James Bond returns in the first direct sequel made to a Bond film. Quantum appears to have garnered some very negative reviews and after watching it I can only scratch my head and wonder why. Sure, it’s not as good as Casino Royale, but it does do a good job of cementing Daniel Craig as the man who can wear Connery’s shoes.
Since Quantum of Solace is a direct sequel to Casino Royale, it’s imperative that you watch that movie first. Perhaps even watch it again before you see this one. That may have been why I read so many bad reviews of Quantum, from the bloggish (Dudes, it sucks!) to the professional.
I rarely venture to the theatre anymore so I was expecting the worst when I put Quantum into the DVD player. Once the film was over I just had to scratch my head and wonder what negative thoughts those other reviewers have been thinking when watching the film.
I thought it a worthy follow-up to the Casino Royale and certainly highlighted Craig’s vicious and cunning Bond. Quantum takes up right after the end of Casino Royal and finds Bond (Daniel Craig) taking in the captured Mr. White (Jesper Christiansen) to be interrogated by M (Judi Dench).
The captured villain reveals that he’s part of an organization called Quantum. The interrogation doesn’t end as planned since Quantum appears to have agents everywhere. M barely escaped alive and Bond has to chase down and kill a turncoat.
Quantum is an unknown commodity to MI6 and Bond is sent out to find more about the mysterious organization. His search leads him to environmentalist Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric). He will also meet up with Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko) who is on a mission of revenge just as Bond is.
Is Quantum as good as Royale? Well, Quantum comes in just a hair under Royale, but it’s still full of action and intrigue. Many of the reviews groused that Q and Moneypenny were absent this time around but I’d say that the filmmakers tried to make some homage to the older films while not trying to look like it.
For example, the finale of the film takes place in a solar powered hotel in the desert. The design of the hotel is pure Ken Adam’s Bond villain lair, but it’s not supposed to serve that purpose in the film. For you greenies out there, the place explodes so easily it really makes me fearful to solar power my house. A Bond girl also gets covered in oil in homage to Goldfinger, but it’s over so quick that it might escape you.
Quantum is the first time that a direct sequel has been made to a Bond film, though some have referred back to others (such as Bond’s want for revenge from events in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service referenced in Diamonds are Forever and For Your Eyes Only).
Daniel Craig also goes back to the age of Connery with his gritty, brutal portrayal of Bond. His Bond is really growing on me and makes me hope that he stays in the role for quite some time.
Judi Dench also plays against Craig well as the hardnosed M. It wouldn’t be a Bond film without beautiful women and bad guys. Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton are the girls in question and it seems like Bond only has time for two of them rather than the usual bevy of beauties since he’s dead-set on revenge.
Mathieu Amalric makes a decent villain but is pushed to the background and seems to loose his threat. He’s also saddled with a henchman (Anatole Taubman) who has a bowl haircut and appears to have more in common with Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd.
Quantum is teased throughout the film and we really don’t learn much about this mysterious organization. It sure seems like a renamed SPECTRE to me - perhaps to avoid any potential lawsuits from the McClory estate?
Greene’s evil plot also doesn’t seem as devious as Bond villains of the past either. However, some of those complaints aside, Quantum of Solace is an action packed Bond thrill ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s best seen after Casino though.
Quantum of Solace is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.
Special features feel a bit fluffy and I smell a double dip coming someday (ala Casino Royale coming out in a Collector’s Edition to coincide with the release of Quantum into theaters).
Disc one contains the 4-minute “Another Day to Die” music video, the 2-minute teaser trailer, and the 2-minute theatrical trailer. Disc two starts off with the 24-minute “Bond on Location” which details the exotic places the production went to for the film.
The rest of the featurettes appears to have been shot for the film’s promotional website, “Start of Shooting” (3 minutes), “On Location” (3 minutes) which actually is a shorter version of the 24 minute one, “Olga Kurylenko and the boat chase” (2 minutes), “Director Marc Forster (2 minutes), and “The Music” (2 minutes). Finally, you get 46 minutes of “Crew Files” which are like video diaries by crewmembers.
Quantum of Solace is a bridging film and seems to set up Bond for a showdown with the mysterious Quantum organization. Wonder if it’s run by a guy with an affinity for white cats? I had a great time adventuring with Mr. Bond and don’t see what all the bad press was about.
I look forward to seeing Craig’s third outing as the eternal agent and hope that the filmmakers don’t take the criticism to heart and try and redo Moonraker next go round.
Quantum of Solace (Two-Disc Special Edition) is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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