Quantum of Solace (2008) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Marc Forster
Written by: Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade
Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench
Runtime: 106 min
Synopsis: Following the death of Vesper Lynd, James Bond (Daniel Craig) makes his next mission personal. The hunt for those who blackmailed his lover leads him to ruthless businessman Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a key player in the organization which coerced Vesper. Bond learns that Greene is plotting to gain total control of a vital natural resource, and he must navigate a minefield of danger and treachery to foil the plan.
It's never easy to create a massively acclaimed film in a beloved franchise. Even harder than that is to produce a direct sequel to one of those movies. After such a successful first entry in this new Era of James Bond, Marc Forster (World War Z) had the challenging task of delivering something as good as what Martin Campbell was able to release. Unluckily, a screenwriter strike deeply affected the production of Quantum of Solace - Forster and Daniel Craig themselves rewrote several scenes - and the final result is one of the biggest failures of the respective decade.
Watching this sequel less than a day after seeing Casino Royale didn't help lighten my negative opinion. The drop in overall quality and enjoyment is gigantic. To be totally honest, only Craig's compelling performance saves this installment from becoming a jaw-dropping disaster. The actor continues to offer remarkable commitment and dedication to the iconic role, demonstrating once again that his casting was a fantastic decision. Sadly, I struggle to find the same level of appreciation for any other element of this film.
One of the most evidently terrible changes is the unbelievably unexciting, horribly filmed action sequences. I wish I could use a set piece from this movie to compare with its predecessor, but the best action scene of Forster's flick isn't even good enough on its own. Pretty much all action sequences lack the elegance, grandeur, and epicness of the Bond saga. Incomprehensible chasing scenes are put together through awful quick cuts (editing by Matt Chesse and Richard Pearson), and fighting scenes are ruined by excessive shaky cam (cinematography by Robert Schaefer).
Even the story itself suffers from these negatively impactful technical elements. Characters often escape certain situations without the viewers being able to understand how. Plot points occur and reach their outcomes without a real development path. Still, the biggest sin of Quantum of Solace is making a James Bond film feel incredibly boring. From the disappointing action to the uninteresting narrative, the entertainment levels are so low that the shortest runtime in the whole franchise feels longer than what it actually is.
In addition to this, this sequel picks up the merciless Bond introduced in the previous installment and turns him into a straight-up violent man. In the middle of the confusing, chaotic action, Craig's Bond is depicted in a much more intense manner just for the sake of violence, which goes against what Campbell presented in his own movie. The new Bond girls return to being generic, bland women with no true arc or purpose, despite Olga Kurylenko (Black Widow) and Gemma Artenton (Summerland) delivering good performances. Finally, Mathieu Amalric (Oxygen) interprets a forgettable Bond villain that follows the cliche formulas of the archetype.
I genuinely don't understand how a franchise goes from a phenomenal film that a vast majority of viewers absolutely loved to a disgracefully dull sequel with a plot that can hardly justify that term. Characters travel from city to city, fight random people in different locations, and once the viewers realize there's no aim, half of the movie has already gone by. Forster is far from being a lousy filmmaker, but as the director indirectly pointed out, the James Bond saga is not the right place for him.
Final Thoughts
Quantum of Solace is one of the biggest disappointments of the respective decade, holding a titanic drop in quality compared to its predecessor. Daniel Craig's dedicated performance isn't enough to save an over-violent James Bond flick, packed with terribly handled action sequences - shaky cam and quick cuts may be the worst technical combo in cinema - and an uninspiring, utterly boring narrative. Both the villain and the new Bond girls return to being easily forgettable cliches. Despite boasting the shortest runtime of the entire franchise, I couldn't wait for this unexpectedly poor sequel to reach its underwhelming ending. A stain that the next installment would fortunately clean…
