*** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

I enjoyed this one more than "Casino Royale" too. I'm looking forward to future films with Craig. He's fast becoming my favorite James Bond.






Crawdaddy

Quantum of Solace quick review

I really liked Casino Royale, and I like bond movies in general. My hopes were way high after the bar was set on the previous installment.
My high hopes were shot down quickly.
The movie is all action, no character development. I didn't care about the bond girl, the villians, or even Bond in this one.
The action scenes are haphazardly put together, sometimes I couldn't even tell what was happening. And apparently, the villians lair has zero guards, and is made of paper mache soaked in gassoline. I say this because EVERYTHING inside blows up.
As for the plot...something about water.
After Casino put Bond in somewhat realistic situations, and everthing played out from point A to point B, this one is over the top. It represents everything I started to dislike about Bond. Over the top action scenes where Bond isn't even hurt. I won't give anything away, but he must be the Terminator to walk away from some of this stuff. The other movie established that Bond could be hurt, this one throws that out the window.
There are a few scenes that were cool, but for the most part it was a HUGE dissapointment.

C-

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Bond, James ....Bourne?

Saw the new 007 film last night and though it's a very well made film, IMHO it just doesn't have the necessary Bond "flavor" needed for a 007 film.

My first disappointment came with the missing gunbarrel sequence with Bond walking, firing into the camera, and the red blood curtain falling down... (yes, I know that a "version" of this is on the closing credits... but again, this is something we expect and want at the beginning of a Bond film).

Daniel Craig as Bond is a great actor and to me he is one of the best actors to fill in 007's shoes, right beside Sean Connery.

Judi Dench's role as M seemed like a lot of her scenes ended up in the cutting room floor. She just wasn't as forceful here as in previous films probably due to this.

The title song by Jack White and Alicia Keys, "Another Way To Die"..... UGGHHH! (need I say more).... definitely not a memorable Bond theme.

The opening credit sequence was so lame..... Maurice Binder, we miss you!

The action seemed like that of a Bourne film, in fact the opening sequence reminded me so much of THE BOURNE SUPREMACY it was disturbing.

The villain is disposed of basically off camera, and you don't get the payoff you expect at the end.

There are some nice touches though... without giving away any spoilers, look for some references (direct or indirectly) to previous Bond films including GOLDFINGER and LIVE AND LET DIE.

Also, I'm just wondering how someone who hasn't seen CASINO ROYALE will react to this film with all the references to Vesper, since this film is basically a continuation of the previous one.

Just my 2 cents...

Raul

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

I saw this Monday night. I watched Casino Royale before going to the theater and I'm glad I did. It made it easier to understand and follow.

I thought the movie was just alright. The story was pretty good, when taking into account that it continues where Casino Royale ended. But mainly, I had a problem with the quick cuts during the action sequences. I agree 100% with you, Raul. Several times I felt like I was watching a Bourne movie. That's not something you want to be thinking when you see a Bond movie. If not for that, I would have enjoyed the movie a lot more.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

- Well below the level of "Casino Royale."

- First half felt like a Brosnan Bond film. Bad deal.

- I liked the title song a great deal, while the main credit sequence to go along with the song was only so-so.

- They took the quick editing of the Bourne series to a different level. Sometimes that worked, but mostly it didn't.

- Craig wasn't Bond, but the Terminator.

- Lame villain and Bond girls.

- Very nice locations!

- I loved the Tosca sequence in Austria. Best part of the entire film. Bond and Greene locking in on each other...wow! That was a great moment.

- This one felt LONGER than "Casino Royale" to me.

- Ending felt...lackluster. Not the Russia part (that worked), but the hotel being blown up bit just didn't have any kick to it.

- B+ overall

- Mostly, I was shocked by how common the action sequences were. NONE OF THEM STOOD OUT. Think of the opening of "Casino Royale" with all the jumping around that construction site or the airport battle. Those stood out. I can remember the different movements of those sequences. "QOS" just didn't have much to remember. It plowed right over and through any meaningful or well executed moments.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Agree - Not much of a plot here, unless it's Charles Bronson going after the Bilderberg Group. There are some fun things to see, but this retooling of Bond is empty on paper.

The Ms. Fields Goldfinger Ripoff is really lame.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Meh, nothing more than a poorly edited standard action film. They've excised nearly everything that makes a Bond film a Bond film in the first place, and unlike Casino Royal there are no reasons for the changes and omissions.

Now--despite it's poor editing, it isn't a bad action movie, I'd say it was a pretty good action movie. But it's not a Bond film so fuck you too movie producers.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Disappointed by some aspects of it but on the whole rather enjoyed it. It does feel like the scrappy middle of a trilogy, hopefully the next one will bring back some of the old 007 magic.

I saw it last night, here's my review which was posted elsewhere on the forum -

The film hits the ground running with a frenetic car chase, followed by a foot chase and more car chases and boat chases and plane chases and explosions and on and on for 100mins. The shortest Bond film barely pauses for breath before another action scene begins, the film doesn't feel short because it's packed with incident, you get your money's worth.

This must be the first time in a Bond movie that 007 doesn't utter his famous line "Bond, James Bond" and you don't hear the Bond theme until the end credits! What is happening to the Bond series? The franchise has to evolve, change with the times but the Bond films weren't just about action and incredible stunts, they existed in a fantasy spy world of crazy gadgets, fast cars, gorgeous girls, exotic locations, throwaway quips and nutjob pussy-stroking maniacal villains.



In Quantum of Solace 007 is out for revenge and kills everything in his path, an almost indestructible MI6 terminator. In one scene Bond is taken away by 4 armed guards, they get in an elevator. Bond suddenly goes berserk and in a blur of furious motion knocks all four out cold, Jason Bourne would have been impressed. Daniel Craig is the perfect Bond for these films, he is totally believable as a cold blooded killing machine, but I hope he lightens up in the next one.

New Bond girl Olga Kurylenko is sexy and pretty but isn't as memorable as previous Bond babes, she isn't in enough of the film to make much of an impression. The main villain Mathieu Amalric bulges his eyes a lot but joins a growing roster of feeble Bond villains going all the way back to 1981's For Your Eyes Only. Where are the Scaramangas? The Largos? The Blofelds? Maybe in the next installment we'll finally get to see who's been pulling the strings on the snivelling smarmy villains seen in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and it'd be great if we see him sitting at the head of a long table, bald head, scarred face, stroking a white cat and ordering his minions to "Kill Bond now!"

As a James Bond film it's a little disappointing, as a thrilling action movie it has few equals. 4 out of 5.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

I enjoyed it. Its just a hair below CR. And the plot was fine - the no plot comments are puzzling.

One thing for sure - Craig owns the Bond role.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

I must be the only person here who was actually dissappointed in this. In fact, very dissappointed.

"Quantum of Solace" wasn't really -bad-, I mean there are far worse things that I've seen. And it had some good action. But it wasn't a Bond film. Yes, characters named, etc. etc. but it just wasn't a Bond film. It was a Bourne movie, pure and simple, except in my mind, it never achieved the kind of pulse-pounding that any of the Bourne films had, and because it was a Bond film, it seemed really out of sorts.

Gone are the typical cute Bond quips, asides, and in jokes. Gone are the cool gadgets, the super spy fun. In is the mercenary killer type character.

I realize this is an attempt to modernize Bond as a different kind of character then he has been in the past. And I find the role to be very well played here. But at a script level, this felt like a real letdown because it simply became "another action movie". A good action movie, not a great action movie, and when compared to the movies it is trying to emulate, it just doesn't succeed as well.

Bond at the best provides that escapist fun that this film sorely lacks. In the end, what this film really is could be summed up (IMHO) as:

A Poor man's Bourne film with a less interesting bad guy, a plot which isn't as involving or really as easy to understanding, editing that looks off, the villain is really lame and that makes motivation lacking.

It's kind of a waste (IMHO) because of how good Craig is, and when on the action is good.. but it can't salvage the rest of the fishwrap it's combined with.

C-

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

I will have to side with the "disappointed" crowd on QoS. I really like Marc Forster as a director, but he's totally wrong for the Bond franchise. He makes the mistake of amping up the chase scenes, but forgetting that these characters are human beings, not just time-fillers for an uninteresting thread-bare plot. There are quite a few brutal action scenes that need to show us that Bond is still human and not so Terminator-like because once Bond dispatches people, he just never seems to take a deep breath and say to himself "Blimey, I could have been killed..." and just moves on to the next plot point far too efficiently when no one is supposedly around him, it's like Bond is even aware of the camera following his every move, and afraid to not look cold and ruthless. Also, for some odd reason, I just find Daniel Craig's chemistry with practically anyone in the cast to be nill and lacking in charm (save for Agent Fields). Perhaps playing Bond with Terminator-like mannerisms just kills whatever chemistry that could develop between the characters, even though they almost achieve some chemistry between Bond and Mathis, but it was too little too late.

The main villain, Dominic Greene, just isn't quite menacing enough, and far too uninteresting given his end game in the film, as his part in the story development is simply poor and uninvolving. I did like Camile, played by Olga Kurylenko, as she and Bond were simply two ships passing in the night, without the requisite port dockage (probably a first in the Bond franchise). But Camile's own little story never quite meshes well with Bond's own personal vendetta following the events of Casino Royale, and again, story development is rather boring.

I did laugh when I found out Agent Fields' first name in the credits: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) .

I want Q and the gadgets back in the Bond franchise, I need them. I am not all that enamored with Judi Dench as M, lose her if we have to in the next installment, I won't care. The theme song is at the bottom of the list for me in the Bond franchise as well.

Overall, the 105-minute running time felt like 125 minutes because the film drags when it's not involved with a chase scene, and that's not a good thing for a film attempting to re-vitalize the James Bond films for a new generation.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

VERY VERY bad movie

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

I liked it a hell of a lot more than I was expecting ... but it took a while.

As the film started I immediately abandoned what little hope I had for this movie. The opening car chase is, without a doubt, the very worst pre-credits sequence of any Bond film. It's so incredibly poorly edited that it's impossible to care about what was happening. And rolling into an absolutely terrible Bond theme song (the worst, in fact) didn't help matters much, either.

And things got worse from there: a foot chase and brutal fist fight that is devoid of ANY tension. Not only is it overedited to the point of incomprehension, but Marc Forster cannot resist getting pretentious with the material: cutting away to an equestrian race amidst the action. Are you freaking kidding me, Forster? If I even needed any more evidence that he was the WORST pick for this Bond film I got it in spades.

There isn't another Bond film out there as poorly directed as this.

And that's my problem with the film. Not one action sequence here is as good as anything in Casino Royale. Things DO improve in the second half with some fairly exciting setpieces (particularly the climax) but it's largely unimpressive.

Thankfully this film does begin to feel like a Bond film in the final third. From the opera house on (save for that terrible action scene here) we're in Ian Fleming territory (well, with the exception of that airplane chase I suppose, but what the hell ... I liked it) and I quickly got into the film. It took on a License to Kill vibe which was impossible to ignore and I feel like it's all the better for it. By the time we got to the final scene in the film, I was LOVING the movie. Too bad it was over by then.

I did really enjoy QoS, but it took a while. Let's get that gun barrel back to the opening (why was it ever removed?) and kick Forster to the curb. This film needed a little more breathing room around the action (100 minutes really was too damn short) and a 2 hour running time would've made it feel a little more 'paced', I think.

Glad to see Bond is still the boss and, I'll be honest, this is better than anything in any of the Jason Bourne flicks. You can see a little bit of the influence here, but not enough to bother me.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

8/10

I was a bit disappointed in this one. Most of the others have already covered the issues I had with the film. Most of all, it felt WAY longer than it's run time, and not in a good way.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Have to agree with the praise and the criticisms. Not nearly as good as CR, but better than average as an action movie.

Too much action. Which sounds crazy from me, but too much action

Craig was exceptional, and his non-action scenes saved the film from itself. I was hoping for much more than this after CR, but it still trounces the last three Brosnan Bonds.

7.5/10,
Chuck

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

CASINO ROYALE was much better than this run-of-the-mill entry. You know, it's getting really tired, this formula of Bond always being his own rebellious man and figuring "to hell with what M says". It's okay as a departure, but it's feeling like the same old same old. I just didn't get the feeling there was anything special here or anything I haven't already seen a dozen times over. Typical.

The action sequences were very badly shot, and I'd agree with reviewers who had difficulty focusing on what was supposed to be happening in them much of the time. The whole thing also felt overlong.

I also don't approve of the classic "007" opening gun barrel logo being relegated to the end credits...

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

I think QoS was very good. The action sequences were fantastically shot, with the section on the scaffolds inside the building and the ropes swinging etc being the very best.

I am not sure I understand the criticisms of no plot, for me the more layered idea, with the central and focused 'revenge' element playing inside a grander good-guys vs bad guys theme - then having some of those lines blurred or at least complicated, being very satisfying. This film had energy and, while far less humor then the 'old days', I feel like this is exactly the kind of Bond movie of these times. I would give it a solid A.

I think the director did very well, adding his sense to the locations, with nice little touches here and there, just a quick shot that clearly evoked more than just the beauty of the locations, but the essence of them to. Not overstated, nor complete, but enough to stand out (for me, at least). I am very much looking forward to watching again! Daniel Craig is darn near perfect as Bond.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

After reinvigorating Bond for a new generation, "Quantum of Solace" takes a small step backwards. As the new film jumps right into it with an elaborate car chase, the film's foremost flaw becomes readily apparent, i.e. Marc Forster is not an action director. It's a special skill set to be able to orchestrate a solid action piece, and Forster just doesn't have that yet. The scenes are staged well, but Forster shoots too close and then compensates by over editing them. It's a big old mess. Not one of the elaborate car chases, boat chases, or even airplane chase is half as exciting as the far cheaper stairwell fight in "Casino Royale." I never thought I'd say this, but Martin Campbell is sorely missed here.

When the film slows down, it starts to pick up steam. Forster is good with actors and does great building the relationship between Bond and M (the Bond girl in this is practically a throw away).

As for the ending...

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Overall, it was a passable Bond film, but it's not a worthy follow-up to "Casino Royale."

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Really disappointed in QoS. Especially having loved Casino Royale and that is a film that has the rare quality of improving with each viewing. Perhaps this one might improve?

Like many here, we had too many action sequences in the first 30 minutes that had no heart in them. It's one thing to have serious action but we need STORY and a little characterization to buy into. If we care a little about stuff, then those action moments-whether great or silly, hold more weight.

I will say Quantum improved in the final 45 minutes or so but it just never felt even. Disjointed throughout.

After the critical and fan VERY positive responses to Casino Royale & the way they re-started the franchise, this entry is a rather big letdown.

Everything was going for them. Bummer.

Not all was bad though. Loved the opera sequence? That was the film's highlight.

For me this one is just a hair better than the awful Die Another Day.

5/10.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

This movie completely lost my interest in the first 30 minutes when we went from one action scene to another without stopping to even develop a plot. It felt like Craig didn't even say 3 lines of dialog in the first half hour. That is not a Bond movie in my book. Even the worst Bond films took time to develop there plots but, this one never does. I'm not saying there was no plot because there was one and, it was all that hard to follow. They just didn't take the time to develop it that good. This was just your every run of the mill action movie with Bond thrown in for good measure. After the amazing CR I was expecting better then this. It is not a good thing when I'm replaying the new Star Trek trailer over and over in my mind during QoS because it couldn't hold my interest.

I still love Craig as Bond, I just wish he was given more to work with then what he got in QoS.

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I'm glad I re-watched Casino Royale right before going to see this. It reminded me of who all of the characters were and what was going on. But, even though I thought Casino Royale was one of the best Bonds, this was one of the worst.

The opening scene was one of the lamest I've seen in a Bond film. Not exciting at all, really.

The editing was horrible, horrible, horrible!! It was cut way too quick. I couldn't tell what was going on half the time. And, who was that guy who fell down the stairs?? It was too quick for me. And the joke fell flat consequently. And I'm nowhere near being old.

As others have stated, this was extremely short on plot, and long on generic action sequences that were uninteresting. And, were the stunts real? I have no idea. They cut so many different times in one scene (and what should have been one shot) that I couldn't see anything, and consequently, certainly couldn't get excited about anything.

It's very hard to get involved in a movie emotionally when it doesn't give you time to absorb what's going on.

The directing sucked. The editing sucked. The plot wasn't interesting. Were there Bond girls in this? Oh, yeah, they were forgettable.

This was a generic action movie that could have been released straight to DVD. It had a hard time being a Bond movie.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Honestly, now that they've gotten it out of their system, I want a cliched Bond movie with all the gadgets, Moneypenny, one-liners, and villains with physical abnormalities back. They could try to make the next movie set those things up (since this is essentially a second origin movie) but I doubt it. Overall, it was a good movie but hardly recognizable as a Bond movie.

In fact, if it didn't have a James Bond connection to it, I wonder how well it would have been received.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

I've seen better action on an episode of 24 than I did in this lifeless spy flick.

I thought Casino Royale was great. A gritty reintroduction to Bond that was still a Bond film. It contained great stunts, fun camera work, quotable lines, and a story that went somewhere. This one took out the impressive stunts, chopped up the editing, shook the camera beyond any degree of focus, and despite having your actor perform a great deal of the 'stunts' it had, the camera never showed his face. Daniel Craig may as well stayed in his trailer, it isn't like the audience would know.

Even though it ends the arc started in Casino Royale, I won't pick this up on Blu-ray.

5/10.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

My verdict: Not bad. Plenty of action. Story is a little weak. Villain was even weaker than Le Chiffre, but suddenly shows more fight at the end. Seemed a little out of character, since he really didn't do much in the film other than yack it up. Found that it seemed to drag a bit even though there was a hell of a lot of action. Still I liked that Bond was a much more efficient and ruthless killing machine in this outing. I felt that the Doube O rating that Craig's Bond has been given is really deserved, compared to almost any other of the Bonds save Connery's. I also liked that there were no smarmy lines being delivered by Bond like those that occurred in Casino Royale.

M was still too prominent in this film. The character needs to return to the bit part that it was before Dench took over. She is supposed to be the head of MI6, but keeps popping up in then dumbest places. As if the head of MI6 would be showing up outside of a Russian apartment building. That was plain stupid.

I know some people think that the Ms. Field scene was a Goldfinger rip, but I thought that it was done as a homage to that film. I didn't mind it. Opening credit sequence was rather boring looking and I still think the theme song is one of the worst yet, but oddly I didn't mind the gun barrel sequence being moved to the back. It was a bit of change in pace.

The scene I thought was the worst was the Tosca scene. It should have been a corker but it was tensionless and as a result was wasted. If it had been handled properly it could have been as good as the ice rink sequence in OHMSS. In fact, the Tosca sequence was the only point where I couldn't quite figure out what was going on when Bond was trying to escape.

All in all I didn't mind this outing, but it needed a stronger villain. I would give it a B-.

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

I loved Casino Royale. I liked Quantum of Solace, but wanted to see James Bond instead of Jason Bourne (I like those films as well).

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Another Way to Die is a terrible and simply boring theme song, but I did admire the return of the seductive silhouettes in the title sequence. Daniel Craig continues to be nothing less than superb. I love his expanding relationship with M and his interaction with Mathis. The editing is ridiculous at times. I feel like there's a much better movie somewhere in the uncut negative. The moments of true power and finesse are few and far between. Lose the extreme cuts and whiplash pacing next time. I'm glad Bond is going in a new direction, but they need to start working to bring him a little closer to the James Bond of old, rather than force him into being a Jason Bourne clone.

**1/2 out of ****

Re: *** Official QUANTUM OF SOLACE Review Thread

Watched it last night......I thought it was just an average Bond film. The action scenes were bombastic as always, but they were poorly edited so that it made it hard in spots to clearly see what was going on. The story was also relatively mundane with a main villain that looks like Roman Polanski....in otherwords, not particularly threatening. Craig was great as Bond though and that counts for something. I just wish they put him in a more interesting storyline.......meh.

6.5 / 10