The Bond Ultimatum

Rating: 7/10 (14 November 2008)

The Bond Ultimatum. I say that, because it is almost as if the guys at MGM saw the Bourne Ultimatum and Realized that it was a better action movie than any James Bond movie. They tried to take Quantum of Solace in the same Bournesque direction.
The movie starts off around an hour after where Casino Royale left off, and I found the story much easier to follow. The story also made you feel like there was more at stake, and that Bond's actions had a greater affect on the world. Bond is bringing Mr. White (The guy he shoots in leg at the end of Royale), to be interrogated by M, and MI6 cronies. White informs MI6 that his organization has people everywhere.
Daniel Craig is excellent again as Bond, but he doesn't really begin to develop his character until the end. Judi Dench is great as always, and the rest of the cast does a stellar job.
This movie has a lot more classic Bond elements to it than Casino Royale. Inhuman stunts, impossible feats, and of course gadgets. It is very gritty for a Bond movie, and portrays Bond as more of an Assassin than so much as a spy. You will see a dark side to Bond that we've never seen before.
You can tell that Marc Forester has little experience in shooting action movies, because the action sequences are basic copies of the Bourne Ultimatum. There is a car chase that is very similar, and a rooftop chase that is almost a shot for shot exact copy. One of the really great actions scenes isn't done with live action effects, but instead uses CGI, and you feel that Forester is using other Movies and CGI has his crutch. The action might have been more entertaining if you didn't get the whole "seen it before", "Been there done that" sense with the action sequences The action is really entertaining, and nonstop. The longest dialogue sequence is less than five minutes, because there is so much action going on throughout the whole movie.
Quantum of Solace's strong point is that it has a perfect Runtime. Around an Hour and Forty Five Minutes. It's not to long, it almost feels longer, because so much happens throughout the movie.
Quantum of Solace is not as great as Casino Royale character developmentally and emotionally, but it fills those holes with some entertaining action sequences that are good at times, yet sometimes feel a bit familiar, and it's easy to follow story that puts a lot at stake.