The character of Safin is only in the film for a handful of scenes, but Rami Malek made them quite memorable for me. With the addition of other subplots and dealing with the fact that the 007 moniker is now in use by someone else, it makes it difficult for Bond to have an easy way out. Now headed by mastermind Safin (Rami Malek), his mission is to hunt him down to end this organization. Now retired and wishing to retire, isolated, James Bond is brought back into the field one last time when the organization known as Spectre is brought back into the forefront. More than any others, I would say Casino Royale and Spectre are the most referenced throughout the course of this movie. Unlike the rest of the franchise, the Daniel Craig films are all connected to each other, and therefore No Time to Die picks up after the events of Spectre, which have large ramifications here. Here's why I believe No Time to Die is a very fitting final film for Daniel Craig. Daniel Craig and Sean Connery are definitely my two favourite portrayals of the character, but I do believe that with Casino Royale, Skyfall, and now No Time to Die, Craig was a part of more good Bond films than any other actor. I've never loved this franchise for that exact reason, but have always appreciated its legacy.
For me, there is an equal number of good and bad Bond films.
It was after that film that I decided to go back and give the entire franchise a watch. The James Bond franchise wasn't something I got into until Casino Royale hit theatres back in 2006.