Worst Bond movie EVER!

Rating: 2/10 (3 February 2014)

I saw this in the theatre a few years ago when it came out, and the funny thing was, I couldn't remember a thing about it. So, when it was on cable TV a couple nights ago, I decided to watch it again to see if it was any good.
It wasn't. Indeed, I found out why I couldn't remember anything about it the first time, because there was nothing worth remembering about it the second time, either.
It's a given that most James Bond movies have plots that range from over-the-top to the downright preposterous, but nonetheless the plots are at least understandable. But "Quantum of Solace" has no plot at all, at least none that I could discern. It's just a bunch of action and fight scenes and car chases strung together with no central story to make you care about any of them. But beyond that, what was lacking in this movie was any sense of fun or style, two things that could usually redeem even the worst of previous Bond efforts. Bond is grim throughout, and one gets the sense that neither he nor "M" (Judi Dench) particularly like or trust each other.
The whole point of the Bond series was that it was pure, escapist fantasy. It presented a world in which you got to drive fast cars, travel to exotic locales, and have sex with gorgeous women. The whole thing was about glamour and style, and reality be damned! But apparently the current trend is to have Bond movies strive more for gritty realism. Well, I guess they got the "Grit" part right, but in the process tossed out all the fun and charm. In short, this movie fails as even good entertainment. Indeed, you would be much better served watching the silly Vin Diesel effort "xXx", with Diesel playing the wise-cracking, tattooed anti-Bond and Samuel L Jackson having ten times as much fun as Judi Dench in the role of his "Boot to ass" boss.