A Disappointment But Still A Very Good Action Film

Rating: 7/10 (9 November 2008)

I enjoyed it a lot but I was setting myself up for a disappointment which it was but at the same time it is still a very entertaining action film as well. I appreciated it for what it was which is why I may have enjoyed it more than some.
The editing is the sole crucial flaw with the film. It was far too rapid in the action scenes that it's hard to concentrate and understand what's happening. If you turn away for one minute you'd look back and find yourself in some other destination fighting some other person in the same fight scene you were watching. To be fair, this applies mostly to the first few fight scenes and it calms down afterwards balancing out to more steady editing but still it is distracting in those that aren't steady.
The problem with the film and what people may say about my review is that there's only the action scenes to really comment on because that's all the film really is action from start to finish which would've been fine but there's one crucial problem - there's no pain! The thing about Casino Royale and other action movies is that at least you feel worried for the characters as they seem in physical pain and you worry about their ability to win a fight but it just doesn't happen in this one. A person is beaten down but they just get back up again without any signs that they may be in a bit of pain (this works in Bond's case especially) Daniel Craig and Judi Dench were very good as per usual. Dench getting more screen time it seemed which was a good thing just left supporting characters with very little to do. Kurylenko was sexy as hell but wasn't in it as much as the other Bond girls and I didn't feel such emotional attachment to her compared to previous ones. Almaric let me down a little but then again this could be put down to limited screen time, I was expecting a more sinister and witty villain but instead got someone who said a few words and gave an evil glare. Again, the lack of screen time for the supporting characters is put down to the film being dominated by explosions, chases and fight scenes.
The plot wasn't as bad as I was expecting as that's what most reviewers had criticised. The theme of revenge worked well throughout and I could really see the characters pain put through by Craig who continues to impress. It was all pretty consistent throughout if I'm to be honest which is why it worked. It wasn't as if there were brilliant moments and not so brilliant moments it just all was good and occasionally very good. Maybe I was expecting something more special to have come from Bond but it's still a highly enjoyable film in it's own right. Moments such as the opera scene were absolute gold with some artsy techniques used to glamour it up which in an action film i wouldn't expect to work but it did here.
To sum up, QOS isn't as bad as people are making out on the message board. It's not as good as CR but then again it isn't a bad replica either, it's just a highly enjoyable action film that maybe had one explosion/fight too many and a director that clearly is a novice in the genre. Keep your expectations low and you'll probably enjoy it more than most which is what I did.
A solid 7/10 but a disappointment nonetheless My # 14 of the year out of 51 films seen.