Movie Review: "Quantum of Solace"

Daniel Craig IS Bond. I know I had my doubts when the announcement was made but he has totally silenced them and made me a fan. Craig's Bond is not a womanizer, or a cheeky bloke. Gone are the cliched one liners (thank Goodness!!) and the smarmy winks. In place is a man bent on revenge and looking to clear the name of the woman he loved. I really liked his acting this movie. Top notch, totally the best acting done by a Bond ever. Did you notice that he never says the trademarked "Bond, James Bond" in this movie? Also the gun barrel sequence is only shown at the very end. It's a great way to distinguish themselves away from the cheesiness of the older movies.

The villain in this movie is not disfigured or abnormal in anyway (although he does scream like a girl). Dominic Greene is more about smarts than just tricks. However I felt he was one of the weaker villains in the series. He is though part of Quantum and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the series. I liked their meeting at the opera house and the way Bond tricked them into revealing themselves.

Camille is now one of my favorite Bond girls. I pretty much like any Bond girl who can stand up for herself and fight. She has a vendetta very much like Bond's and is out for revenge. She's also really pretty and doesn't she look just like Catherine Zeta Jones? Agent Fields was just a wasted character, honestly couldn't they have done something more for Gemma Jones? What I really like best about this movie is that the main Bond girl did not sleep with Bond nor even try to. And Bond didn't even hint at it himself. It was so out of character for him. I was expecting some end of movie rendezvous for the two of them but it didn't happen. It was so refreshing. At this rate Craig's Bond has only slept with two women in the two movies he's been in. By contrast Roger Moore's Bond would be with at least 3 in each of his movies (and he did 7, do the math). Of course it would be best if he didn't sleep with anyone but the lack of womanizing in these reboots are great. I can only hope that more focus is on the action and story and less on Bond's exploits.

The title sequence song "Another Way to Die" by Jack Black and Alicia Keyes is great. I think it ranks up high with some of the classic Bond themes. It's different and edgy but that's what this Bond is known for. Although they did revert back to the silhouettes of women in the title sequence, so for that reason I like Casino Royale's a lot better. Loved the reference to Goldfinger involving Fields. The hardcore fans will get the reference that oil has become the new gold. The lack of Moneypenny or Q is not really missed here. Although there are no gadgets, the high tech technology that MI6 seems to have is incredibly groundbreaking. I really liked the ending of the movie. It goes against everything that Bond is stereotyped for and really shows his integrity.

My only complaint doesn't have to deal with the movie at all. It is however directed at the movie theater we saw it at. The sound was absolutely horrible. All front centered and staticky. You could barely hear anything especially when characters would whisper. I needed subtitles! But that's what you get when you go to the discount matinee.

There hasn't been a release date set for Bond 23 but I know I'll be seeing it opening weekend. Craig has said the next movie will not be part of a trilogy but other sources have said that we will see Quantum again (they must be the new Spectre and more believable too) and perhaps even Camille. Either way I know I can't wait. Long live Daniel Craig as James Bond.

BTW the lack of movie reviews is because this was the first movie I've seen in the theater in months! 1) Movies are getting pricey and we've been watching lots of DVDS and 2) Since Harry Potter got shafted to summer, there hasn't and aren't any good movies in the theaters and won't be until next summer. Bond was my only bright spot.