Great action, no story - a film unfinished and unpolished

Rating: 3/10 (17 November 2008)

This is by far the weirdest Bond-movie I have ever seen. Why? The last Bond was brilliant in many ways. A fresh, more modern and more realistic look rejuvenating and redefining the figure of Bond to make it fitting for the 21st century. However, all the good ideas and thematic explanations woven into Casino Royale are almost entirely missing in this new installment. Quantum of Solace is one almighty roller-coaster-ride from one explosion to another fight, using the odd plane, bike, car - whatever comes along just as long as things go lightspeed. No explanatory scenes which provided for the different touch of class introduced in Casino Royale and thus no time to relax and dive into the world of this new Bond. The little information thrown at us viewers is squeezed inbetween action-sequences, delivered in hasty dialogues most difficult to follow. Especially when your ears are still ringing after the previous THX overdose. This film wanted to show the next step of the development of the character Bond - and failed by reducing it to a vendetta-rage. What's more, several highly unlogical cuts, twists and some simple but continuity-mistakes left me and my wife looking at each other in total non-comprehension. This movie is coming at you in a way an industrial drug must feel like: cold, hard, almost monochromatic and exhausting to the limit. What's left when the curtain falls is a feeling of utter frustration. Had this movie taken it's off-times in pace as Casino Royale did, it would have been another milestone. As it is, it looks like a bold try of a student which went too far and therefore failed. Sorry guys, this shot missed...