When Casino Royale arrived two years ago I was a very happy person. I was one of what feels like the few people that actually wanted Craig to
do well as Bond. I wasn’t moaning about him being blonde, I wasn’t
moaning about the lack of gadgets, I was just happy to see one of my
favourite fictional characters back on screen. As many people know I am
a huge Bond fan, I have all the movies, I love them all in their unique
way, and even if Casino Royale had been a disaster I would have found
some enjoyment out of it. Thankfully it wasn’t a disaster, it was
actually one of the best Bond movies made. Quantum of Solace is a
direct sequel of Royale, and so I once again had high expectations of
it. Perhaps even more so than with Royale, as now I knew Craig is a
superb Bond, and I wanted the story to evolve more. Let me start off by
saying Solace is not as good as Royale, and for many people that will
be a problem, as so many people were expecting an even better movie.
While it is an extremely good movie, and a brilliant Bond movie, its
just not one of the best and does have a few problems. Still as a Bond
fan I still absolutely loved nearly every minute of the movie. It isn’t
overlong and outstays its welcome like Royale, but neither is it rushed
as I feared. The performances are incredibly strong once again and
there are some thrilling action sequences thrown in as well.
Daniel Craig once again is very strong as Bond, and unlike what a lot
of critics have said, is actually good fun. He can deliver a pun quite
well, and he also does the dramatic and seriousness of Bond to
perfection. In short he is definitely up there in terms of quality with
Sean Connery. He feels a bit more comfortable as Bond this time around,
he doesn’t have to say the famous line which sadly felt a tad forced at
the end of Royale. Instead he does get his fair share of brooding,
although his verbal sparring with Gemma Arterton is pretty brilliant.
The lead Bond girl this time is played by Olga Kurylenko, who I last
saw in the dismal Hit-man movie. Thankfully here she plays a very
interesting, although different Bond girl. She doesn’t appear much for
the first half, and her first sequence seemed more random than
interesting. However she does develop quite nicely and by the end she
is definitely one of the better Bond girls. Lead villain duties go to
Mathieu Amalric. I have to say he was a bit of a disappointment after
the brilliant Lechiffre in Royale. Amalric is a slimy villain, and he
does put in a good performance, but his villain just isn’t all that
menacing, and I can see him being one of the easily forgettable Bond
baddies. Judi Dench gets an awful lot more screen time this time round,
and its all the better for it. M has been rewritten as a superb
character, and gets some nice bit of swearing to do. Finally Gemma
Arterton is fairly decent as a wasted Bond girl. She has way too little
screen time, and far too little to do, however she does shine through,
and features in one of the more memorable moments of the movie.
Quantum of Solace story wise is perhaps where the problems begin to
slip in. Royale’s story was simple and very easy to follow, while
Quantum is nowhere near as confusing as people are making it out to be,
the movie is a bit overcomplicated for its own good. The villains plan
is nowhere near as diabolical as it really could be, and I feel I need
to watch the movie again just to get the intricate details of the
movie. However as most Bond fans know story is not always a Bond movies
strong point, just look at Live and Let Die, Die Another Day. So long
as it manages to entertain I am quite happy. Solace thankfully is a
brilliantly entertaining movie for the majority. I will admit, the
pre-credit sequence is a very big disappointment. I know the stunts
were good, and it should have been thrilling, but I felt so oddly bored
by it. However once the credits sequence began, to a song I am steadily
coming to like, the movie kicked off. The rest of the action sequences
were particularly well done, my personal favourite being a bit in an
opera house, extremely well edited. Drama wise the movie is very solid,
there are some lighter moments to keep people happy, and some amusing
one liners, but the movie for the most part is pretty down to earth.
Quantum of Solace as I’ve said is a great movie, and no doubt many
people will love it, although some will be a bit disappointed by it.
Either way Craig is still a great Bond, and I cannot wait to see more
adventures with him as the lead. Although we could do with a more
interesting villain next time round please.