The Musings of a Betrayed Bond Fan

Rating: 2/10 (27 November 2008)

After completely revitalizing the world of 007 with the brilliant Casino Royale, producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have shattered the hopes of many a devoted fan by producing the worst Bond film since (shudder) Moonraker. Quantum of Solace meanders from country to country and set piece to set piece without a coherent or remotely compelling story to tell (it has something to do with battles over the water supply and oil resources in Bolivia, although I'm really not sure) or any interesting or quirky characters to introduce (Mathieu Amalric is particularly cartoonish and dull as the super-villain de jour). The emphasis is on the action scenes, and Marc Forster directs them with such blatant disregard for timing, style, originality and even the slightest bit of visual clarity (those hateful hand-held cameras strike again!) that they are practically impossible to watch. When a Bond film can't even be counted on to provide a few thrilling moments that won't bring about motion sickness, something in the universe is truly amiss. Quantum of Solace also seems determined to rob the Bond series of every last trace of humor, frivolity and elegance, viewing Bond as nothing more than a trigger-happy, perpetually morose thug who ends up directly or indirectly killing just about everyone he comes in contact with. It's admirable for this venerable franchise to want to explore more emotionally complex terrain, but when 007 doesn't have at least a few humorous lines, the slightest bit of sexual chemistry with his Bond girl (the spunky Olga Kurylenko) and maybe one or two fun gadgets to play with, it just doesn't feel like Bond anymore. And whatever the faults of the old Bond formula, it rarely produced movies as tedious, confusing and visually jarring as Quantum of Solace. Talented performers like Daniel Craig, Jeffrey Wright and Judi Dench deserve far better material than this, and hopefully they'll receive it the next time around.