Can't believe it's been a year already...
As for my reaction to
Quantum of Solace -> I absolutely loved it! I still do. I love the style, the speed, the originality.
It is almost the opposite of
Casino Royale when it comes to pacing and doesn't even pretend to have a deep story to tell. The film's pace, to me, mimics Bond's emotional state - where he is so deeply involved in his own rage that events sort of blur and speed on blindly. The film has a consistency of style that is so often missing (both the consistency and the style are often missing, in fact).
The PTS starts this beautifully with a car chase that is more about Bond's state of mind than any real attempt at exciting the audience with suspense. Blink, and you will miss the bondian moments.
The film continues in the same vein, with these great reality checks - giving us hints of the real impact all this entertaining violence has (innocent bystanders in Sienna get shot and a Special Branch officer is killed).
The quality of acting and dialogue is in line with what we expect now, following
Casino Royale. The villain may not be one of the greats, but he's decent enough - in this film he's not the main driver after all. The henchman Elvis is an understated treat.
There are a couple of weak moments - the jumping on the Landrover and uttering that silly, badly dubbed line is very jarring (I'd rather be left wondering what happened to so and so than have it shoved in my face in such a patronising fashion). The dogfight feels redundant and unexciting - but the freefall just about works.
Olga is yummy and delivers all that is asked of her. Gemma, too, does a fine job. Judy is good as usual and I like the political dimensions added - the world of the security services is far from black and white.
I love that Mr White was back - he's very cool - and I look forward to seeing him again. Although I want it to return eventually I sort of hope that the next installment is a Quantum free zone.
I also liked the level of violence in
Quantum of Solace. The knife-in-the-thigh scene was fantastic, brutal and honest - another messy kill.
I liked the fact that Q and Moneypenny aren't there. They weren't needed (Bond was a lose cannon after all, so no gadgets). I don't feel a need for them to return. I'd rather the producers experiment a bit and find new recurring characters when something works very well. In any case they shouldn't shoe horn the old ones in just for the sake of it (which they say they won't).
Last November was a highpoint in the Bond story and a affirmation of the new golden era.