I've been waiting to see Quantum of Solace for exactly two years. After seeing Casino Royale on opening day two years ago, I couldn't wait to see how Daniel Craig and the new team of writers continued what may have been one of the best Bond movies ever made. Well, last night I got to see Quantum last night and as a huge 007 fan, I liked the movie a lot. I also recommend watching Goldfinger and then Casino Royale before going.
It's opening is probably one of the most exciting in the history of the series and stands alone as an excellent sequence. What's nice is that the opening indicates that Quantum of Solace picks up essentially 10 minutes after Casino Royale ended. While it is helpful to have that link, due to the change and tone of the movie Quantum's dark overtones and even darker characters stand in stark contrast of the more clean and energetic Casino Royale.
Some of the other more noticable differences are the action scenes. Casino Royale had a few very fast-paced, short action scenes compared to the very long and numerous action scenes in Quantum that begin to hark back over-the-top action of older Bond films. To a point, the plot line gets lost due to the continuous fight scenes and the movie will inevitably leave you questioning why large holes in the plot weren't addressed(see the back story of Dominic Greeene's plot in Bolivia) in favor of fight scenes that are a little too much like the Jason Bourne series.
All in all, it's a good movie but has a very different feel to it. It's still Bond and it's still enjoyable - but he's become a very modern character, one that's visibly a broken man and somewhat of an anti-hero in how he carries out his missions. If you wanted to compare it to a previous Bond movie then look at On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It was the first movie after Connery left the role and it took the Bond series in a very different direction from what it had been. OHMSS didn't execute this transition very well but today, we see Quantum has helped to reinforce the "new 007" that revitalized the brand and character as he's evolved successfully from the joke of a character Pierce Brosnan turned him into. If you're a Bond fan or enjoyed Casino Royale then go see Quantum of Solace.
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3 comments:
I don't think it's fair to say Pierce Brosnan turned him into a joke, I always thought he was a good Bond but other then Goldeneye got stuck in some god awful movies.
I enjoyed the movie too. Not as good as Casino Royale and Greene wasn't the best villain but it's cool as hell to watch James Bond slowly become James Bond over the course of these films.
I'm so tired of people comparing it to the Bourne movies, though. It's not like the Bourne movies hold some copyright on jump cuts, shaky cam and incomprehensible action sequences. They just happen to be the only other good modern action movies to use them.
I agree Brosnan isn't at fault but the last 2 or 3 movies he made were pretty bad. Die Another Day is a disgrace not only to Bond movies but film in general. You'd think Brosnan would acknowledge that and try to move the films away from the cheesey feel the last few had.
I know it's cliche to compare Bond and Bourne but as you've mentioned, in recent years Bourne has become a new yard stick to measure an action movie. I just think that the Bond movies should diversify itself from that angle to keep Bond a more individual character, not a duplication of a similar movie.
Otherwise, I think this is a good set up for future films. It's clear that Quantum represents what SPECTRE is in the older films and we'll probably see a few movies that pit Bond against other Quantum villians.
wait, theres a new bond movie out?
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