Quantum Of Solace: 6/10 Stars

Release Date: November 14, 2008

Content Advisory: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content. There is lots of stylish, over the top action violence, complete with gunfire, explosions, car chases, and lots of scuffles. Several people are killed and some blood is occasionally seen. Bond sleeps with a woman, though we only see them talking in bed afterwards (no nudity). A woman is killed and we see her lying dead, covered in oil.

Review:

Having not seen any of the previous James Bond films, I walked into the theater not knowing barely anything about the series. I was refreshed on some major details from "Casino Royale," but other than that... I was cluless. What did I get? Hmmm... in the end, it was very hard to say...

In Short:

"Quantum of Solace" is one of those films that really makes your brain hurt. Other films that fall into this category would include "The Jason Bourne" series and now, "Quantum of Solace." This film, being a very choppy one, is switching scenes and settings nearly constantly, making the plot very hard to follow. The action sequences were edited in a fast, jutting, choppy sort of way, making them all the more dizzying, while, when there was no action taking place, the film just seemed to drag along with no real plot line. In the end, although I was eventually able to understand the main overview of the plot, I found "Quantum of Solace" stylish and action-packed, yet gritty and dry.

In Full:

What better way to begin a James Bond film than with a high-speed and choppy car chase! Without any introduction to anything whatsoever, we are immediately whisked away to a tunnel where Bond is speeding away and dodging the flying bullets of other cars following closed behind him. From there, we learn that he is out for revenge against those who killed Vesper, his supposed love from Casino Royale. But, while he's out looking for vengeance, a certain Mr. Greene is after the world's oil supply, looking for some way to rule the world. The typical Bond plot.

Daniel Craig and Ogla Kurylenko impressed me. They truly did. Their unique chemistry just seemed to flow from scene to scene with no real trips or flaws. Kurylenko brought a certain spice to the film, and added some nice fight scenes, while Craig, though I haven't seen him any of his other films, seemed to fit his role as Agent 007 perfectly. The supposed MI6 (do I have it right?) director, with her short-cut white hair, also displayed a decent performance, as well as the creepy and very shady looking Mr. Greene. The visuals were also impressive, with many high-tech explosions, fires, plane and car crashes, and many more. It was as if the film makers were trying to rub it in your face and say "Hey! This is a super high-budget movie! Look at all of the special effects we can add!"

But it wasn't the above average acting and visuals that kept Quantum of Solace from truly flying. Though many will automatically adore the film for its constant big bang action sequences, I just found it hard to truly enjoy a film with an air-thin plot. A madman is after the world's resources and James Bond wants revenge. Was it really all they could come up with? It was as if they gathered together a ton of high-tech action sequences and then just barely decided to tie them together with a plot to make the movie. Their problem? Their plot isn't even enough to tie them together in a single knot.

I also found this movie choppy and disorganized. Though the action sequences kept me on the edge of my seat, with the constant blaring music of the orchestra in the background, it felt like each scene was being filmed with a handheld camera. You're just getting a shot of Bond's car speeding down the street when it switches to another car, firing a bullet at Bond's. Then, it was back to Bond's car. And back. And forth. Though, most definetely not as realistic like as, per say, "Rachel Getting Married," "Quantum of Solace's" film style definetely did not remind me of a high-budget, multi-million dollar film, as it was made out to be.

My conclusion? If you're a die-hard fan of James Bond... why are you even reading this review? Get out there and see the movie. For those of you who really don't care either way... save it for the cheap theater or the DVD release. Though many action fans may enjoy its variety of car, plane, boat and foot chases, with a plot thinner than air and a camera style of a handheld camera, "Quantum of Solace" really doesn't offer anything new or spectacular. Rather, it's like sitting and watching a combination of action scenes, tied together with dry and draggy scenes that just never seem to end. The movie never seems to go anywhere, and when it does, you've lost enough interest to really even care anymore.