We've been expecting you Mr Bland.

Rating: 6/10 (1 December 2008)

Casino Royal was always going to be a hard act to follow, and with a film based upon a short story than nobody had really read, we were all worried about the fate of Quantum of Solace. The end result, while disappointing, doesn't skip on the gritty, nasty full blooded action, paced beautifully. What Quantum fails to do is improve on its predecessor while its without a doubt more action packed none of the action in here rivals that that was in Casino Royal. Its plot is sparse and ankle deep and it doesn't even manage to make bond girl, Olga Kurylenko interesting. Shortlising as one of the worst bond girls ever.
Whats amiss here is a competent director, while decent in his own right what with classics such as "Monsters Ball" and "Stranger than Fiction" under his belt. What he lacks is the ability to competently merge action with drama which I'm sure has many people worried for 2010's "World War Z". What this films gets right, it gets right well. Daniel Craig has never been better, the set pieces are fantastic and the musical score runs smoothly. Ands what's always reassuring with this series is than if you didn't like how the direction was handled in this outing there always hope for the next in the franchise.
A devastating betrayal sends James Bond from Australia to Italy and South America on a mission of vengeance that pits the suave super-spy against a powerful businessman with diabolical intentions.
Betrayed by Vesper, 007 (Daniel Craig) suppresses the urge to make his latest mission personal as he teams with M (Judi Dench) to interrogate Mr. White (Jesper Christensen). It soon becomes apparent that the organization behind the blackmailing of Vesper is more powerful than Bond and M had previously anticipated, and after discovering forensic evidence that links an MI6 traitor to a bank in Haiti, Bond immediately sets out to gather more intelligence.
Another missing element that simply can't help but be compared to Casino Royal is this films bad guy, not only is he not threatening, sinister or a danger to bond at any point but Jesper Christensen fails to worry us at any point. He's disposable and in not league with last year's Le Chifre. And in that lies one of the film's most entertaining fortes. This is unlike Any of the previous bond flicks for one reason, it's the first true sequel. Anybody who hasn't seen Casino Royal will not be able to follow the structured story. And those that have will be grateful for the continuation. This feature and Craig himself manage to keep Quantum of Solace afloat but its dull action and poorly scripted characters that almost has it sinking.
Verdict: A decent if forgettable entry to the 007 franchise that fades from memory the second you've left the theatre but will keep you engaged long enough that it doesn't become tedious. Craig shines while other like Kurylenko and Christensen manage a passable but far from good performance. It won't make anybody top 10 Bond films but it is far from the worst. Were shaken and stirred, for now.