Quantum of Solace… hmmm… not sure about that title.
After Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace stumbles slightly. The 2006 re-imagination of Bond employed Daniel Craig to remove the camp and some of the set pieces from the franchise. Quantum of Solace continues the new attitude and Craig, marvelous choices that don’t save the weaker story. Maybe the 24-like step of starting this movie just minutes after the end of Casino Royale emboldened the new-to-the-franchise director to believe he could skimp on the plot? I’m being harsh, but I’m a Bond fan (like so many) and react poorly to being disappointed.
The juxtaposition of Bond’s actions and his surroundings bothered me in Quantum of Solace. Examples included chasing an infiltrator through Siena during the Palio, and escaping from the opera during the climax of the glitzy staged performance of Tosca. In the past, Bond commonly would get mixed up in different famous locales and events. But it was an immersion, not a back-and-forth jumpcut contrast. I found myself thinking of The Bourne Ultimatum, especially Bourne’s fight in Tangiers. I enjoy the technique in spurts, but it’s exhausting when overdone. Also, who’s borrowing from whom?
Metacritic drops a 58 on the film, meaning “mixed or average reviews.” I’d certainly go with mixed.
And I still don’t get the title.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Aaron Newton // Nov 24, 2008 at 11:20 am
Yeah. I had high hopes for this one after the last flick. It’s like I say about music. If a new band shows up with an amazing album, wait and see if the second one is better or worse. Better: The band has staying power and will be on your watch list for a decade. Worse: don’t by another record from them as each one will sully the fine opinion you have of the first.
2 Movie: Defiance // Dec 31, 2008 at 8:26 pm
[...] an early preview of Defiance a few weeks ago. Shortly after seeing Daniel Craig as James Bond in Quantum of Solace, the quiet Brit plays Tuvia Bielski, leader of a Jewish resistance group in World War II. One more [...]
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