It's Bond but not as we know it. Not much plot but stunning 'Bourne' style cinematography in the action sequences - ground-breaking. Hard, gritty Bond for a brave new world.
John C, 15/12/08
Whilst not as good as Casino Royale, the rebooting of the Bond franchise continues apace with this follow on. Craig is as brutally efficient as ever, though this time it's personal.
There are many departures from Bonds of old here but still much to link it to its heritage, from the wryly named Bond babe Strawberry Fields to the requisite gadgetry and high octane car chases. What lets the movie down is its badly shot action sequences, which are so shaky it's hard to see what exactly is happening. Only here is the typical Bond elegance lacking. Otherwise, a stellar effort proving Daniel Craig is not only the best, but the sexiest, Bond to date.
Lindsey, 24/11/08
I went into the cinema expecting to be disappointed, having read reviews about a baffling story, disappointing set pieces and too much fast-cut action. Thankfully, I thoroughly enjoyed Quantum of Solace and would definitely recommend it.
First the few flaws. This isn't the family-friendly Bond of old: the violence (particularly some scenes of sexual violence) should really bump the certificate up to at least a 15, rather than its 12A. And yes, it can sometimes be hard to follow what's going on - although a lot less hard than most blockbusters I've seen recently (and it's a film I'll happily watch again). And I can also understand how the grittier and more sombre approach of the new films may alienate a lot of the die hard Bond fans - if your favourite Bond is the light touch of the Roger Moore films this may not be the film for you.
Then the many gems. In my opinion Daniel Craig is, once again, the perfect Bond (yes, better than Connery). The villain is totally hissable, the girls are totally gorgeous (a redhead called 'Strawberry Fields' shows that the series hasn't lost its Martini-dry wit), and the style is as sharp and as classy as its ever been. But above all this, Quantum of Solace takes after Casino Royale in that it's actually a story, rather than a series of flat-pack self-assembly Bond ingredients clumsily riveted together. The key Bond ingredients are still there of course, but they don't get in the way of an intelligently-written script full of plausible characters. And for this credit must go to the writers: Bond regulars Neal Purvis & Robert Wade, and particularly (Academy Award™ winning) Paul Haggis, who is proving the perfect penmaster for the modern Bond, with a format that shows off his understated flair for dialogue and reigns in his occasional tendency to be a bit too worthy.
Yes, occasionally the characters do tend to blow things up when perhaps asking a policeman might have have been wiser, but to criticise a Bond film for such things would be like criticising a costume drama for having too many corsets: there has to be a certain amount of chases and explosions and pouts for it to be an action film, and this film delivers these about as intelligently as anyone can.
With Casino Royale the franchise set the bar very high. In the end, Quantum of Solace is just a film, and a Bond film at that, but for lovers of film (who are prepared to temper their high expectations just a little!) there's a great deal to enjoy.
James Bell, 10/11/08
Ah yes, the new Bond film. This’ll be easy. Opening car chase through exotic European location. Hair-brained plot with evil utilities oligarch who’s blackmailing south American countries over access to their natural resources. Bond defies orders and M is warned by the PM that he’s a loose canon who needs to be controlled. M trusts Bond and lets him get on with it. Baddie meets his end at the sole hands of our hero. So far, so good.
Except… this is a very different Bond character to the one we’ve all grown up with, and one that’s been more fully developed in this second Daniel Craig outing. Bond purists will no doubt lament the lack of comedy: there’s an urban myth that the witty one-liners uttered by the likes of Connery and Moore were included to mitigate the violence and ensure the film’s PG certificate. But gone are those days: Craig means to kill. He doesn’t care what happens to his victim, and neither do we.
The story picks up from the end of Casino Royale where Bond was betrayed by his “one true love” Vesper Lynd. (Did these people never see On Her Majesty’s Secret Service?) Getting some sort of solace for Lynd’s betrayal and death is Bond’s mission throughout the film, likewise his trusty sidekick Camille, who also has a personal score to settle.
Marc Foster’s direction has the wow factor of seeing the Matrix sequences for the first time. At three key moments in the plot: the opening chase sequence, Bond’s ‘revealing’ despite villain Dominic Green’s previous dictat to “Kill him”, and the final denouement, parallel action is spliced with the main storyline to leave you on the edge of your seats and I was literally breathless.
There was no emotional outpouring from Bond at the culmination of the film. All the plot lines were wound up, and our hero got his man. But Bond still has baggage, and I’d be disappointed not to see this reflected in the next film. New Bond is damaged, and if there’s to be any continuity to the franchise, we must have some sense of his character development in the next film.
The creative team have delivered a quantum of action, plot and dialogue in Bond 22. It’s a sparse film, without any fluff or gloss of the series’ golden era, but in these prudent, credit-crunch times, you cannot blame Bond for evolving.
SpecialK, 07/11/08
Quantum of Solace is a great film: though not as good as Casino Royale it is still a good Bond film.
From the landscapes to action packed scenes it is a thrilling, great movie. It may not have that much dialogue, and the whole film is centered on revenge but it is one the of the best films out this week and definitely worth the ticket's price.
I enjoyed the film, however I did feel there should have been more dialogue and the action scenes were shot to close so I could not always see what was going on.
Overall, go see it! It's a good film and makes a great night out.
Miriam, 06/11/08
Having just seen Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace back-to-back, I have no hesitation in recommending the latest film as the better. The most emotionally sophisticated, gripping, artfully directed and unpredictable thriller I've seen for a long while - which from a Bond film is most unexpected. Ignore the indifferent reviews and make your own mind up!
Edmund Crispin, 04/11/08
Bond meets Bourne in a blizzard of blurry action that leaves you shaken but not stirred.
Poor Daniel Craig. An utterly believable Bond, he's thrown himself into the reborn franchise. But even he must have been disappointed with the results. Doing his own stunts, getting battered and bruised for his pains - and then director Marc Forster cuts the action so fast it you can't see a thing. You can't even tell it's Daniel.
Fresh from directing The Kite Runner, Forster's trademark visual panache goes down the pan in the action sequences, emerging only for the widescreen shots of Sienna and the Bolivian desert. Sundrenched scenery and rain-drenched London-streets show why Forster seemed a tip-top choice. And the film's standout sequence - an eye-spy-a-spy game cum fist-fight in an opera house intercut with Tosca - reveals the poetic sensibility you'd expect from the man who directed Finding Neverland.
Quantum of Solace, though, never really finds its feet. The opening credit sequence serves as a warning of what's to come. Probably the most uninteresting title-sequence of any Bond film - and certainly the worst song - sets the tone of disappointment from the off. A confusing plot - relying too much on memories of Casino Royale - and a ho-hum script never let the film take flight. Except in the rousing airplane dogfight which hints of former glories, with sky-dive free-fall reminiscent of Moonraker.
Bond is out for revenge for the death of his lover, last seen betraying him - or did she? - in Casino Royale. M orders Bond back to base but he's not a 007 for nothing and soon there's a worldwide trail of dead bodies and dead-ends. Who's the Moriarty behind the murderous international games? Not a cat-stroking madman this time but a shadowy business organisation with an eco-warrior cover.
Traces of the 70s schtick still remain - though only one girl gets bedded. And Forster can't resist a homage to Goldfinger. Sadly, there's nothing in this new movie for future Bonds to mimic.
Bond is back. But he should leave the baneful flurry of fast-cutting action where it belongs - in the Bourne franchise.
Glenn Watson, 03/11/08
Standard Bond fare, though inferior to first Daniel Craig outing. Less gripping, maybe because compulsory section with Bond in grip of villain is missing. Action sequences were probably good but you can't see them because the director has shot them too close. This technique has been used for five or ten years by the BBC to conceal the smallness of the budget. But Bond has millions to spend and the close shooting prevents us following the action, and thus kills the tension somewhat. A terrible waste of money, terrific (no doubt) stunts and several expensive cars. An incompetent treatment of an OK script. Still, lots of people will see it because it's Bond, and because the first film was good. Recommendation: Sit further from the screen than you normally do.
The Phantom Reviewer, 02/11/08
Yesterday I went to see Quantum of Solace. Casino Royale was excellent. Quantum of Solace is the worst Bond film. The film is a complete disaster for the producers, the screenwriters and the director.
Sam, 01/11/08
I liked it. The locations are gorgeous (and not a Bullingdon Boy in sight), action packed (though a bit playstationy) and Craig is good as a risk taking (ok he says, getting into a car with a (pretty) stranger) but emotionally illiterate, high wired Bond. Dench v good as M - conscious of her boy's emotional defects. I hear Roger Moore has made some "things aint what they used to be" noises. Good. The only creepy line (when asked what she can do for him by a waitress, ansewring with a leer - what a good question, just a drink for now) comes from a baddy not from Bond. The result is a wittier, sexier film.
asia, 01/11/08
Quantum of Solace is the second Bond to feature Daniel Craig. The first, Casino Royale, was a great success, revitalising the franchise. Sadly this followup lacks the strong narrative and genuine tension of its predecessor. The mostly incoherent plot is punctuated by random action set pieces all of which are edited in such a frenetic way that they become boring to watch. The style is slavishly imitative of the Bourne movies, but what works for a "small" movie like Bourne does not work for Bond and these scenes lack any sense of danger or tension as objects lack any spatial relation to each other and you end up watching a blur. Daniel Craig is very good in the role of Bond convincing us of his relentless efficiency, especially when it comes to killing people. Directors of Bond movies I guess are under great pressure to deliver spectacle but need to remember that action divorced from story and relationships between characters is meaningless and ultimately uninteresting.
Woodwork, 01/11/08
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