Quantum of Solace
Beyond having the absolute
worst title in a series that has a history of awkward names (Thunderball,
A View to a Kill, Goldeneye or Octopussy, anyone?), what does
Quantum of Solace have to offer the James Bond series?
Well, it does bring the series up to
date in modern day cinema. Sadly, that isn't necessarily a good thing.
James Bond was once a
suave, cultured, smart, sophisticated killing machine - a spy who was
charming, funny, sexy and most of all principled, even if he couldn't always be
expected to play by the rules.
Now he may as well be
Vin Diesel or Jason Statham.
After the mostly successful
rethink of the Bond franchise with new star Daniel Craig in Casino Royale,
it's kind of disappointing to see that in Quantum of Solace, Bond has
devolved into a generic action hero.
Too much of the new movie
has a been there/done that feel leading to the belief that the granddaddy of
all spy franchises has been caught and surpassed by the competition like
Jason Bourne.
It probably doesn't help
that the new Bond girl Olga Kurylenko had already played essentially the
same exact femme fatale role in the cheesy Bond-wannabe Hitman
a couple of years ago. It's just further proof that what was once the
gold standard of spy action movies is now playing catch-up to lesser films.
Quantum of Solace is
a relatively good action film, but it is nothing more. The Bond series
is supposed to be so much more.
Dave Strohler
Copyright ©2009 PopEntertainment.com.
All rights reserved. Posted: March 13, 2009.
