So I saw the new James Bond movie
Quantum of Solace last weekend when it opened with Brandy. I know that my reader(s) fall into two categories: those with short attention spans, and those with longer ones. So let me split my review into two - a short one and a long one!
First, the short answer: It was a good movie - but not as good as
Casino Royale. Go see it anyway.
So, now for the long one...
First, let me disclaim that I like Bond movies. A lot. Even when they aren't particularly good, there's something about them that I really like. And
Quantum is no exception. And perhaps that is the problem - it felt like all the other Bond movies.
Casino Royale was
different from other Bond movies. Way different. It was darker, grittier. It relied less on cool gadgets and more on a cool Bond. And I think this difference made the movie stand out so much. In contrast,
Quantum felt like every other Bond movie (to a large extent). I could see Pierce
Brosnan as Bond in
Quantum, where I couldn't in
Casino Royale. So if you go in expecting
Casino you're probably going to leave with
Goldeneye. And that's not entirely a bad thing.
So specifically (and spoiler-free... mostly) what did I like? Well, first enough cannot be said about the awesomeness of
Daniel Craig and
Judi Dench. I've thought that Dench was the best M since she showed up, and Craig is quickly rising on my favorite Bond list. Most people feel Sean Connery is the ultimate Bond - and I am not going to argue that - but Craig may be usurping the second slot previously held by Pierce Brosnan (although I'll be watching Goldeneye again this weekend, so we'll see how that holds up). The other major plus I give the movie is the attempt to give Bond an actual recurring villain in the
evil group Quantum. I've been hoping for this for years, ever since Bond brought down
SPECTRE long ago. I think it gives James a much better motive, and builds some continuity and development to the series.
Now the negatives. My biggest problem can really be summed up by pointing to the change in Director between
Casino Royale and
Quantum of Solace. I think this change ended up altering the atmosphere of the movie, which I think lessened the drama. Additionally, the director
Mike Forster tried to get too cute with the cinematography. Every Bond has a few chase scenes, but I felt that
Quantum had one chase scene, followed by a short conversation, followed by another chase scene. Instead of adding tension, it bored me. These types of directing choices I think hurt the movie.
One other thing this impresses upon me is the writing ability of Ian Fleming, the creator of Bond. The early Bond movies were based upon his novels, but the later ones - including all of the Brosnan movies - were not.
Casino Royale was.
Quantum of Solace was not. Noticing a pattern? I think I will start searching out these books to try and figure out why Fleming's novels have adapted so well to the big screen.
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