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The Dove's review of Quantum of Solace....9.5 out of 10!


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#1 The Dove

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Posted 15 November 2008 - 10:43 PM

Well... I return from the theater one VERY, VERY happy James Bond fan!! Quantum of Solace was absolutely fantastic!! ;) :) All my fears and doubts have melted away, despite all the negative things which have been said about this remarkable follow up to Casino Royale.. Ok I can understand some things like the "unique" style of editing, particulary during the first few action scenes may not agree with all, but I had no real problems with them myself. The story is tight, and I suppose I was glad that I had read the plot details via spoilers, but even if I hadn't I would have been able to follow the plot perfectly!! And now some other thoughts on the various elements of the film...

The Cast...

Bond: What can I say? Daniel Craig IS James Bond.. he surpasses his effort from Casino Royale, and I think that the fact that this film explores more of Bond's mistake-prone and emotional side was the icing on the cake for me as far as showing me that EON made the right choice in picking him as Bond #6.

M: WOW!! Judi Dench was absolutely fabulous and I am really enjoying the fact that her M is getting more substantial screen time and more relavent parts as each Bond film is made.. Too bad Bernard Lee or Robert Brown's M's were just the re-hashing of the same part film after film.. One of my favorite line's from Judi Dench in this film.. " I don't give a :( about the CIA!!" DAMMM!!! :)

Camille: Finally EON have gotten it correct when it comes to a female companion who joins up with Bond on a quest.. Wai Lin in TND was a disappointment, Jinx in Die Another Day was even worse, but this time Olga Kurylenko's Camille is perfect!! I reallly did feel her emotions as she goes after Gen. Modrano for what he did to her family, was equally strong as Bond's feelings after Vesper's betryal and death.

Agent "Strawberry" Fields: Gemma Arteton was great!! Not a huge role, but thank god she did NOT turn out to be the 2008 equivilant of Britt Ekland's Mary Goodnight in The Man With The Golden Gun.. Fields' "sticky end".. a perfect hommage to Goldfinger, and as others here have said I was able to spot several other hommages to previous Bond flicks..

Mathis: Wow!! Some very powerful scenes between Bond and Mathis.. I had tears in my eyes, not only during the death scene, but also where Mathis is consoling a too-upset to sleep Bond who's downed six Vesper martinis. A real friendship between the two.

Felix Leiter: Nice to have Jeffrey Wright back.. Greg Beam was a bit annoying for me, and you do find yourself wanting Felix to smack him or stand up to him a bit more than he does..

Dominick Greene and Elvis: Elvis was somewhat a disappointment for me (didn't really hope for much from him to begin with) as others have pointed out..he was underdeveloped as a character. Dominick Greene on the other hand, AWESOME!! I was a bit worried before hand whether he would not stand up to the quality type villian that Le Chiffre was in CR, but he does many times over!!

Other tidbits..

Pre-titles, titles and gunbarrel: All worked very well surprisingly for me.. Ok I can see how others may complaine about the choppyness of the car chase.. but I was happy with it.. and the pretitles had a different feel to them than previous Bond films.. hard to say exactly at this point.. will develop my thoughts on these after i see the film again.

Titles: MK12 did a very good job, but I do hope Daniel Kleinman is brought back for Bond 23.. Quantum's title sequence did have some nice effects and there is one point where a circular pattern appears that looks exactly like the You Only Live Twice titles!! The song by Jack White and Alicia Keys worked great..I am glad they cut out the scat vocal vs guitar section..perhaps the weakest part about the song, which I like very much.

Gunbarrel: Works very well at the end of the film and definitely does suggest Bond is ready to become the loveably old Bond for the next film.. Didn't think the walk was too rushed or anything.

Action thoughts: Why do people whine and whinge that this film has too much action??? It doesn't!! Its a perfect balance of action vs plot development scenes.. Anyways.. I did like the DC3 plane fight (reminded me of a mix between Top Gun and The Living Daylights!!) the boat chase was ok, could have been better I suppose. However I loved the Sienna foot chase between Bond and Mitchell and the fall through the glass celing of the art gallery.

Opera scene: A Classic 007 moment.. Nuff said!!

Slight disappointments: Michael G. Wilson's cameo...too boring!! Elvis, come on they should have at lease one Elvis Presley quip by Bond to him!! LOL.. Umm.. can't think of much else at the moment.

Overall, I give Quantum of Solace a 9.5 out of 10.. It's just as impressive as Casino Royale, in its own way. True it doesn't over take Casino Royale, but as a sequel that closes the Royale story its a true winner in my book!!

Questions? Comments for me, let me know!!

#2 bondrules

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Posted 15 November 2008 - 10:46 PM

Glad you liked it Dove! :(

#3 Daddy Bond

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Posted 15 November 2008 - 10:57 PM

I wholeheartedly agree (see my review if you haven't already). Excellent review.

Honestly, and I don't mean to put people down, but several of the plot points that people are confused about are really because they are not paying attention and not thinking things through. Some people can't figure out how Bond knew Camille was to be killed, why the motorcycle flipped after Bond knocked the guy off of it, who the man was that Bond pushed off the roof (even though the film clearly explains that point), and why he put Mathis in a dumpster. I mean, c'mon people, this is not rocket science, so what's the difficulty here? I just don't get it!

#4 The Dove

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Posted 15 November 2008 - 11:03 PM

Thanks for you comments Daddy Bond.. I too am just puzzled beyond words how the film is getting such bad flack..A perfect example.. an extremely annoying teenager who was sitting two or three seats away from me loudly proclaimed that "This was the worst James Bond movie ever!!" I swear it pissed me off so much that I almost wanted to tell him to either :( off or recommend he rewatch Die Another Day.. :)

But better judgement got me and I just thought to myself that he may only be a casual Bond fan who just doesn't understand that EON were finishing off the story begun in Casino Royale.. So I shouldn't worry too much about it.. :)

#5 Tarl_Cabot

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 12:07 AM

Good review. I agree with your points. I really liked Olga. Finally a strong female character who's not supposed to be 007's equal.Feminine and tough too. A great acting job. A russian actress who very convincingly portrayed a South American. Excellent.

#6 Daddy Bond

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 12:10 AM

Good review. I agree with your points. I really liked Olga. Finally a strong female character who's not supposed to be 007's equal.Feminine and tough too. A great acting job. A russian actress who very convincingly portrayed a South American. Excellent.


Olga was perfect. One of the best Bond girls in a long while. Wow, and Field's death was gruesome! Far worse than Goldfinger!

#7 Tarl_Cabot

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 12:13 AM

I hope Olga gets an invitation to return in '23. I see no reason why she can't be in two Bond films.

#8 Kristian

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 12:23 AM

I hope Olga gets an invitation to return in '23. I see no reason why she can't be in two Bond films.



From all accounts EON was quite happy with her. Besides, the way Bond lunged and kissed her made me quiver in my seat. I was like, "Girl, he ain't finished with you." I really also loved how she "cock-blocked" Dominic Greene at the party with his investors. Totally burst his bubble by airing his dirty laundry. Reminds me of a girlfriend who exposed her cheating boyfriend to his wife at an office party. YEAH!!! Don't piss off a Latina!!!!

#9 Tarl_Cabot

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 12:28 AM

I hope Olga gets an invitation to return in '23. I see no reason why she can't be in two Bond films.



From all accounts EON was quite happy with her. Besides, the way Bond lunged and kissed her made me quiver in my seat. I was like, "Girl, he ain't finished with you." I really also loved how she "cock-blocked" Dominic Greene at the party with his investors. Totally burst his bubble by airing his dirty laundry. Reminds me of a girlfriend who exposed her cheating boyfriend to his wife at an office party. YEAH!!! Don't piss off a Latina!!!!


Yeah, all that hot blood can be a problem. :(

#10 Kristian

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 12:29 AM

Thanks for you comments Daddy Bond.. I too am just puzzled beyond words how the film is getting such bad flack..A perfect example.. an extremely annoying teenager who was sitting two or three seats away from me loudly proclaimed that "This was the worst James Bond movie ever!!" I swear it pissed me off so much that I almost wanted to tell him to either :( off or recommend he rewatch Die Another Day.. :)


Interesting. Next time you encounter such a punk, do this:

1. Punch him in the stomach.
2. Kick him in the face.
3. Pee all over him.
4. Stuff a half-empty box of Red Vines into his mouth.
5. Videotape it all with your IPHONE and post his ordeal on YOUTUBE.

Just a suggestion. It usually reminds people of their place in the pecking order.

#11 Daddy Bond

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 12:33 AM

I hope Olga gets an invitation to return in '23. I see no reason why she can't be in two Bond films.



From all accounts EON was quite happy with her. Besides, the way Bond lunged and kissed her made me quiver in my seat. I was like, "Girl, he ain't finished with you." I really also loved how she "cock-blocked" Dominic Greene at the party with his investors. Totally burst his bubble by airing his dirty laundry. Reminds me of a girlfriend who exposed her cheating boyfriend to his wife at an office party. YEAH!!! Don't piss off a Latina!!!!


Yeah, that was hilarious!

#12 The Dove

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 12:41 AM

LOL!! Thanks for the suggestions Kristian.. duely noted for future reference!! :( Fortunately he didn't shout it at everyone, he just turned to his group of friends after the gunbarrel and titles started and everyone was getting ready to leave.. By the way I stayed right though the end to see the "James Bond Will Return" notice!

Before I get to a couple of other thoughts I had on Quantum of Solace, did anyone else's screenings show a trailer for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie? Mine did and after seeing it...I am very, very concerned!! It looks terrible!! :) But I'll wait and hold judgement..

Anyways back to Quantum.. I was so pleased that the end dual fights between Bond and Greene and Camille and Modrano did NOT leave me with the same bad taste in my mouth that the intercutting of Bond vs Graves and Jinx vs Frost did in Die Another Day..

and its nice to have the main villian meet his end in some more cool Bondish way. ala Bond abandoning Greene in the desert with only a can of engine oil to drink rather than the awful Graves superhero villian demise by being ground up by an airplane engine!!

#13 A Kristatos

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 04:10 AM

Well... I return from the theater one VERY, VERY happy James Bond fan!! Quantum of Solace was absolutely fantastic!! ;) :) All my fears and doubts have melted away, despite all the negative things which have been said about this remarkable follow up to Casino Royale.. Ok I can understand some things like the "unique" style of editing, particulary during the first few action scenes may not agree with all, but I had no real problems with them myself. The story is tight, and I suppose I was glad that I had read the plot details via spoilers, but even if I hadn't I would have been able to follow the plot perfectly!! And now some other thoughts on the various elements of the film...

The Cast...

Bond: What can I say? Daniel Craig IS James Bond.. he surpasses his effort from Casino Royale, and I think that the fact that this film explores more of Bond's mistake-prone and emotional side was the icing on the cake for me as far as showing me that EON made the right choice in picking him as Bond #6.

M: WOW!! Judi Dench was absolutely fabulous and I am really enjoying the fact that her M is getting more substantial screen time and more relavent parts as each Bond film is made.. Too bad Bernard Lee or Robert Brown's M's were just the re-hashing of the same part film after film.. One of my favorite line's from Judi Dench in this film.. " I don't give a :( about the CIA!!" DAMMM!!! :)

Camille: Finally EON have gotten it correct when it comes to a female companion who joins up with Bond on a quest.. Wai Lin in TND was a disappointment, Jinx in Die Another Day was even worse, but this time Olga Kurylenko's Camille is perfect!! I reallly did feel her emotions as she goes after Gen. Modrano for what he did to her family, was equally strong as Bond's feelings after Vesper's betryal and death.

Agent "Strawberry" Fields: Gemma Arteton was great!! Not a huge role, but thank god she did NOT turn out to be the 2008 equivilant of Britt Ekland's Mary Goodnight in The Man With The Golden Gun.. Fields' "sticky end".. a perfect hommage to Goldfinger, and as others here have said I was able to spot several other hommages to previous Bond flicks..

Mathis: Wow!! Some very powerful scenes between Bond and Mathis.. I had tears in my eyes, not only during the death scene, but also where Mathis is consoling a too-upset to sleep Bond who's downed six Vesper martinis. A real friendship between the two.

Felix Leiter: Nice to have Jeffrey Wright back.. Greg Beam was a bit annoying for me, and you do find yourself wanting Felix to smack him or stand up to him a bit more than he does..

Dominick Greene and Elvis: Elvis was somewhat a disappointment for me (didn't really hope for much from him to begin with) as others have pointed out..he was underdeveloped as a character. Dominick Greene on the other hand, AWESOME!! I was a bit worried before hand whether he would not stand up to the quality type villian that Le Chiffre was in CR, but he does many times over!!

Other tidbits..

Pre-titles, titles and gunbarrel: All worked very well surprisingly for me.. Ok I can see how others may complaine about the choppyness of the car chase.. but I was happy with it.. and the pretitles had a different feel to them than previous Bond films.. hard to say exactly at this point.. will develop my thoughts on these after i see the film again.

Titles: MK12 did a very good job, but I do hope Daniel Kleinman is brought back for Bond 23.. Quantum's title sequence did have some nice effects and there is one point where a circular pattern appears that looks exactly like the You Only Live Twice titles!! The song by Jack White and Alicia Keys worked great..I am glad they cut out the scat vocal vs guitar section..perhaps the weakest part about the song, which I like very much.

Gunbarrel: Works very well at the end of the film and definitely does suggest Bond is ready to become the loveably old Bond for the next film.. Didn't think the walk was too rushed or anything.

Action thoughts: Why do people whine and whinge that this film has too much action??? It doesn't!! Its a perfect balance of action vs plot development scenes.. Anyways.. I did like the DC3 plane fight (reminded me of a mix between Top Gun and The Living Daylights!!) the boat chase was ok, could have been better I suppose. However I loved the Sienna foot chase between Bond and Mitchell and the fall through the glass celing of the art gallery.

Opera scene: A Classic 007 moment.. Nuff said!!

Slight disappointments: Michael G. Wilson's cameo...too boring!! Elvis, come on they should have at lease one Elvis Presley quip by Bond to him!! LOL.. Umm.. can't think of much else at the moment.

Overall, I give Quantum of Solace a 9.5 out of 10.. It's just as impressive as Casino Royale, in its own way. True it doesn't over take Casino Royale, but as a sequel that closes the Royale story its a true winner in my book!!

Questions? Comments for me, let me know!!


Agreed with most points, though I thought Greene was way underused and somewhat boring. Not one of the better villians in the series for me. The action scenes were good, but the amount of shaky camera work did deter from my enjoyment of them a bit. And though the gunbarrel worked well at the end, I along with most will look forward to it back in its rightful place for Bond 23. :D

I am surprised Dove that you forgot to mention David Arnold's great score! This in my opinion is his best Bond score in that he finally scored the action cues with more emotion and less reliance on the techno. Considering how much action is in this movie (and agreed that the balance is not skewed so heavily toward action as some are making it out to be), Arnold really nailed it. So just another aspect that helped make this film a very solid, if slightly flawed effort.

#14 Daddy Bond

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 04:12 AM

Well... I return from the theater one VERY, VERY happy James Bond fan!! Quantum of Solace was absolutely fantastic!! ;) :) All my fears and doubts have melted away, despite all the negative things which have been said about this remarkable follow up to Casino Royale.. Ok I can understand some things like the "unique" style of editing, particulary during the first few action scenes may not agree with all, but I had no real problems with them myself. The story is tight, and I suppose I was glad that I had read the plot details via spoilers, but even if I hadn't I would have been able to follow the plot perfectly!! And now some other thoughts on the various elements of the film...

The Cast...

Bond: What can I say? Daniel Craig IS James Bond.. he surpasses his effort from Casino Royale, and I think that the fact that this film explores more of Bond's mistake-prone and emotional side was the icing on the cake for me as far as showing me that EON made the right choice in picking him as Bond #6.

M: WOW!! Judi Dench was absolutely fabulous and I am really enjoying the fact that her M is getting more substantial screen time and more relavent parts as each Bond film is made.. Too bad Bernard Lee or Robert Brown's M's were just the re-hashing of the same part film after film.. One of my favorite line's from Judi Dench in this film.. " I don't give a :( about the CIA!!" DAMMM!!! :)

Camille: Finally EON have gotten it correct when it comes to a female companion who joins up with Bond on a quest.. Wai Lin in TND was a disappointment, Jinx in Die Another Day was even worse, but this time Olga Kurylenko's Camille is perfect!! I reallly did feel her emotions as she goes after Gen. Modrano for what he did to her family, was equally strong as Bond's feelings after Vesper's betryal and death.

Agent "Strawberry" Fields: Gemma Arteton was great!! Not a huge role, but thank god she did NOT turn out to be the 2008 equivilant of Britt Ekland's Mary Goodnight in The Man With The Golden Gun.. Fields' "sticky end".. a perfect hommage to Goldfinger, and as others here have said I was able to spot several other hommages to previous Bond flicks..

Mathis: Wow!! Some very powerful scenes between Bond and Mathis.. I had tears in my eyes, not only during the death scene, but also where Mathis is consoling a too-upset to sleep Bond who's downed six Vesper martinis. A real friendship between the two.

Felix Leiter: Nice to have Jeffrey Wright back.. Greg Beam was a bit annoying for me, and you do find yourself wanting Felix to smack him or stand up to him a bit more than he does..

Dominick Greene and Elvis: Elvis was somewhat a disappointment for me (didn't really hope for much from him to begin with) as others have pointed out..he was underdeveloped as a character. Dominick Greene on the other hand, AWESOME!! I was a bit worried before hand whether he would not stand up to the quality type villian that Le Chiffre was in CR, but he does many times over!!

Other tidbits..

Pre-titles, titles and gunbarrel: All worked very well surprisingly for me.. Ok I can see how others may complaine about the choppyness of the car chase.. but I was happy with it.. and the pretitles had a different feel to them than previous Bond films.. hard to say exactly at this point.. will develop my thoughts on these after i see the film again.

Titles: MK12 did a very good job, but I do hope Daniel Kleinman is brought back for Bond 23.. Quantum's title sequence did have some nice effects and there is one point where a circular pattern appears that looks exactly like the You Only Live Twice titles!! The song by Jack White and Alicia Keys worked great..I am glad they cut out the scat vocal vs guitar section..perhaps the weakest part about the song, which I like very much.

Gunbarrel: Works very well at the end of the film and definitely does suggest Bond is ready to become the loveably old Bond for the next film.. Didn't think the walk was too rushed or anything.

Action thoughts: Why do people whine and whinge that this film has too much action??? It doesn't!! Its a perfect balance of action vs plot development scenes.. Anyways.. I did like the DC3 plane fight (reminded me of a mix between Top Gun and The Living Daylights!!) the boat chase was ok, could have been better I suppose. However I loved the Sienna foot chase between Bond and Mitchell and the fall through the glass celing of the art gallery.

Opera scene: A Classic 007 moment.. Nuff said!!

Slight disappointments: Michael G. Wilson's cameo...too boring!! Elvis, come on they should have at lease one Elvis Presley quip by Bond to him!! LOL.. Umm.. can't think of much else at the moment.

Overall, I give Quantum of Solace a 9.5 out of 10.. It's just as impressive as Casino Royale, in its own way. True it doesn't over take Casino Royale, but as a sequel that closes the Royale story its a true winner in my book!!

Questions? Comments for me, let me know!!


Agreed with most points, though I thought Greene was way underused and somewhat boring. Not one of the better villians in the series for me. The action scenes were good, but the amount of shaky camera work did deter from my enjoyment of them a bit. And though the gunbarrel worked well at the end, I along with most will look forward to it back in its rightful place for Bond 23. :D

I am surprised Dove that you forgot to mention David Arnold's great score! This in my opinion is his best Bond score in that he finally scored the action cues with more emotion and less reliance on the techno. Considering how much action is in this movie (and agreed that the balance is not skewed so heavily toward action as some are making it out to be), Arnold really nailed it. So just another aspect that helped make this film a very solid, if slightly flawed effort.


There were only a few brief moments of shake in the camera during the film. There were however a number of very fast edits, especially toward the beginning, but it produced one of the most amazing car chases ever IMHO.

#15 sharpshooter

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 04:36 AM

Good review, Dove.

Nearly every review singles out the opera sequence as a classic 007 moment. Can't wait to see it tomorrow!

#16 The Dove

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 05:21 AM

Well... I return from the theater one VERY, VERY happy James Bond fan!! Quantum of Solace was absolutely fantastic!! ;) :) All my fears and doubts have melted away, despite all the negative things which have been said about this remarkable follow up to Casino Royale.. Ok I can understand some things like the "unique" style of editing, particulary during the first few action scenes may not agree with all, but I had no real problems with them myself. The story is tight, and I suppose I was glad that I had read the plot details via spoilers, but even if I hadn't I would have been able to follow the plot perfectly!! And now some other thoughts on the various elements of the film...

The Cast...

Bond: What can I say? Daniel Craig IS James Bond.. he surpasses his effort from Casino Royale, and I think that the fact that this film explores more of Bond's mistake-prone and emotional side was the icing on the cake for me as far as showing me that EON made the right choice in picking him as Bond #6.

M: WOW!! Judi Dench was absolutely fabulous and I am really enjoying the fact that her M is getting more substantial screen time and more relavent parts as each Bond film is made.. Too bad Bernard Lee or Robert Brown's M's were just the re-hashing of the same part film after film.. One of my favorite line's from Judi Dench in this film.. " I don't give a :( about the CIA!!" DAMMM!!! :)

Camille: Finally EON have gotten it correct when it comes to a female companion who joins up with Bond on a quest.. Wai Lin in TND was a disappointment, Jinx in Die Another Day was even worse, but this time Olga Kurylenko's Camille is perfect!! I reallly did feel her emotions as she goes after Gen. Modrano for what he did to her family, was equally strong as Bond's feelings after Vesper's betryal and death.

Agent "Strawberry" Fields: Gemma Arteton was great!! Not a huge role, but thank god she did NOT turn out to be the 2008 equivilant of Britt Ekland's Mary Goodnight in The Man With The Golden Gun.. Fields' "sticky end".. a perfect hommage to Goldfinger, and as others here have said I was able to spot several other hommages to previous Bond flicks..

Mathis: Wow!! Some very powerful scenes between Bond and Mathis.. I had tears in my eyes, not only during the death scene, but also where Mathis is consoling a too-upset to sleep Bond who's downed six Vesper martinis. A real friendship between the two.

Felix Leiter: Nice to have Jeffrey Wright back.. Greg Beam was a bit annoying for me, and you do find yourself wanting Felix to smack him or stand up to him a bit more than he does..

Dominick Greene and Elvis: Elvis was somewhat a disappointment for me (didn't really hope for much from him to begin with) as others have pointed out..he was underdeveloped as a character. Dominick Greene on the other hand, AWESOME!! I was a bit worried before hand whether he would not stand up to the quality type villian that Le Chiffre was in CR, but he does many times over!!

Other tidbits..

Pre-titles, titles and gunbarrel: All worked very well surprisingly for me.. Ok I can see how others may complaine about the choppyness of the car chase.. but I was happy with it.. and the pretitles had a different feel to them than previous Bond films.. hard to say exactly at this point.. will develop my thoughts on these after i see the film again.

Titles: MK12 did a very good job, but I do hope Daniel Kleinman is brought back for Bond 23.. Quantum's title sequence did have some nice effects and there is one point where a circular pattern appears that looks exactly like the You Only Live Twice titles!! The song by Jack White and Alicia Keys worked great..I am glad they cut out the scat vocal vs guitar section..perhaps the weakest part about the song, which I like very much.

Gunbarrel: Works very well at the end of the film and definitely does suggest Bond is ready to become the loveably old Bond for the next film.. Didn't think the walk was too rushed or anything.

Action thoughts: Why do people whine and whinge that this film has too much action??? It doesn't!! Its a perfect balance of action vs plot development scenes.. Anyways.. I did like the DC3 plane fight (reminded me of a mix between Top Gun and The Living Daylights!!) the boat chase was ok, could have been better I suppose. However I loved the Sienna foot chase between Bond and Mitchell and the fall through the glass celing of the art gallery.

Opera scene: A Classic 007 moment.. Nuff said!!

Slight disappointments: Michael G. Wilson's cameo...too boring!! Elvis, come on they should have at lease one Elvis Presley quip by Bond to him!! LOL.. Umm.. can't think of much else at the moment.

Overall, I give Quantum of Solace a 9.5 out of 10.. It's just as impressive as Casino Royale, in its own way. True it doesn't over take Casino Royale, but as a sequel that closes the Royale story its a true winner in my book!!

Questions? Comments for me, let me know!!


Agreed with most points, though I thought Greene was way underused and somewhat boring. Not one of the better villians in the series for me. The action scenes were good, but the amount of shaky camera work did deter from my enjoyment of them a bit. And though the gunbarrel worked well at the end, I along with most will look forward to it back in its rightful place for Bond 23. :D

I am surprised Dove that you forgot to mention David Arnold's great score! This in my opinion is his best Bond score in that he finally scored the action cues with more emotion and less reliance on the techno. Considering how much action is in this movie (and agreed that the balance is not skewed so heavily toward action as some are making it out to be), Arnold really nailed it. So just another aspect that helped make this film a very solid, if slightly flawed effort.



Gah.. you're right, Kristatos.. I forgot to mention that I did love David Arnold's score, though to be honest I was so busy enjoying the film I didn't really pay too much attention to it. But on a second viewing I'll be able to concentrate on it properly..though I did buy the CD soundtrack and think it's awesome!! As for you problems with the shakey cam, a tip I have is that when you buy the DVD (and I presume you will be buying it, watch the movie on a smaller screen and it works a lot better. I found this true with The Bourne Ultimatum...

#17 ACE

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 06:20 AM

Good stuff, The Dove.
Glad you liked the movie.

#18 DamnCoffee

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Posted 16 November 2008 - 11:56 AM

Brilliant review Dove. :)

It's great that yet another CBn member loves it. :(

#19 The Dove

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Posted 17 November 2008 - 04:56 PM

Thanks Mharkin!! :( Oh I also remembered that I forgot to mention how I really dug the fancy font titles that indicated the various countries where Bond was going to.. Very unique and interesting.. A change from the boring old usual white stuff.

#20 ImTheMoneypenny

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Posted 17 November 2008 - 05:11 PM

Glad I wasn't the only one with tears in my eyes over Mathis!

Great review Dove!

Camille was a great Bond girl. She was tough but not cocky. And I loved her scenes with Bond. They had great chemistry. Like others noted I don't think we've seen the last of Camille, at least when she and Bond kissed I hoped we'd see her again. She's right up there in my Bond girl top five, maybe even top three with Ms Galore and Vesper.

I was also happy they gave M more.

#21 The Dove

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Posted 21 November 2008 - 12:53 AM

Just returned from my second viewing of Quantum of Solace and I still love it!! :) :(

#22 Tarl_Cabot

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Posted 21 November 2008 - 12:57 AM

Just returned from my second viewing of Quantum of Solace and I still love it!! :) :(



Me too! I saw the 11:30am show.Funny thing is, I saw it at Sunset station Casino so I had to walk through a Casino after watching a Bond film. How apropo! :)

#23 Bryce (003)

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Posted 21 November 2008 - 03:37 AM

Nice review Dove. :(

Clearly, QoS is not everyone's cup of tea, but if it worked for you, cool.

I'm planning on enjoying it tomorrow for the third time and in the company of a beautiful lady. Seems to be a trend with my viewing of this film. :)

Giving it some thought, I think that when it becomes available on DVD, I'm going create a seemless copy of it with CR for the ultimate four hour, five act Bond film.

It might just work....

Better than it has already. ;)

Lastly, Kristian - Given your sage advice on dealing with heckler's actions in a theater, well...As they do mirror my own...I may just have to marry you....My only concern would be ever pissing you off. :)

#24 The Dove

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Posted 25 March 2009 - 04:37 PM

Well, after purchasing the DVD yesterday and watching Quantum last night I can say with 100% confidence that my initial thoughts and feelings about the movie have NOT changed!! I still think it's a bloody great Bond film and still rank it 9.5 out of 10!!! B)

I am now in the process of ranking it amongst the other 21 Bond films and while I'm still making a final decision on exactly where to place it, it's definitely in my top 3 favorites.. (have yet to decide if it's going to be #2 or #3).. I will post my ranking list in the appropriate thread soon..

I still rank Casino Royale above it, but only by a very slim margin, as Quantum of Solace comes very close.

The only tidbits which again lower Quantum's ranking with me are as follows, and these are NOT major flaws such as the ones in films like The Man With The Golden Gun, The World Is Not Enough, A View To A Kill or Die Another Day.

Elvis: Again, underdeveloped as a character... I never understood whats up with his wig?

MK12's titles: Very ho-hum for a Bond film title sequence... Daniel Kleinman's titles are much better.. Granted these titles that MK12 came up with would have worked better for a 007 video game.

Greg Beam character: Perhaps the most annoying CIA character we've seen in a Bond film since Michael Madsen's Falco in Die Another Day!

The Boat Chase: It's not nearly as bad as many here are making it out to be, but still it could have been developed more... I find the boat chase in TWINE to be much more thrilling.

Apart from these little nitpicks, the film is perfect!

#25 HH007

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Posted 25 March 2009 - 05:21 PM

Greg Beam character: Perhaps the most annoying CIA character we've seen in a Bond film since Michael Madsen's Falco in Die Another Day!


I'm definitely with you on Greg Beam. The way the character is written and performed, he seems like a caricature that's completely out of place. He seems to be existing in a completely different movie altogether.

#26 byline

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Posted 25 March 2009 - 05:25 PM

Greg Beam character: Perhaps the most annoying CIA character we've seen in a Bond film since Michael Madsen's Falco in Die Another Day!


I'm definitely with you on Greg Beam. The way the character is written and performed, he seems like a caricature that's completely out of place. He seems to be existing in a completely different movie altogether.

Not completely. That was how I felt initially, but then I decided that his whole schtick is an act meant to throw others off-balance. He's playing the dumb American so that others will underestimate him. You see flashes of this in the hardness of his eyes. He laughs, but his eyes don't. When he stares at Leiter on the plane and asks how he could have missed that, and then later asks Leiter if he values his job, his rapid shift in demeanor tells me that he's playing a role with pretty much everyone, even his fellow agents.

That's my take on it, anyway.

Edited by byline, 25 March 2009 - 05:25 PM.


#27 HH007

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Posted 25 March 2009 - 06:23 PM

Greg Beam character: Perhaps the most annoying CIA character we've seen in a Bond film since Michael Madsen's Falco in Die Another Day!


I'm definitely with you on Greg Beam. The way the character is written and performed, he seems like a caricature that's completely out of place. He seems to be existing in a completely different movie altogether.

Not completely. That was how I felt initially, but then I decided that his whole schtick is an act meant to throw others off-balance. He's playing the dumb American so that others will underestimate him. You see flashes of this in the hardness of his eyes. He laughs, but his eyes don't. When he stares at Leiter on the plane and asks how he could have missed that, and then later asks Leiter if he values his job, his rapid shift in demeanor tells me that he's playing a role with pretty much everyone, even his fellow agents.

That's my take on it, anyway.


That's an interesting point. I definitely noticed the way he stared at Felix on the plane. I also like how Felix, when he sees Bond's photo, looks Greene directly in the eyes and says "sorry." On the surface, it seems he's saying, "sorry, don't know the guy." But on the other hand, he seems to be saying, "sorry buddy, you're screwed." That's some nice subtle acting from Mr. Wright.

#28 The Dove

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Posted 25 March 2009 - 06:31 PM

Good points, HH007 and byline.. Yeah I guess if I were to describe the character of Greg Beam in two words it would be: Pompous B)!! LOL.. He was portrayed very well by...er...whatshisname!! LOL :tdown:

#29 Vauxhall

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Posted 25 March 2009 - 06:42 PM

Good points, HH007 and byline.. Yeah I guess if I were to describe the character of Greg Beam in two words it would be: Pompous B)!! LOL.. He was portrayed very well by...er...whatshisname!! LOL :tdown:

David Harbour :tdown: I saw him acting on stage in London a few years ago in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF and he was absolutely terrific. Sorely underrated.

#30 byline

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Posted 25 March 2009 - 11:55 PM

Greg Beam character: Perhaps the most annoying CIA character we've seen in a Bond film since Michael Madsen's Falco in Die Another Day!


I'm definitely with you on Greg Beam. The way the character is written and performed, he seems like a caricature that's completely out of place. He seems to be existing in a completely different movie altogether.

Not completely. That was how I felt initially, but then I decided that his whole schtick is an act meant to throw others off-balance. He's playing the dumb American so that others will underestimate him. You see flashes of this in the hardness of his eyes. He laughs, but his eyes don't. When he stares at Leiter on the plane and asks how he could have missed that, and then later asks Leiter if he values his job, his rapid shift in demeanor tells me that he's playing a role with pretty much everyone, even his fellow agents.

That's my take on it, anyway.


That's an interesting point. I definitely noticed the way he stared at Felix on the plane. I also like how Felix, when he sees Bond's photo, looks Greene directly in the eyes and says "sorry." On the surface, it seems he's saying, "sorry, don't know the guy." But on the other hand, he seems to be saying, "sorry buddy, you're screwed." That's some nice subtle acting from Mr. Wright.

Ah, see, there's something I didn't get. I like your interpretation. And yes, Jeffrey Wright is a wonderful Felix Leiter. He's quickly become my favorite to take on that role, and I hope we continue seeing more of him in future Bond films.