Editing Never Say Never Again (section)

===Retrospective reviews===
Because ''Never Say Never Again'' is not an Eon-produced film, it has not been included in a number of subsequent reviews. Norman Wilner of [[MSN]] said that 1967's ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' and ''Never Say Never Again'' "exist outside the 'official' continuity, [and] are excluded from this list, just as they're absent from [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM's]] megabox. But take my word for it; they're both pretty awful".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.sympatico.msn.ca/features/ArticleNormanWilner.aspx?cp-documentid=436189|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119210839/http://movies.sympatico.msn.ca/features/ArticleNormanWilner.aspx?cp-documentid=436189|archive-date=19 January 2008|title=Rating the Spy Game|publisher=[[MSN]]|author=Norman Wilner|access-date=4 March 2008}}</ref> Nevertheless, retrospective reviews of the film remain positive. [[Rotten Tomatoes]] sampled 55 critics and judged 71% of the reviews as positive, with a top critics' rating of 70%. The site's critical consensus reads: "While the rehashed story feels rather uninspired and unnecessary, the return of both Sean Connery and a more understated Bond make ''Never Say Never Again'' a watchable retread."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/never_say_never_again/ |title=Never Say Never Again (1983) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=25 September 2021 |archive-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202085842/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/never_say_never_again |url-status=live }}</ref> The score is still more positive than some of the Eon films, with Rotten Tomatoes ranking ''Never Say Never Again'' 16th among all Bond films in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ryan |first=Tim |title=Total Recall: James Bond Countdown – Find Out Where Quantum of Solace Fits In! |date=18 November 2008 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Flixster]] |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quantum_of_solace/news/1780008/3/total_recall_james_bond_countdown_--_find_out_where_quantum_of_solace_fits_in/ |access-date=5 September 2011 |archive-date=4 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204034732/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quantum_of_solace/news/1780008/3/total_recall_james_bond_countdown_--_find_out_where_quantum_of_solace_fits_in/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating generally favourable reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/never-say-never-again |title=Never Say Never Again Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=30 June 2018 |archive-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220200305/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/never-say-never-again |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' gave the film three of a possible five stars, observing that "Connery was perhaps wise to call it quits the first time round".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=16415 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024230324/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=16415 | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 October 2011 | title=Never Say Never Again| work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | access-date=31 August 2011 }}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' gave ''Never Say Never Again'' a score of five out of ten, claiming that the film "is more miss than hit".<ref name="IGN 2009">{{cite web|title=Never Say Never Again Blu-ray Review|url=http://uk.bluray.ign.com/articles/966/966769p1.html|website=[[IGN]]|first=Phil|last=Pirrello|access-date=31 August 2011|date=26 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008233220/http://uk.bluray.ign.com/articles/966/966769p1.html|archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref> The reviewer also thought that the film was "marred with too many clunky exposition scenes and not enough moments of Bond being Bond".<ref name="IGN 2009"/>

In 1995, Michael Sauter of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' rated ''Never Say Never Again'' as the ninth best Bond film to that point, after 17 films had been released. Sauter thought the film "is successful only as a portrait of an over-the-hill superhero." He admitted that "even past his prime, Connery proves that nobody does it better".<ref name="EW">{{cite magazine | url= https://ew.com/article/2008/07/01/best-and-worst-bond-films/ | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080929034740/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20208340,00.html | url-status= live | archive-date= 29 September 2008 |first=Michael |last= Sauter | title= Playing The Bond Market | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=1 July 2008 | access-date=31 August 2011}}</ref> [[James Berardinelli]], in his review of '' Never Say Never Again'', thinks the re-writing of the ''Thunderball'' story has led to a film which has "a hokey, jokey feel, [it] is possibly the worst-written Bond script of all".<ref name="Berardinelli (1996)">{{cite web |first=James |last=Berardinelli |author-link=James Berardinelli |title=Never Say Never Again |publisher=[[ReelViews]] |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/n/never_say.html |access-date=31 August 2011 |year=1996 |archive-date=16 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116095103/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/n/never_say.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Berardinelli concludes that "it's a major disappointment that, having lured back the original 007, the film makers couldn't offer him something better than this drawn-out, hackneyed story."<ref name="Berardinelli (1996)"/> Critic [[Danny Peary]] wrote that "it was great to see Sean Connery return as James Bond after a dozen years".{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}} He also thought the supporting cast was good, saying that Klaus Maria Brandauer's Largo was "neurotic, vulnerable&nbsp;... one of the most complex of Bond's foes"{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}} and that Barbara Carrera and Kim Basinger "make lasting impressions."{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}} Peary also wrote that the "film is exotic, well acted, and stylishly directed&nbsp;... It would be one of the best Bond films if the finale weren't disappointing. When will filmmakers realize that underwater fight scenes don't work because viewers usually can't tell the hero and villain apart and they know doubles are being used?"{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}}

Jim Smith and Stephen Lavington, in their 2002 retrospective ''Bond Films'', lament: "The production chaos is visible on screen, with frequently mediocre editing, direction, stunt work and photography all emerging from the restricted budget. [...] At the time, ''Never Say Never Again'' got away with it, thanks to public and critical pleasure at seeing Connery again. Now it is dated, slow and (worst of all) looks cheap, faring badly when compared to even the poorest of the Eon films."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Jim |last2=Lavington |first2=Stephen |title=Bond Films |date=2002 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-7535-0709-9 |location=London |pages=200}}</ref>