QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008)

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"You Don't Have To Worry About Me!"

QUANTUM OF SOLACE is the first Bond sequel movie ever and even though it may not be in the same character-driven level as Casino Royale, in a way it serves as a rite of passage, a transition that would eventually lead us to the usual... typical James Bond that we're familiar with. The quick lavish action sequences that come and go at least every other 10 minutes are not as heart-pounding as I expected them to be but they're entertaining nonetheless. And unlike its predecessor, QUANTUM OF SOLACE wastes no time in playing mind games.. it's more about 'shoot to thrill'.

You can tell that they're really prepping this character to become the Bond that we grew up with. Whether it's the womanizing part, or that he depends heavily on technology, or the fact that he can kill heartlessly anyone who gets in the way of his mission. He even cares less about respecting a dead colleague.

It always fascinates me how he manages to escape or chase after somebody through a neighborhood which he's never been to before but he does it like he's known the route and the obstacles all his life. The Bond portrayed in QUANTUM OF SOLACE isn't so vulnerable anymore, you're starting to get the feel of his invincibility.

I think Director Marc Forster has done a decent job of bringing Bond back to the fans. Forster is known for his arthouse films but QUANTUM OF SOLACE is anything but dramatic, it has no romance anymore and it's in a much faster pace than Casino Royale, the runtime goes to prove that.

But the movie does have its flaws, in my opinion. The opening act seems to wanna try to copy that same excitement we felt when we were left in awe by the amazing stuntwork in Casino Royale's opening chase scene which involved playing with heights. This, however, is a bit on the mild side. It's still not easy to pull but I wouldn't call it much of an adrenaline rush.

I'm not really sure if I enjoy the filmmaker's way of presenting some of the action sequences but maybe that's Forster's artsy habit kicking in. You'd see an action scene but at the same time the flashes of clips would often go back and forth from that to an event that's going on at the same time whether it's an opera or a town ceremony/celebration.

I salute Daniel Craig for compensating what he lacks in his looks with the outstanding ability to meet the physical challenges at hand. You can see in the expression of his face that here's a man who just wants get to the bottom of this but circumstances would force him to become someone he never thought he'd be but in the end he's able to control his.. urges to exercise his license to kill, if you will.

There are some things worth noticing, pretty impressive if you think about 'em. Apparently MI-6 computer power is extraordinarily advanced beyond our time, it's like watching the movie Minority Report.

James Bond is back and once again he fights on land, water, and in the air. Actor Mathieu Amalric is menacing as the first Bond villain who doesn't have weird, freakish characteristics,.. he's got some crazy one-liners.

And last but not least..there's an interesting tribute to 1964 Sean Connery's Bond classic GOLDFINGER.