A tattered Bond stumbles on the big screen in "Quantum of Solace"
Amy Maas
Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: Life
Editor's Note: This review contains plot spoilers to the 2008 James Bond movie "Quantum of Solace." Reader beware.
"Quantum of Solace" just doesn't feel like a James Bond movie.
This is the second time Daniel Craig starred in the title role. The blond haired British actor plays a young 007 still struggling to find the secret agent within him after he was betrayed in the previous movie by his love Vesper, played by Eva Green.
"Quantum of Solace" is a sequel to "Casino Royale." If you haven't seen the first Craig 007, it might be a good thing to do before seeing this one or you will be very confused. You won't understand why Bond has to trek half way around the world to get Mathis' help, why Felix the CIA agent is brooding, why Bond is carrying around a necklace or who in the world Vesper is.
There were no fancy gadgets throughout the movie, something the films have been missing since Desmond Llewelyn, who played Q, died, and has been refused to be replaced. The movie did however have a very fancy touchscreen table that seemed to promise more nifty items, but alas, there were none.
Another trait of James Bond movies is the presence of beautiful Bond girls. Olga Kurylenko plays the gorgeous Camille looking to avenge the death of her family. And while 007 and her share a few moments over their common desire for vengeance, the couple does nothing more but shoot a few bad guys together. Unlike typical Bond fashion with the movie concluding in a steamy romances scene, at the end James and Camille go their separate ways with nothing more than a little goodbye kiss.
Bond does manage to catch one girl: Strawberry Fields, appropriately named for her red hair, played by actress Gemma Arterton.
In most other 007 films Bond is always saving the world from certain destruction, or being overtaken by bad guys. And he always manages to do so in that classy, James Bond style.
But in "Quantum of Solace" I never felt like the world was coming to an end. Sure there were people who needed water in Brazil, but the rest of the world was getting along just fine. And James gets very dirty in this movie; I mean real dirt, mud and blood dirty. He spends the majority of the movie leaping from tall buildings into windows, jumping out of planes, barely escaping explosions, and getting stabbed in the shoulder. The other Bonds always managed to keep that crisp, clean secret agent look to them even after such events. But Craig's Bond looks as if he needs stitches at the end of the movie. He does, however, manage to wear a tuxedo during one scene and I must say that James Bond still cleans up very nicely.
There is hope, however, that the movies will return to the classic Bond tradition when 007 orders his usually martini "shaken, not stirred."
So while the movie is not a traditional James Bond fare, it was a fast paced hour and a half of explosions and car chases. The best advice: wait for the DVD.
"Quantum of Solace" just doesn't feel like a James Bond movie.
This is the second time Daniel Craig starred in the title role. The blond haired British actor plays a young 007 still struggling to find the secret agent within him after he was betrayed in the previous movie by his love Vesper, played by Eva Green.
"Quantum of Solace" is a sequel to "Casino Royale." If you haven't seen the first Craig 007, it might be a good thing to do before seeing this one or you will be very confused. You won't understand why Bond has to trek half way around the world to get Mathis' help, why Felix the CIA agent is brooding, why Bond is carrying around a necklace or who in the world Vesper is.
There were no fancy gadgets throughout the movie, something the films have been missing since Desmond Llewelyn, who played Q, died, and has been refused to be replaced. The movie did however have a very fancy touchscreen table that seemed to promise more nifty items, but alas, there were none.
Another trait of James Bond movies is the presence of beautiful Bond girls. Olga Kurylenko plays the gorgeous Camille looking to avenge the death of her family. And while 007 and her share a few moments over their common desire for vengeance, the couple does nothing more but shoot a few bad guys together. Unlike typical Bond fashion with the movie concluding in a steamy romances scene, at the end James and Camille go their separate ways with nothing more than a little goodbye kiss.
Bond does manage to catch one girl: Strawberry Fields, appropriately named for her red hair, played by actress Gemma Arterton.
In most other 007 films Bond is always saving the world from certain destruction, or being overtaken by bad guys. And he always manages to do so in that classy, James Bond style.
But in "Quantum of Solace" I never felt like the world was coming to an end. Sure there were people who needed water in Brazil, but the rest of the world was getting along just fine. And James gets very dirty in this movie; I mean real dirt, mud and blood dirty. He spends the majority of the movie leaping from tall buildings into windows, jumping out of planes, barely escaping explosions, and getting stabbed in the shoulder. The other Bonds always managed to keep that crisp, clean secret agent look to them even after such events. But Craig's Bond looks as if he needs stitches at the end of the movie. He does, however, manage to wear a tuxedo during one scene and I must say that James Bond still cleans up very nicely.
There is hope, however, that the movies will return to the classic Bond tradition when 007 orders his usually martini "shaken, not stirred."
So while the movie is not a traditional James Bond fare, it was a fast paced hour and a half of explosions and car chases. The best advice: wait for the DVD.
Article last update: 12/2/08 at 6:31 PM CST
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Kyle Novak
posted 12/03/08 @ 3:11 PM CST
I saw the new documentary Blue Gold : World Water Wars at Vancouver Film Festival. It depicts the real-life Bond water villains securing fresh water for personal gain at any costs. (Continued…)
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