Quantum of Solace Review

I hadn't been to the movies for a while. Part of it was because I'm kind of poor, but mostly it was because the selection over the past few months has been even poorer. (I'm not a "High School Musical" guy, and I feel they should've stopped after "Saw III.")

Either way, it was good to get back out to the movies. This was especially true since I was excited to see "Quantum of Solace," the follow-up to 2006's "Casino Royale" and the first sequel among James Bond's 22 big-screen adventures. I even did the dorky thing I do where I gently force my girlfriend to sit through a movie related to something I want to see in theatres under the guise of "Oh, I'm watching this just to refresh my memory."

It's a good thing we sat down and watched "Casino Royale" on Friday night because I don't understand how anyone who hasn't seen it can possibly follow what's going on in "Quantum of Solace."

The story picks up about 20 minutes after the end of "Royale" with Bond (Daniel Craig) kidnapping Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) to interrogate him about the organization responsible for the death of his beloved Vesper Lynd (the much-missed Eva Green).

Eventually, Bond and his superior M (Judi Dench, who actually provides most of what comic relief there is) uncover a sinister organization named QUANTUM, which features powerful players around the entire globe. More specifically, Bond learns about a Mr. Greene (Mathieu Amalric), who is interested in buying up land in the middle of a Bolivian desert and exploiting the region's secret natural resource.

Or something. To be honest, I wasn't 100% sure what was going on most of the time. I usually don't mind (that's what repeat viewings are for) if the reason is the complexity of the plot. However, in "Quantum of Solace" (as in most globe-trotting action movies) I couldn't follow what was happening because the movie jumps from one locale to another, and introduces and kills off characters, before anyone can figure out what just happened.

Of course, too much busyness and movement isn't the worst thing in an action movie.

Unfortunately, the movie ultimately leaves a bit to be desired in that department. Don't get me wrong, the opening car chase is a showstopper, and the movie manages to cram in fantastic land, air and sea sequences. However, by the movie's final showdown, the viewer is exhausted and the finale feels a bit anticlimactic.

Another problem for me is the nature of the action sequences themselves. I know the new James Bond movies take a big bone-crunching cue from the Jason Bourne flicks, but all the quick cuts and fast-editing make it hard to figure out who's in which car and what the hell just happened. I kinda wish directors would just set the camera down 50 feet from the action and let it unfold. I don't blame director Marc Forster (who is directing his first big action movie) — this is just the way action movies are made today.

One criticism of the movie I don't agree with is that the Daniel Craig movies aren't Bond-y enough. Personally, I don't miss the overly silly gadgets and groan-inducing one-liners. It may not be what fans are used to but, in this movie, Bond is still flying around the world, bedding women, using his smarts, and kicking ass while usually wearing a suit.

Craig's performance here, as in "Royale," is rock solid. He does a nice job of conveying the stoicism the new Bond has while mixing in just the right hint of rage in his blue eyes as his character looks for revenge (he has no problem using his license to kill).

Dench is very good in her limited screen time (as usual), but Amalric is a bit of a letdown. He neither poses a realistic physical challenge to Bond, nor is he an interesting enough to make up for that. He's just a vaguely lizardy French guy.

Olga Kurylenko certainly and terrifically looks the part of a Bond girl as Camille, who joins Bond on his mission for personal reasons. However, her character's and Bond's own single-minded determination keep the two characters from clicking and make her a sort of afterthought. In fact I enjoyed watching Jeffrey Wright and Giancarlo Giannini briefly reprise their "Royale" roles more than anything Kurylenko did.

I hate to keep comparing this movie to "Royale", but I feel like the comparison is fair since the two are closely related. Basically, nothing in this movie is as good as the scene in "Royale" when Bond and Vesper meet on the train.

While I appreciate the creative risk the producers of this franchise took in making their first sequel in more than 40 years, "Quantum of Solace" ultimately falls a bit short because it feels like a chapter in a book, as opposed to a complete, standalone work.

Quantum of Solace...C+