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[WC]

I saw Quantum of Solace last night, for free, as it happens. I wanted to like the movie and was excited by the prospect of seeing it, having steered clear of all spoilers (except the few that some members inadvertently posted in regular threads) and any reviews. However, despite being uninfluenced by others, I left feeling somewhat disappointed. Throughout the film, I was waiting to feel truly engaged and taken into that fictional world. Sadly, that never happened. I don't really want to repeat too much of what has been said already, but simply to offer a few of my own observations. Also, I'm not going to write a bombastic, overly-verbose review to try to show off my own intellectualism, as I simply don't have the time nor the inclination, and merely wish to comment quickly as the thoughts come to me.

1) There was no real iconic imagery in the film. I'm not talking about a Bond-by-numbers sort of iconic homage a la Die Another Day, which ended up more about touching upon every point on a checklist than having an actual plot. No, I'm referring to the fact that there was nothing particularly memorable about any of the scenes that lifted it out of the mundane and above a run-of-the-mill action flick. There were no clever, quotable or poignant lines which either challenged you or made you think. I'm not simply talking about having some witty sexual repartee between Bond and a female cohort or member of staff, but rather, something even along the lines of the dialogue in The Dark Knight. That was a dark and sombre film, and yet managed to contain a number of gems.

2) With regard to the action and drama, there was nothing that stamped an unforgettable mark on your memory. Again, this doesn't need to be a rehash of previous Bond moments. However, think even of a movie like "The Untouchables". Everyone remembers the scene with the baby buggy rolling down the stairs in Union Station. Or what about all these Hitchcock movies - the auction scene in "North by Northwest", the breakneck drive along the mountainside in "To Catch a Thief" etc. There's nothing about Quantum that makes it stand out such that you can say "oh yeah, that was the film with the (insert memorable scene here) in it.

3) Bond never truly felt in danger, and for all the attempts to revitalise him and make him more human, he ended up little different from the cardboard character he was before the reboot. In Casino Royale, he was more seriously challenged, and certainly at the mercy of Le Chiffre. Here, he simply went about business dispatching of his enemies, albeit sustaining a few nicks and bruises along the way. The fight with Dominic Greene had to be one of the most unevenly matched face-offs in Bond history, with Daniel Craig wiping the floor with this weasly upstart. I found the battle between Camille and Medrano is far more engaging and tense, as she is clearly out-muscled, yet she manages to hold her own with him by the skin of her teeth and find a way to triumph, despite being subdued at various times.

4) Storywise, although it was meant to be focussing on Bond's character, we didn't really see a real progression throughout the film. He remained fairly stoical, while the dropping of Vesper's necklace did not signify enough of a completed character arc in itself. What would have been good to see is that, although Bond is out for revenge, he completes his emotional journey before killing Greene and confronting Yusef. Perhaps, before Matthis died, they could have had a conversation along the lines of the original QOS short story where he challenges Bond on the fact that it's not the revenge in itself that will bring solace but the acceptance of Vesper's actions in the light of the circumstances and the fact that she did sincerely love him. Perhaps he could have rejected this notion at the time, but then come to that realisation himself before the big finale. Then, when he despatches with Greene, it could be simply out of a sense of duty, and finally, when he drops the necklace in the snow, this would be nothing more than a formality to show symbolically that he has let go and is ready to move on. Without some of these extra elements however, it did not really feel truly satisfying for me that I had been with Bond on a journey and watched him learn from his mistakes.

5) Despite its attempts to be more like Bourne, I felt it was actually inferior. At least, in the Bourne Ultimatum, for example, Bourne outwitted Vosen (David Strathairn) with his little diversion by sending him on a wild goose chase with his coded message to Pamela Landy. Here, Bond never seemed to demonstrate any such craftiness. Even something as small as placing the Bomb on Carlos after the airport chase in CR would have been a start. Seeing the wry expression of triumph on Craig's face when Carlos realised what had happened was priceless. There was no such moment like this here in QOS.

All in all, it was a rather uninspired affair. I did find Olga Kurylenko to be exquisitely beautiful, but it's a shame she ended up in this mediocre entry, which was certainly a step down from Casino Royale. It was better than Die Another Day, but just neither very Bondian or memorable cinema.

[HildebrandRarity]

Thanks for the review, WC.