Good fun, but getting further and further away from what made Bond, Bond.

Rating: 5/10 (13 November 2008)

I must say that I was encouraged by the opening. An action sequence followed by a good title song sung by Alisha keys and JAck White got us off and running.
Two decisions made this an average Bond film, at best. The first decision was to ride on Casino Royale's coat-tails. Continuing where Royale left off.... seems contrived and hurried. They should of left it all behind and started anew. The only weak aspect of "Royale" was the finale' with the building, and we pick up right were we left off here.
The second issue is a clear lack of gadgets. They started to disappear in "Royale", and they were extinct here. I know we lost the legendary Desmond Llewelyn, but did we have to lose the gadgets too? Or bring back John Cleese. I thought he was perfect for the role. It makes a little sense to have it scaled down in "Royale" because Bond was just becoming a double-O, but he's full-fledged here and should have all the royal toys at his disposal.
Quantum of Solace is nothing more than an above average action flick that has forgotten its' roots and, in so, it has forgotten its' audience and sacrificed a long standing reputation.
Finally, at the end of the film, the plot comes together in a big ol'jumbled mess. The final scene saves some browny points for it's furious finish but, in the end, this probably falls somewhere between The Living Daylights and Die Another Day on the Bond Totem pole.
Olga's a hotty, Craig is STILL bond... hopefully they'll see how the apple fell WAY to far from the tree on bond tradition and give us more Shaken Martini's, Gadgets, a new Q, and more substantial dialogue in the future.
Not to discourage anyone(fans and nonfans alike) from seeing it because it's NOT TERRIBLE - it's just not nearly as good as I'd hoped.
The clarity of the shots is amazing, but the editing and acting are a bit suspect, as is the storyline. The opening action sequence is a bit of a mess.
54/100 **1/2(outta5)
I understand Bond must 'evolve', and I like the new realistic approach to things, but do we really have to sacrifice the gadgets and one liners to accomplish that?