Quantum of Solace is the first direct Bond sequel,the sequel to the amazing Casino Royale,which set the bar high for the future movies in the series.So,does it meet expectations?Does James Bond find his quantum of solace?
The filmakers said from the start,that they wanted to make a different movie from Casino Royale.And surely that's the case here.And while the spirit of the new series is here,the movie has more in common with previous Bond films than Casino Royale had.There are more action scenes,there is more spectacle.But the action scenes are more stylised and the selection of the locations where they take place is not random.There's a symbolism.There's a symbolism in other scenes of the movie.The artistic influences are evident.For example,the scene at the opera in Austria is memorable.
The influence of the director in the style of the movie is evident and so is the influence of the Bourne Trilogy (something that started in Casino Royale).The second unit director,Dan Bradley,also worked in the Bourne movies.All these elements are part of the reboot of the series.
James Bond claims that he does not care about the death of Vesper Lynd,that she betrayed him,that he does not want revenge.However,that's obviously not true.The impact of her death on him is severe.And the fact that Quantum's men almost killed M,gives him one more motive to search for answers.To some level,he experiences an existential crisis:everyone that has contact with him,dies?Eventually,he goes rogue.M while she's concerned about him,she still trusts him.In his journey to salvation,he's accompanied by Camille Rivera,whose past is haunting her and wants to take revenge.Their goals meet and while there's not the same connection that James Bond and Vesper Lynd had,there's an understanding,there are shared emotions.
Daniel Craig is once again very good as James Bond.Olga Kurylenko gives a solid perfomance,probably her best perfomance,judging from the movies i've seen (Max Payne,Hitman,Le Serpent).The villain or to be exact the perfomance of M.Amalric is relatively weak.
QOS takes some time to gear up and that happens mostly in the second half.Despite its flaws,it's a successful conclusion to the story arc set up in Casino Royale and so the next movie will probably be a stand-alone one.
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Monday, November 17, 2008
Quantum of Solace Review
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Quantum of Solace Video Interviews:Daniel Craig,Olga Kurylenko and Marc Forster
Interviews from CNN's The Screening Room
Daniel Craig
Olga Kurylenko
Marc Forster
Source:CNN
http://cnn.com/screeningroom
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Thursday, November 13, 2008
Casino Royale,Quantum of Solace Theme Songs
"You Know My Name" - as sung by Chris Cornell and written by Chris Cornell and David Arnold (from the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale directed by Martin Campbell and starring Daniel Craig and Eva Green)
"Another Way to Die" - as sung by Alicia Keys and Jack White and written by Jack White (from the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace directed by Marc Forster and starring Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko)
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Thursday, November 6, 2008
Casino Royale Review
November 19,2006
New Bond in town!Four years after Die Another Day,the last movie with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond ,the successfull franchise returns ,but this time to the beginning.To the beginning of Bond as a 00 agent.
This movie may be regarded as a reboot to the series.Daniel Craig takes the lead role,previously portrayed by Sean Connery.Roger Moore,George Lazenby,Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan (maybe the best Bond,judging from the 007 movies I’ve seen).This choice caused a lot of controversy from the first moment it was announced. Some fans were against this choice and some said that they would even boycott the movie.To be honest,I didn’t like Craig as a new Bond.I definitely preferred P.Brosnan.When you see the movie,at first, the impression is mixed.However,as the movie progresses Craig proves that all the skepticism about him was wrong.His portrayal of Bond is actually very good.A Bond certainly different from the previous movies.
The movie takes a more realistic,more “raw” path.Bond is more human than before,more violent and to some point emotional.All this change is justified from the fact that,as said before,we see the early days of Bond.
The actors that stand out in Casino Royale are Daniel Craig and from the women side,Eva Green.One strong point of the movie are its well-written lines.This fact helps the actors,mainly Craig , in their performances.Eva Green is something more than a simple Bond girl,she’s the woman J.Bond falls for.Her performance is also exceptional.
Two other positive things are the directing and the intensity of some scenes(for example the scene of the poker game against Le Chiffre in Casino Royale).
However,there are some flaws.First flaw ,the villain:Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre is not bad but he’s just too bland.C.Murino’s character (Solange ) is understated,”decorative” maybe and some action scenes last too long.
Casino Royale is very good movie and so is Daniel Craig,despite the doubts about him.This time the “formula” worked,but will it work next time?The fact that when you see Craig you may still have second thoughts about him as Bond, is it a drawback?(it seems that it is decided that D.Craig will reprise his role in Bond 22 as ign.com reports).
UPDATE 11/2008:A few days ago,i watched Casino Royale again (i watched the Blu-Ray,great transfer).I have to say that,while my opinion hasn't changed,i liked the movie even more.It's entertaining,action-packed,yet complex and moving.After some point,it's a tragic love story.It's probably the best Bond movie that i've seen.As for the flaws i mentioned in my original review,i think that Mads Mikkelsen is actually very good as the villain and the chase scenes are one of the pros of the movie.I don't have second thoughts for Daniel Craig anymore.He's very good as Bond and the reviews for Quantum of Solace say the same thing for his perfomance in it too.Is he the best Bond?He's certainly different from the previous ones.
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Friday, August 22, 2008
Release date shift for Quantum of Solace
Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, announced yesterday that it will release Quantum of Solace on November 14th in North America.
The film will begin its worldwide roll out on October 31.
