Review: Quantum of Solace

The latest edition of the Bond series.  I haven't been out to the theaters for awhile, other than Wall-E, and this was a nice straight-forward film to go see.  Especially during this "awards season" and all that means.  This film is pretty much out of theaters so this isn't a cutting edge review.  I found the film enjoyable on the whole.  The type of action was interesting and the pace was snowmobile-into-the-fence fast.  I really like Dame Judi Dench as M, I think it is one of the things that holds the series together since she's been on board.  The earlier (Connery, Moore, etc eras) were held more by Q than M, but Dame Judi really is the strongest presence.  This change is also reflected in how the movies use technology.  The tech in this film is shown as a tool of management, not the playthings of the field agent.  I like Daniel Craig, but this film portrays a much more wooden Bond that is charming but flat.  Not 1-dimensional - just flat.  There is no place in the film to look into the Bond character.  I think a little more character building would be something that Craig could pull off nicely and it would add to the films.

I'm not sure I like the whole shaky-cam, follow-the-person style of action sequence.  The Bourne films really did that well and I like the action and the gritty nature of the sequnces, but that technique is feeling old.  I'd like to keep the fast pace, improvisational nature of the action, but with a camera that isn't bobbing and weaving.

I went to see this film with a friend and his first comment at the end was "There's no SPECTRE anymore, so they needed to have something new [Quantum]."  I think it was a good thing.  The attempt to tie environmentalism with coups and nation-manipulation was half-hearted.  I'm guessing they didn't want to hit us over the head with these ideas so they can play them out over the next few films.  I like the theme that ran through saying that as one grows old, right and wrong don't seem so different.  Nice to see that maturity even in an action film.  I'd recommend this film for anyone who is looking for entertainment without a huge effort.

Rating: **1/2