Quantum of Solace: The Review

Well, I was able to see the film in an Advance Screening on the wet and dreary Thursday night in Washington DC. Not exactly an "event" as I've been to other films - but far better than the lackluster opening showing I saw the last installment of Indiana Jones - where it was just a bunch of people treating it like any old movie. Some people were dressed up in tuxes and others in dresses. It actually felt like I was headed into something important.

Then the lights finally dim after sitting in the theater for close to an hour, and the only freaking trailer we get is "Seven Pounds," a blatant 'Oscar grab' film starring Will Smith. No Star Trek trailer, no Watchmen trailer, no Harry Potter trailer. Ugh, oh well. The movie started quickly.

The film was slightly "dark" and "brutal" if you're comparing the film to one of the more jokey Bond films, like from the Moore era. The film was no darker than some eariler Bond excursions such as Licence to Kill, From Russia With Love, or Casino Royale.

Personally I think the criticism should be more on the critics then the film itself as the critics have decided what "makes" a Bond film - gadgets, cars, and "women." I assume by women that they mean multiple girls that Bond can bed easily with a few off hand double entendres thrown in there for good measure. But I digress.

It's quite interesting that those three things that always get brought up (gadgets, cars and women) - but what about Bond? I see the critics comparisons to Jason Borune, though I don't see the extreme shift that they're supposedly seeing. My only serious complaint was the positioning of the camera for many of the action sequences. Far too close to the action, which made it hard to completely process while viewing.

The only other criticism I have with the film is the thin plot.

But frankly, on first impressions alone, I'll take this skimpy Bond over the likes of "The World is Not Enough", "Die Another Day", "The Man With the Golden Gun", and "You Only Live Twice."