Some spoilers may follow.
It's always interesting to reflect back on the days you first saw _____enter James Bond film title here_____. I can clearly remember how my high school classes just seemed to drag on and on and on while waiting to escape to Die Another Day. On Casino Royale's debut Friday, I clearly remember just playing David Arnold's soundtrack in the car during the drive home. More than likely, I was just playing that jolting "African Rundown" again and again and again.
Today was the happiest day of the week for me--and not surprisingly. Like Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace represented that total two-hour vacation from the college course workload. And, perhaps oddly, it represented a break from Bond too. What I mean by this is that actually going to see the film is just that: the experience and the expectations hopefully being met or even surpassed. Assuming one has been following along the production of the film (I realize this applies in many different levels to fans on here), you're no longer anticipating the next trailer or set of photos, you're no longer checking out the new interview in hopes of reading something new and so on. Essentially, the wait is over and now it's time to just head into the theatre and enjoy what's on the screen.Quantum of Solace: James Bond On The Move
I enjoyed Quantum of Solace. How much so is difficult to say and I doubt I'll know for sure until I've seen it several more times on DVD. I have a feeling I'll come to really enjoy it even more.
Endless things were said about this film in the run-up to its release, but I believe the one that sticks out the most to me is calling Quantum of Solace a different sort of a Bond film. It really is. The characterization stands out the most here. Sometimes for the right reasons and sometimes because there is a need for improvement, but it nonetheless stands out.
James Bond, thanks in large part to Daniel Craig's performance, is a force of nature here. Pissed off, unfeeling and brutal, there is little that is going to stand in his way. He works his way through enemies left and right while searching for that "measure of comfort". This is a Bond that cannot sit around while 'M' & Co. decide how to best make their next move. Act first, worry about the consequences later. As a result of this (and the editing plays a role too), Quantum of Solace comes off as the fastest moving James Bond film ever. Marc Forster could not have phrased it better when he compared the film to a bullet.
Location to location to location. Mr White to Craig Mitchell to Mr. Slate to Dominic Greene. It's all so fast. Characters such as Greene thankfully get just enough screen time to be developed enough so their plans and actions are understood. That said, even more encounters with the gleefully bug-eyed Mathieu Amalric would not have hurt the film. Others are not so lucky: Elvis, and to a lesser extent, Agent Fields are two examples. Understandably, both are lesser characters compared to the lead villain and Bond girl, but just a few looks at Anatole Taubman's character and you get the general sense that there's something a bit off about this guy. The characterization exists, but there just isn't enough screentime for it to be fully appreciated.
Besides Bond, Olga Kurylenko's revenge-driven Camille is likely the most intriguing character the film has to offer. Her first appearance comes from seemingly out of nowhere and like Bond himself, the viewer just goes along for the ride to find out exactly what is the deal with her. Again, it's fast-moving and not until the final third of the film that the story really allows for some information. Nonetheless, the information that we get works. Here is a yet another Bond girl billed as 007's equal and much like Casino Royale's Vesper Lynd, she is in a way that is nowhere near the nonsense of shoving it down the viewers throats--something that did not work out to well for a character like Jinx.
Different as it may be from the others, Quantum of Solace is still a James Bond film and not all the traditions are gone. MK12's main title sequence, despite not being quite the same as the always effective and visionary work of Daniel Kleinman, is actually a lot better than one may be expected to believe going into the film. Not entirely a statement of what Quantum of Solace is as a film, but more a celebration of James Bond and one they do a fairly good job of pulling off.
David Arnold has delivered one of his best scores ever. His action cues perfectly compliment the frenetic sequences that come one after another for the majority of the the first two-thirds of the film. However, it is his dramatic music that really shines and calms down a Bond film that just wants to go, go, go. The tracks "No Interest In Dominic Greene" and "Night At The Opera"--which appear side by side on the film's soundtrack--are a perfect pair that illustrates this.
The cinematography and production design are two other standout aspects of the film where Forster does indeed deliver on his words: Quantum of Solace harkens back to the look and feel of the early Bond entries in a way that compliments, but doesn't extend into the pointless reference territory.
It will be interesting to see how and if opinions change on this film with repeat viewings. For now, in any event, Quantum of Solace just flies along at its breakneck speed, taking Bond and the viewer along on the journey. A bullet indeed.
