The action was good, but I hope they don't renew contract with the Bourne 2nd assistant director for Bond 2.3. Not that the action was hard to follow, but I could've lived with less shaky camera, and would've hoped they'd kept the 2nd assistant director from 'Casino Royale'. I've only seen it once now and I find it hard to review against the other Bonds. In one hand, it was a direct sequel to Casino Royale and felt like the two movies are marred together so well, that one should watch Casino Royale before even thinking of seeing this one. But on the other hand, it didn't feel like any of the previous Bond films... and yet it did. This Bond felt even more re-booted than Casino Royale. Craig was as deadly as he was in Casino Royale, but he also had more of that Bond charm in few scenes.
Dominic Greene, played by the french actor Mathieu Amalric, felt underplayed. Really, he felt like a real wormy guy. Not some big player in the new organization Bond's been set against in this and Casino Royale. It's both a good thing and a bad thing. Take Le Chiffre from the last movie; he was really a coward, who gambled with money that didn't belong to him and was forced to set up the high stakes poker game, seen in Casino Royale. But 'Quantum of Solace's villain, Greene , didn't do much , other than trying to exchange power with some natural resources he and his organization wanted to have under their control. But it's kinda neat that after so many megalomaniacs seen in the last series, before Casino Royale came and rebooted the whole series, that we get some of these villains that could actually exist within our society.
Camille, played by Olga Kurulenko, was also a little underplayed character. One minute she's there on Bond's side, then she's not. Good background for her character though.
Along with Daniel Craig as James Bond, the best performance award goes to Dame Judi Dench, whose M seem a real genuine human being. More so than in the previous Bond's she's been in. Although she was pretty good in TWINE also. But none of her woodeness from some of the Casino Royale scenes was shown here.
If you're wondering, M really means, Mom
The theme song felt even better, when paired with the titles, done by MK12. MK12, they managed to both be traditional, introducing the female silhouettes, not seen in Casino Royale's title sequence, but also following Casino Royale's style, showing Bond in the title sequence. I also liked the different fonts MK12 had done for the different locales seen in the film. Speaking of the locations, this Bond movie was clearly maybe the most naturalistic. Every location felt like you were there, and not at the Pinewood studios, in London. It clearly shows, that unlike with most of the other Bonds, almost every location shot was actually shot on location.
Anyway, I hesitate to rank this as high as Casino Royale, and I clearly need to see it more than once. But if Casino Royale gets 5 out of 5, then quantum maybe gets 3½ out of 5 points. Or even possibly 4 points out of 5. I have not decided yet.
The biggest cons;
- Unlike with Casino Royale, which I saw 3 times in the cinema, I had moment in the cinema, when I though that maybe I won't see it again in the cinema and instead wait for the dvd release. But now that I've seen the film, I will probably see it at least once more before I wait for the dvd.
- Greene and the organization that backs up him. Maybe a little too underplayed. You don't really get the sense that this new organization is... how should I put it... that it's eeeeevil enough. Then again, it all plays against realism and the new approach to Bond movies.
Plus;
- Craig is Bond... James Bond. Even if he doesn't say it or order vodka martinis. Shaken not stirred.
- M aka Mommy, you get a real sense that she cares for and trust her number on operative
- Even though both a little underplayed, both Kurulenko and Almalric did a grand job.
- Good looking movie. The occasional shaky cam doesn't ruin it.