~New Review: Quantum of Solace~

O-kay, I may as well get this over with, as there may be some reading this that haven't yet seen the latest Bond film, and I must give such people warnings. Things to look for. Things to deeply, deeply fear. I walked into the theater with a few friends, disappointed that I'd been outvoted in seeing RocknRolla (which everyone conceded was getting excellent reviews, and not just from me). The spy-buff of the group, a tall fellow whom I respect immensely, looked as if he might tear me in half and use my legs as a doorstop when I said I'd rather see RocknRolla than Bond. So, out of fear for the fate of my legs, I allowed myself to buy a ticket.

From a technical standpoint, Quantum of Solace (a name that, even after seeing the entire f***ing movie, is still incomprehensible to me) is very clean and crisp. The production values are excellent, the direction better than I expected, and of course, lots and lots of pretty explosions. These things I come to expect from the new Bond, so it was hardly mind-liquefying to see them, though they are appreciated.

What I found that completely blindsided me was the fact that the story got very twisted in upon itself. Like, on a level I don't think I've seen for years. Not to give too much away, the plot becomes much more about a revenge killing than actually relieving the suffering of the Bolivian people. If I expect anything at all from the Bond franchise, it's that there is a very competent spy fiction writer behind the wheel. In some ways, this is true; there are the appropriate double-crosses, international stories of intrigue and villains masquerading as decent, and sometimes philanthropic, human beings. But despite the title, the word "Quantum" is mentioned only twice that my friends and I could notice, and "Solace" was mentioned a whopping 0. Zero. None. Did the writer take one more Quaalude than he meant to and just fell asleep before he got to explain what the hell it means? I thought from the beginning that "Quantum of Solace" sounds like a method of consoling a grieving widow at warp speed, but it was really surprising to find that the writers dropped such an obvious ball.

In terms of acting, Quantum is everything you remember from Casino Royale. Daniel Craig is at his ruthless best, Dame Judi Dench is as cutting as we remember, and for the most part the cast is made up of lesser-known actors. Thank God. The exception is the (absurdly beautiful and sexy) Olga Kurylenko, who does her level best to make her character both professional and vulnerable. If only the script that the actors were given were a bit more well-constructed.

My last major gripe with the film is that it's, oddly, almost too intense. Each action sequence is so engaging that you hardly realize that the movie has reached a climax. These sequences are awesome to watch, of course, but it's nearly to much. I remember the same spy-buff that wanted to rip my limbs off saying, as the credits rolled, "Really? That's the- Really?" That's the problem right there: come in hungry, leave unsatisfied.

There are definitely great moments; the big one is the "bike-slap," as I like to call it. Just trust me on this one, you'll know it when you see it. My advice to any die-hard fan is, watch it, just don't expect to have your espionage hard-on immediately satisfied.