James Bourne (And Not In a Good Way)

Rating: 4/10 (30 December 2018)

Like Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace is unlike any other Bond film that came before it. The sad thing is that in Casino's case that was a massive benefit to the film whereas Quantum of Solace is a disappointing entry to the series as opposed to being an excellent sequel that should've better come out of Casino Royale's momentum.
Craig is once again excellent as the character and portrays him as more wounded than he did in the previous entry. His arc was the strongest part of the film for me I was invested in his vendetta and found the conclusion to his arc to be a fitting end to a two-film arc. The support characters are mostly solid, Judi Dench is once again excellent as M and Olga Kurylenko was a solid foil for Craig that had a good arc that I was able to get invested in.
The Film also looks fantastic. The desert settings as long as the all the other world wide locations all make for solid cinematography that does make for a satisfying visual experience. That's where the positives mostly end for me.
Marc Foster is a director I admire but I did not care for his work in this film. The action is scattered and messy, it's almost impossible to follow and goes by too quickly for it to make an impact. The way he paces the film is also far too quick. It feels as if almost every scene is rushed where very little carries weight because there is very little time put towards making individual scenes mean anything.
The villains were also the most basic exercises for antagonists. After the depth that was given to the last films villains is sad to see that the filmmakers made such little effort to give the antagonists any depth or real motivation. The it plan is beyond ridiculous that never feels like it has any urgency to it. The rivalry between them and bond isn't built up well and they energy fell like a true threat.
The film overall is just underwhelming, it's almost completely forgettable with very few redeeming qualities. Craig's performance and Bonds arc are some ways to hook you in but almost everything else weighs them down. Despite the film looking great the messy and shaky directing almost completely hides that fact. It just doesn't feel like a true bond film and instead more like a cheap, lazy Jason Bourne rip off and that's something I should never feel about a bond film with this being the definitive action franchise.
4.3/10 - C (Poor)