Major letdown after "Casino Royale"

Rating: 4/10 (22 November 2008)

Those anticipating a smart, savvy follow-up to the superb, revivifying "Casino Royale" from 2006 will be sorely disappointed by "Quantum of Solace," an instantly forgettable entry in the ever-popular James Bond series.
A muddled, barely coherent storyline - featuring a hitherto unknown group's badly explained plot involving eco-terrorism - is no match for the overwrought and overproduced nature of the film, in which Daniel Craig's 007 goes from being a complex, conflicted character in "Royale" to a soulless killing machine here.
The action sequences are hectic as all-get-out, but with no one at the center of them for us to really care about or root for, they quickly loss their luster and impact.
Here's hoping for better things from the franchise next time out.