Joan and I went to see Quantum of Solace the other day and it took our breath away! Yes, the mainstream movie reviews are making it seem like Quantum of Solace is terrible and not worth your time, but trust you me, the movie is awesome! The movie has done nearly $200 million in Europe just over the weekend and word of mouth is what is moving this movie in Europe, they don’t make $200 million for just the name! No, it’s a good movie, a darn good movie that moves fast and keeps moving to the finish.
Daniel Craig plays Bond, James Bond, like 007 has never been played before and he is
very convincing. Yes, the women are going to go see Quantum of Solace for the sake of seeing Mr. Craig, but they are going to be in for one big surprise. The opening scene starts just days after Bond’s love of his life has died in Casino Royale (making this the first direct sequel in the Bond series), he is being chased down a winding road while being shot at and crashed into. Just like in Casino Royale Bond takes a beating like never before, everything seems quite real if you can get past the fact that he is dodging a thousand bullets a second.
The biggest complaint about this movie from critics seems to be the speed of the movie and the camera angles. I don’t understand this complaint at all. The movie is supposed to be fast and the camera angles put the viewer directly into the movie, almost as if the view is part of the action – you ‘feel’ it when Bond gets hurt. I often heard grunts and “oh my God’s” from the audience. I guess the critics are used to sitting and writing and not being part of the action! Critics loved Royale because it was so emotional and, well, a relaxing pace, not too fast for those who sit all day. If you’re a gamer, this movie will be cherished! Keep in mind that your usual critic is not an action fan, so do yourself a favor and ignore the negative reviews on this one, you won’t regret it!
That being said about the action, Daniel Craig is an actor’s actor. Robert Downey jr. being cast as Iron Man was a stroke of genius and so was Edward Norton as The Hulk (even if not as good as Iron Man). Action movie directors have learned something valuable, get a real actor and it changes everything! Daniel Craig acts the way James Bond has always wanted to be, but was always too corny to be. You will notice that there is a lack of gadgets and other side shows in Craig’s Bond movies, the truth is an actor of Craig’s stature and abilities doesn’t need anything on the side, he is the movie!
When you go see this movie do not expect a long drawn out remake of The Titanic or Terms of Endearment, plan on being part of the movie and seeing someone actually act like a real living breathing James Bond, even if he can dodge a thousand bullets a second!
~Bryan
