QoS - SPOILERS

[neglet]

Finally caught this on Sunday with Jr. I think I have some of the same complaints as the rest of you--shaky, confusing editing in parts of the action sequences, a minor villain, the horrible title sequence (deserts I get, but what was with all the space/longitudinal points imagery?), and a need for a little more story between the early action sequences.

Still, there were some very good points as well. I agree that Craig and Dench were superb, and the Bond girls were good, strong additions (loved the "Oilfinger" homage!). I thought the film got stronger as it went on, once we had a chance to get into the story, and I thought the "Tosca" opera sequence was one of the most striking I've ever seen/heard in a Bond film. First, we get Bond back in a tux, he does some taunting (yay!), and then we get those cuts between the operatic climax and his fights. Bliss!

So I didn't think QoS was nearly as good as CR, but it was an enjoyable enough sequel with some really strong bits in it. I might be seeing it again with the whole fam-damily at Thanksgiving.

[WhiteKnight]

I saw it three times opening day, and it got better each time I watched it. It's nowhere near the film Casino Royale was, but for some reason I'm still happy with it.

I don't usually go the review route, but I've been thinking about starting to do them for the newspaper I work at, and I couldn't have found a better test audience than you lot if I tried. I'll know you're being honest if you say I've done well, and I'll know you're being honest, perhaps brutally so, if say otherwise.

Thought I'd wait awhile to post this so as not to spoil anything for those who haven't seen it. Plus I haven't really decided if I want to committ to writing one of these per week from now to Doomsday, so it was best to wait.

Daniel Craig’s second outing as Ian Fleming’s super spy will offer little “Solace” to fans who appreciated the return of the more character driven Bond adventure in 2006’s “Casino Royale.”

The first direct sequel in franchise history picks up minutes after the conclusion of Casino Royale, with Bond in a frantic car chase through Sienna, Italy, the shadowy Mr. White (Jesper Christensen reprising his role from Casino Royale) locked in the trunk.

It’s made clear to the audience from the opening frame this will not be their parents’ or grandparents' Bond film. Absent from its proper location is the famed opening gunbarrel (it inexplicably appears just prior to the closing credits, much to the chargin of this reviewer and a legion of long time fans), and the quick cut editing style utilized during the opening chase is more than vaugely reminiscent of another popular spy franchise; the Bourne Series.

During one of the film’s rare instances of respite, “M,” reprised again by Dame Judi Dench, tells Bond “It would be a pretty cold bastard who didn’t want revenge for the death of someone he loved,” and that she needs to know she can trust him not to make this latest assignment personal.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” he replies, whilst his true motivations remain hidden, both to M and to the audience.

Bond and M begin their interrogation of White, who laughs at MI6’s lack of information about his organization. Following an ominous proclamation that “we have people everywhere,” White escapes when an agent assigned to “M’s” security detail attempts to assassinate her. She escapes, and Bond gives chase to the agent across the rooftops of Sienna with the The Palio di Siena horserace serving as a backdrop.

The breakneck pace of the film does not slow again until the middle of the second act, and on first viewing audience members will struggle to comprehend the sparse pieces of exposition holding the plot together between action sequences. Repeat viewings will reveal, however, a more carefully crafted story than apparent at first glance, though it is still lacking in the characterization that made Casino Royale such an entertaining and engaging endeavor.

References to the character of Vesper, Bond’s love interest from the previous film, are evident, but not abundant, which is disappointing considering the title of the film, “Quantum of Solace,” clearly advertises a story rich with inner turmoil resulting from her betrayal of Bond and her subsequent demise in the previous film. The best audiences are afforded is an all too brief scene where Bond drinks a “Vesper” martini and another short exchange between Bond and Camille, where the later asks if Bond lost someone and whether or not he caught whoever did it.

Where the film lacks in characterization, it makes up for in visual style and what is arguably the best motion picture score to come out of the Bond franchise.

The director, German-Swiss filmmaker Marc Forster, entirely recreates the landscape of the Bond film by having the scenery onscreen match the mindsets of the characters caught up in the story. While certainly not a new concept in the art of film, its first usage in a Bond film is cleverly conceived and extremely well executed. Of note are scenes on the floating stage of the Tosca Opera, where a firefight that erupts is inner cut with scenes from the opera.

David Arnold’s fifth outing as composer is clearly his best. The cues lend a sense of the familiar, but do so without being exact replicas from other films, something that plaqued Arnold’s earlier entries. Surprisingly the sparse use of the James Bond theme functions well in this second outing by Daniel Craig. Arnold, much like he did in Casino Royale, teases audiences repeatedly by arranging a few notes of the theme here and there, but only incorporates the entire theme when end credits begin to roll.

Another area where the film is not lacking is in action sequences. In addition to the pre-title car chase, audiences are treated to a boat chase and an aerial chase through the desert. As the film progresses, the quick cut editing style is less of an affront. Whether this is because the audience has developed a quicker eye or the filmmakers at some point caught on to their mistake is anyone’s guess.

Craig injects a little more humor into 007 in his second outing, and while one could argue it inappropriate for this stage in the character’s development it still comes as a welcome return from the near deadpan Bond seen in Casino Royale. Craig also appears slightly more confident in the role and on the whole delivers a performance that is at least on par with that of his debut.

Ukrainian born Olga Kurylenko does well enough in her role as Bond girl Camille, but much like costar Gemma Arterton, doesn’t get much of an opportunity to shine.

On the whole, Quantum of Solace is a mediocre to solid entry into the nearly half century old franchise. Its biggest failing is that it is entirely too short a film to incorporate the characterization that made its predecessor such a success. Hopefully it's an oversight producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will correct now that the medling executives at Sony are taking their leave of the Bond franchise, hopefully for good this time.

That last bit was more for you all than anything. I'm guessing most of you are as happy as I am that Sony is going to have to keep their grubby paws off our franchise.

[neglet]

That's well written, WK, although I wonder if any newspaper these days has movie reviews that long.

[WhiteKnight]

Least of all the ones like mine that have a circulation of under 13,000. Typically we only run reviews from the AP Wire and even then only once a month on the Lifestyles page. That's at least part of the reason I've not brought the idea up with my editor.

Glad you think it's well written, Negs. That means alot coming from the person carrying the grammar paddle.

[Daltons Chin Dimple]

What I have found, and it has been nearly a month since my first viewing on Oct 31st, is that it moves at such a pace that there are so many little points and flourishes I missed first, and even second, time round. Some things I particularly enjoyed include :

-"Time to get out" and "Try not to bleed to death."

-A very rattled M in Mitchell's London apartment, especially the comment on Christmas presents.

-Bond stabbing the guy in his main artery in the leg then calmly checking the victims pulse weakening.

-The Universal Exports card, and the cover name "Robert Sterling".

-"We're teachers on a sabbatical, and we've just won the lottery."

-The way Bond eventually deals with Greene.

-The fact that Camille and he part company, rather than have the usual moment.

-The sheer, total menace of Bond when he confronts the Algerian.

Again, I still think it could have been 15 minutes longer and used this 15 minutes to slow down very slightly and develop a couple of points.

[WhiteKnight]

I'd go 20 min to half an hour longer. It was just too damn short, and it shouldn't have been balls out action considering where the character was supposed to be at this point in the story.

[Daltons Chin Dimple]

I kind of missed a lot of the details in the orgy of action. It takes a few more viewings to get all the details.