It is not Bond anymore

Rating: 6/10 (11 November 2008)

Having seen the trailers for "Quantum of Solace", I was hoping that the producers would keep up the standard of "Casino Royale", which I think was quite a refreshing look at the Bond franchise. How disappointed was I when I at last saw the whole movie. Unfortunately, "Quantum of Solace" is one of the least exciting and interesting movies in the Bond series.
First of all, the storyline is dull and it did not excite me in any way. Bond is seeking revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd, his girl from "Casino Royale", and he discovers a powerful organization that masterminded Le Chiffre's actions. However, that is something that the viewers already know from the last movie, so "Quantum of Solace" does not bring anything new in terms of the plot. One of the characters vital to the plot in "Casino Royale" returns in this movie as if to exonerate his wrongs from the previous installment, but that also is not anything new. Bond's quest takes him through several countries around the globe but it all seems a bit forced and I had the impression that the only reason for this was to keep up with the tradition of the series. Bond is in conflict with M, his superior, but that is nothing new, either. In "Licence to Kill" M revoked Bond's licence to kill and considered him a rouge agent for a time. "Quantum of Solace" follows a similar path when M decides to block Bond's credit cards after he disobeys her direct orders. As usual, everything turns out just fine, but the bitter aftertaste is ever present in this movie. It begins in the very first moments of "Quantum of Solace", where there is a chase sequence that mirrors the sequence in "Casino Royale", where Bond pursuits a suspect in Madagascar. Then there is a dogfight which ends on a similar note as in "Goldeneye". We also have a very direct reference to "Goldfinger" in the person of agent Fields. All these references show, in my opinion, the biggest weakness of "Quantum of Solace" - the lack of a good script.
Second of all, the actors do not meet the expectations and almost all of them display very toned and flat performances. Craig is not as fresh and surprising as in "Casino Royale" where he played throughout the movie with just one facial expression. Now he seems even duller than in the previous installment and he just seems incapable of playing a man torn between his personal revenge and his duty to queen and country. The Bond girl is also, in my opinion, a misunderstanding as she is completely devoid of any talent. She may be good-looking but that is all, and I do not know who cast her as the leading girl in this movie. The villain that Bond faces this time is also quite common - he is not distinguished by any feature and if you did not know that he was the bad guy you would not have guessed. I think it was a good idea to show that that the villains nowadays do not necessarily have to be one-eyed, scarred or crippled but the movie makers went too far and made Dominic Greene into a rat-like creature who does not even scare or excite.
Third of all, Bond movies do not resemble Bond movies anymore. There are no catchphrases, like the classic "My name is Bond. James Bond". There are no Bond trademarks, like his martini drink or his gadgets. And what I miss most are Bond's sharp-tongued remarks to other characters. "Casino Royale" had much fewer of them than previous Bond movies but "Quantum of Solace" lacks even one such wisecrack. There is no humour in this movie - an element as important to the Bond franchise as the famous tune that is played throughout every movie. Without the humour, Bond is not Bond anymore - it is just another action movie.
"Casino Royale" wanted to refresh Bond's image and it successfully did. However, "Quantum of Solace" fails to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and it seems as if the James Bond character was transported into another action movie which does not portend well for the Bond franchise.