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Quantum Solace (2008)
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Quantum Solace
Release Date: November 14, 2008
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content.
PLOT
Bond wants revenge on the man that forced the suicide of his beloved Vesper, Mr. White. Upon his capture and interrogation, Bond begins to realize that Mr. White is a pawn in a wide-spread organization that have a hand in everywhere (including officials) and have their own nasty agenda.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS, NOT IN PLOT, MAINLY COOL SCENES AND SUCH.
Review
Let me just start by saying yes, it lived up to the hype and yes, it was awesome! There are rarely movies that keep you captivated to the point where you don’t realize the movie is close to over and this is one of them. Sometimes the best way to fill plot holes are with straight-up dialogue, which tends to mean dull scenes, that get the need-to-knows to the audience. Yeah, this movie had none of that. If you’re interested in the story, every scene has vital information so pay attention.
The argument has been made about Daniel Craig being a blonde Bond. I saw Casino Royale for the first time some weeks ago (and had been seeing ads everywhere) and I hadn’t even realized that he IS a blonde. Thinking about why I hadn’t noticed it, the obvious came to mind: Daniel Craig = Hot. James Bond is supposed to be a charming, good-looking, bad ass … and that’s what Craig is! It’s shameful to be part of the female audience that is captivated by yet another Bond … but who cares.
Actions scenes were above average. They didn’t even wait to get into the action, thus “non-stop thrill ride” (it’s like the Hulk ride at universal … you know what I’m talking about). To start, they used practically every possible mode of transportation for actions scenes: on foot, cars, boats, planes I mean, wow. They went all out and I was not disappointed. The on-foot chases were great mainly due to one factor: STUNTS! Instead of a cop-out time lapse in place of a jumping-across-buildings stunt, they actually had very nice shots that captured the most desirable angle of the leap/fall/whatever he is doing. I do have to admit prejudice to a particular scene where Craig and Henchmen #1 fall through the glass ceiling of a building. I thought the scene was awesome and hope that more movies will put this much effort to planning/direction/editing of stunt scenes.
Car chase scenes weren’t short and enthralling. It’s a shame 10 + Aston’s were practically destroyed in the making. There were a few shaky-cam parts during the chase but not too bad to where it ruined the scenes. As for the rest of the action, you just have to see it. Hand-to-hand scenes were the most disappointing with a little too much shake.
Story wise, Quantum Solace was nothing out of the ordinary; just a tried and true plot. Dirty people are everywhere including your organization and you don’t know who they are. I enjoy movies that “keep you guessing” with plot-twists, even if it’s not all that much of a surprise sometimes.
I enjoyed the cast, Craig, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, but still have mixed feelings about Olga Kurylenko. She was recently in Max Payne and I didn’t think she was very good. I do think her and Gemma Arterton fit the Bond girl profile more than Halle Berry.
I do recommend this movie, I did like its predecessor but this is definitely the better one. I think the director did a great job considering this is his first action-thriller after a string of dramas. I was disappointed that the cool scene where Bond is coming over the horizon in his suit with a gun ISN’T IN THE MOVIE! It was just another one of those just-for-the-trailer scenes.
Also, I have not scene too many of the older bond movies with Sean Connery, just the Pierce Brosnan to current Bond’s. So my review is based on the movie as a movie, not as compared to the originals.
9 outta 10. |
18 Nov 2008 by Norma
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2 comments
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| by Robb @ 18 Nov 2008 11:52 am |
I think this is one that is going to be good for action movie fans and terrible for Bond fans. As a lifelong fan of Bond I tried but ultimately failed to seperate this movie from the character. The action sequences were cool but this felt like a Bourne-ripoff to me.
I understand they want to humanize Bond but it really destroys who Bond is. He doesn't even speak like him, there is no "Q", no gadgets, promiscuity (save one weak scene) and his vulnerability while a nice trait in most flicks is too much unlike the character I paid to see. |
| by norma @ 19 Nov 2008 09:37 am |
i definitely see the bourne-ness in it now that you mention it. I did read up on the original bond, and what his personality was originally like and i do agree that its not the same personality. but again, these are also interpretations of the character by the director/screenplay writers/actors so it does get more than watered down, rather altered.
im a sucker for good action movies. its the one genre i can watch w/o worrying about the plot being stupid. |
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