tragically killed. Here, it’s Swann who is left to grieve Bond himself.

No Time to Die is in UK cinemas now. It will be released in the US on 8 October.