Daniel Craig has returned for the final time in No Time to Die, which was released in cinemas on Thursday, six years after the previous Bond film. Here, Five readers share their reactions to the film, whether it met their expectations, and what it was like returning to the cinema.

‘Perfect to draw crowds back to the big screen’

I thought it was a fitting tribute to the end of Craig being Bond. A beautifully crafted, quintessential British-made film. It was a story that gripped me throughout. I usually fall asleep when watching a film but I watched the entire thing during the midnight showing rarely blinking. There was outstanding characterisation and acting – nostalgic and well overdue.

It’s my fourth trip [to the cinema] since the start of the pandemic; I’m lucky that I can go to my local Everyman cinema, which is never overcrowded. I don’t think I would have gone to see the other films otherwise. Having seen the Bond film, I think it’s perfect to draw back the crowds to the big screen following lockdown. Debi Bose, 51, lawyer, London

‘Really emotional’

I went to the premiere at the Royal Albert Hall – it was fantastic. The film felt like a really big finale teed up from the start. I liked it a lot, but I’m not sure it felt like a Bond movie. I enjoyed both 007s and Ana de Armas was awesome. It was also a really emotional movie – Daniel Craig has made a Bond whose journey we’ve shared and it’s sad to see him go. Safin [played by Remi Malek] was a bit disappointing at first but the more I thought about it, the more I think he doesn’t actually matter – this movie is about Bond, Madeleine [Léa Seydoux] and Mathilde [Lisa-Dorah Sonnet]. It was a very moving finale. Alex Strang, 48, Buckinghamshire

‘The busiest cinema I’ve been to’

As a longtime and perhaps unlikely fan of the franchise, for me No Time to Die was refreshing – a more sensitive, emotional Bond tempers the classic machismo and gunfire. The opening sequence made you want more, but there’s enough small moments to keep you going in a softer way. Seydoux, Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas shine, and it’s the intimacy – platonic, familial and personal – that really brings a new dimension to Bond in a film that is as much about loss as it is opportunities for new beginnings.

It was nice to see the cinema busy – I’ve been to two smaller independent venues with social distancing, but this was the busiest I’ve been to in the past 18 months. There was a mix of people wearing face coverings, and the fancier seats that are now more common in large cinemas meant it didn’t feel excessively crowded or claustrophobic. Also ventilation and air con meant it felt cool and comfortable. Lily Orset, 21, illustrator, Leeds

‘A little long’

I enjoyed it and felt it moved away from the more formulaic films – the nods to previous characters and films were more discreet and touching than previous Craig outings. It was a little long, particularly in the third act, and for that still rates below Casino Royale for me. Pete Morrison, Edinburgh

‘Quite simply the best Bond’

Quite simply the best James Bond film I’ve seen, and I’ve seen them all, many at the cinema. The plot, craft, wit, acting, production and the numerous hat tips to previous Bond films were simply brilliant. The denouement was up there with Skyfall. And the title is once again perfectly apt.

My wife and I were lucky enough to go to a screening on Wednesday as Bafta patrons at White City House – it was our first time back at the pictures. Everything was really well handled and people were respectful of personal space, and very polite and considerate. Seeing and hearing the film on the big screen was just wonderful and made me realise what a treat going to the cinema is. Andy Payne, 58, Wiltshire