And then you'd have CASINO ROYALE as the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK-ish followup with a dark and shocking ending. This order works better for me not only because I consider CASINO ROYALE a far superior film to QUANTUM OF SOLACE, much richer in characterisation and substance, but also because QUANTUM OF SOLACE is a lean, mean bullet of a film as opposed to the more epic CASINO ROYALE. It's the DR. NO to CASINO ROYALE's THUNDERBALL.
I love the "descent into the muck" feel of QoS. CR has a glossy look almost throughout (which works great, as there's a constant juxtaposition of pleasing aesthetics and the nastiness of reality), whereas QoS picks up where Le Chiffre left off in stripping away the veneer of humanity and showing us, even diving headfirst into, the ugly truth. It's the proudly un-epic "epic sequel," which is a refreshing change of pace from the usual one-upmanship we get from second installments.
Those were my feelings on opening night, and they're just as strong now, except I'm better able to express them.
But to impose a rule of one viewing only, and moreover to insist that opinions must be set in stone from that one viewing - ridiculous.
You couldn't be more right. One's opinion of a movie is so influenced by short-term factors (mood, life situation, maturity, etc.) that it's impossible to achieve objectivity with just one viewing, as if it wasn't difficult enough already with many. Like it or not, outside forces do play a role in how each of us interprets and appreciates art or entertainment.