Get Quantum of Solace from Amazon.com

So, at Bureau42, we’ve already reviewed the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace, and I’ve played the game (though I hadn’t seen the movie and the time), and reviewed that for Bureau42. However, until recently, I haven’t seen the movie. Thanks to the wonders of Netflix, though, I’ve finally rectified that, and so now it’s time to give my thoughts. I liked Casino Royale, and thought the game was decent. How does the movie hold up?

The Premise:

Picking up a few minutes after the end of Casino Royale, 007 has taken Mr. White (the representative of “The Organization” from the previous film) to a MI6 safe house, only for M and Bond to soon find out that White’s Organization has a deeper penetration than they suspect, not only in MI6, but in other intelligence organizations as well. Bond ends up on the trail of White’s organization, in an attempt to find out their aims and who is in charge of the thing.

(I am, of course, refraining from using spoilers in the Premise – as it is above the cut).

The Good:

The theme song, “Another Way To Die” by Jack White and Alicia Keys, kind of got panned as being not as good as “You Know My Name” – I disagree, I think it’s fine.

How quickly this film picks up on the end of the last Bond movie is not insignificant – the last Bond Film to pick up from the prior one at all was Diamonds are Forever, with Bond being in the hunt for Blofeld after the end of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. As such the film really is a continuation of Bond’s journey into becoming 007, both in terms of the subject matter of the film, in terms of Bond’s actions, and the way the film generally flows. Unlike the sharp, brutal opening credits of Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace‘s opening credits are a return to form, in terms of the kaleidoscopic naked women, as well as Bond aiming and firing his gun. While we don’t have any really classic Bond gadgets, we see a bit more sci-fi-ish tech, than the last film, though the gadgets are still stuff that’s grounded in reality (including MI6’s computer system using an interface similar to Microsoft’s Surface).

Also, I have to say it’s nice to see a Bond Film have a villain organization that endures between films again. After SPECTRE’s final appearance in Diamonds Are Forever, the remaining Bond films had lone nutcases operating with massive resources, and who are shut down entirely once the film is over (which isn’t exactly realistic.) Quantum, on the other hand, looks to be an organization, like SPECTRE, that could give 007 & MI6 (as well as Felix Leiter and the CIA), a run for their money for several years to come.

The Bad:

The film has a lot of references to Casino Royale, not just to Vesper, but to Mathis as well. If you don’t remember the movie very well, it would probably be a very good idea to give the movie another viewing  as a refresher. Also, something bugged me about M and Bond’s interactions – I don’t know if it had to do with M chewing out Bond for killing leads in self defense, or Bond not telling M that the reason he killed the leads was to defend himself, but either way, it bugged me. Otherwise, though, Dench and Craig carried over their excellent chemistry from Casino Royale.

The Ugly:

I have one pet peeve with Bond movies, just about all the Bond Movies. I understand that the movies are supposed to focus around James Bond – dangerous, resourceful, suave and debonair super-spy. But would it kill them to have Bond have an opposite number (no pun intended) in another service who either wasn’t trying to kill him (The Spy Who Loved Me) or ended up in his pants (The Spy Who Loved Me, Tomorrow Never Dies, Die Another Day). In the case of this film there isn’t particularly anyone who can keep up with Bond. Not in the CIA, not in Quantum, not in MI6.

The Verdict:

This is a good movie. Not just, say, one of the best Bond movies in the past few years (though it is) – it’s an overall good film. If you liked Casino Royale, you’ll probably like this, and I do reccomend seeing it. If you have Blu-Ray, that would be the way to go for the film (I watched it on Blu-Ray, which is why my afflilate links are to the Blu-Ray versions). I strongly reccomend giving this film a shot. You won’t be disappointed.