Most critics give Never Say Never Again a moderately warm welcome, and nearly all of them locate the reason in the cast. Sean Connery’s return is the main event: the reviews find him more human than before, older and easier in the part, playing it with an irony they enjoy. Klaus Maria Brandauer’s Largo is singled out repeatedly as one of the better villains in the series, and the henchwoman Fatima Blush draws similar praise. Several critics also credit Irvin Kershner’s direction with more humour and character than these films usually manage.
The reservations fall on the script. The story is a retread of Thunderball, and more than one reviewer finds it flabby and cutesy, with Domino a weak part. The spread is fairly wide: The AV Club sees a screenplay that treats its material with thinly veiled contempt, and Empire goes further, suggesting Connery was wise to have quit the first time.