Where's the fun?

Rating: 3/10 (13 June 2009)

One of the most thrilling trailers of the year had me pumped to see James Bond's 22nd official adventure, Quantum of Solace. It showcased brief shots of spectacular stunt sequences and beautifully expansive cinematography that was reminiscent of Casino Royale (2006), with its wide shots that clearly reveal the geography of a set piece or a scene. Still, the reinvented James Bond's first film was a little disappointing. It was not a bad movie but it didn't feel like a Bond picture because some of OO7's charm and wit were missing, replaced with a level of emotion never before shown by the unflappable MI6 agent. Daniel Craig and the action scenes were fine, but the classic Bond theme was omitted from the main score, and missing with it was Bond's smooth and nonchalant, yet gentlemanly, manner that made him unique among run and gun movie characters. However, original Bond musician Monty Norman's familiar composition over the end credits of Casino Royale instilled hope that James Bond would return. After all, this was supposed to be the beginning of the man's career on her majesty's secret service. Maybe he was still getting used to the role. Maybe he would come back as the Bond we knew and (usually) loved for over 45 years. Then again maybe not. Quantum of Solace begins very shortly after Casino Royale left off with what could have been an exhilarating car chase set on a treacherous mountain road. Right away, though, there is an incomplete feel to the action. The director and editor have cut the action scenes extremely quickly so that the teasing glimpses we got in the trailer were basically the equivalent of the finished film. Some really epic shots are on the screen for barely half a second before cutting away, giving the scene a real-time feel, but missing too much of the action. Perhaps it is just morbid curiosity on my part but I want to see the car that drives off the road finish its plunge and roll to a stop as a mangled heap of metal giblets. It seems like a waste of all the effort the film crew put into making each shot. I want to get a better sense of what is going on than how quickly it is happening. Another problem with the action of this installment is that there is little to no buildup before an action scene. Things just happen suddenly, often with no warning at all. It startles the audience rather than building up the tension. Then, as quickly as it begins, the excitement is over. The car chase ends abruptly and the uninspiring title song, "Another Way To Die," begins. The plot, which is never a great concern in a Bond film, involves an evil member of "Quantum" who wants to steal water from the people of a parched desert. Bond begins investigating by killing several henchmen and blowing up some boats. Along the way the music is pretty lackluster and restrained. Subtlety has never been one of OO7's strong points and the music used to reflect that. Bond travels to several exotic locations and meets a couple of beautiful women, but with all the shooting going on there is barely any time for him to smile, let alone exercise his charisma. This movie lacks much of the fun and farce of previous Bond movies. Of course change is not necessarily a bad thing. Admittedly, after the absurdly over the top and gadget heavy Die Another Day (2002), it was a wise decision to take OO7 back to his roots. Neither of these reinventions is short of effort; both are fairly well made, solid action films. However, the movies, especially Quantum of Solace, are not so effective at capturing the feeling of delight the audience feels when Bond gets the girl, escapes from ridiculous death traps, outwits the villains, and makes sure they die in interesting ways, all while issuing cheesy one-liners buoyed up by slick tunes. The one "quantum of solace" I got from this picture is that some of the loose ends concerning the plot of Casino Royale were tied up and I can hope we are being set up for a more traditional OO7. Previous chapters of this saga have certainly missed the mark more than Quantum of Solace. In fact, imagining the time-honored Bond theme playing over the action and masking the dialogue almost makes this film feel at place in the longest running film series ever made.