Quantum of Solace is fun but sparks originality of Casino Royale

November 16, 2008 by vongsundara 

I’ve been eagerly awaiting Quantum of Solace for a while now. It is easily the biggest movie of the 2008 holiday season now that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been delayed until next summer.

I went in with fairly high expectations, as I am a huge fan of Casino Royale’s reboot of the 007 franchise. Don’t get me wrong, I totally loved the Pierce Brosnan films, but Casino Royale was definitely more in line with where movies are headed nowadays with a lot more grit. Quantum of Solace delivered for the most part.

Daniel Craig returns as James Bond, and he is as hot as ever. He’s just the perfect muscly-ness, as I thought he was a little too bulky in Casino Royale. The Bond girl this time out if played by Olga Kurylenko, who plays Camille Montes – a secret agent herself who is out for revenge. I thought the idea of casting a Bond girl seeking revenge was a good idea, as it would allow the writers to explore James Bond’s obsession with getting revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd from the last movie. Unfortunately, this angle is only hinted at and not really fleshed out at all.

Overall, I do believe that the fact that this movie is a direct sequel of Casino Royale picking up moments after the end of the last film hurt it a bit. It’s nice to have continuity, but there obviously wasn’t much more plot they could have dissected, and this made the new film seem a little shallow plot-wise. I do like the fact that things are left a little messy at the end of this film, as I have been tired seeing Bond films where huge underground organizations are exposed and taken out in the span of one movie.

Fortunately, the action sequences make up for anything the movie may be lacking in plot. Daniel Craig is a very, very physical man, and this allows James Bond to be a much more physical and believable spy. The fights are grittier and have more weight to them than in previous Bond films (Casino Royale excluded). Comparing to Casino Royale, though, there was a little lack of imagination in the action sequences, as we all had to sit through yet another 007 boat chase sequence.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie for its action and the plot certainly didn’t get in the way and was mostly serviceable. The lead characters were hot and had good chemistry. Quantum of Solace fails to live up to Casino Royale but is a good enough extension of the franchise.

Review Score: ★★★☆☆ 

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