Quantum of Solace

When reviewing a film in a series among many others, with various actors playing the lead, a variety of styles expressed by directors, and countless screenwriters dabbing and polishing scripts, it's hard not to think of the film's predecessors.  In the case of Quantum of Solace, the 007 flick, I'll avoid comparison to all but Casino Royale, and even that will have its limits.

The film picks up right where Casino Royale left off, our beloved James Bond vengeful and angry over the betrayal and death of Vespa, stopping at nothing (and I mean nothing) to bring those responsible to the same fate.  Very dramatic.

As expected, Daniel Craig is ever so charming as the gentleman spy, delivering those cheesy one liners with the usual British dryness.  M is the same, which suits me since I love Dame Judy Dench, the women are the same, and gorgeous cars are all the same.  Overall, I liked it and didn't mind the shortness of the film one bit-- I only needed to take one bathroom break.

The complaints from fans and critics involve both the length and lack of content in the film; Quantum of Solace has more of an action feel, and many believe it does not align well with the character of James Bond, plus it is the shortest Bond film ever made.  For me, that was a relief, since I found most of the Bond films tiresom.  What little action they had could be compared to a wet blanket.  All insults aside, yes, the content level with story and character development lacked in the new Bond, but here's why:

This isn't a separate story with a new mission, new villain, and new characters.  Quantum is a continuation of Casino Royale, and thus the introductions, development, and motivation have all been presented in the first film.  As a result, the second is a whirlwind for Bond and is a whirlwind for the audience, following James's emotions and 'shoot first ask questions later' attitude based on the death of Vespa.  In other words, it's supposed to have more action-- it's the climax of the first story.

One side note: the song is terrible.  Whoever thought putting Alicia Keyes and Jack White together was a good idea is responsible for my ears bleeding during the opening credits.  My husband and I turned to each other and silently asked, "What the hell?"  Overall, those credits were the biggest disappointment of the film.  I loved the song and opening for Casino Royale, and appreciated someone thinking outside the box instead of sticking to the same naked female silhouettes seen in EVERY SINGE JAMES BOND FILM EVER!

I predict the third Daniel Craig/James Bond installment will have much more of the flare and technique of the originals, especially since Quantum ended with the introduction of a new mystery.  Not to mention, the critic and fan complaints will influence the next film as well.  If you're a die hard James Bond film fan, you will most likely be disappointed; if you enjoy a good action flick, liked the Pierce Brosnan Bond and Casino Royale, this is worth a trip to the theater.