‘No Time to Die’ says goodbye to James Bond, for now. Here’s what worked, and what didn’t

So they really did it. They brought a definitive close to the Daniel Craig era in “No Time to Die.” How, exactly, will be discussed in the oh-so spoiler-filled conversation below. Two of the Los Angeles Times’ film writers, Justin Chang and Michael Ordoña, got together to mull over the end (was it a master stroke or a bludgeoning with a “blunt instrument”?) and possible beginnings, and ponder what it all means ... in the world of 007.

Final warning: Many spoilers for “No Time to Die” follow.

Justin Chang: So, who saw that coming? A lot of us, I’m guessing. Going into the long-delayed, amusingly titled “No Time to Die,” the death of Daniel Craig’s James Bond always seemed like a real possibility. Even before he signed up for this fifth and final installment, Craig had been signaling his readiness to move on from Bond for years, and indeed might well have done so sooner if his version of the character hadn’t been so justly acclaimed and popular. He likely wanted the assurance of finality, as well as an ending that would complete the character’s arc in stirring fashion, fulfilling the notes of heightened seriousness and emotional depth that he brought to “Casino Royale,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Skyfall” and “Spectre.” Mission accomplished.

Is it churlish of me, then, to confess that I wish I’d liked “No Time to Die” better? That I wanted to be as moved by Bond’s last moments on that lonely island, dragging his doomed, nanobot-ravaged body to the edge of a soon-to-be-blown-to-smithereens cliff, as I was by the wholly understandable creative impulse behind it? I’ll give the filmmakers credit for