Review : Quantum of Solace

Alas, the long waited sequel to Casino Royale. This is the first direct sequel ever in the Bond franchise. The film event started just hours after the final scene of Casino Royale.

Unlike Casino Royale that started the film with a quasi noir black and white pre-title sequence that briefly explain the origin of James Bond (origin as in how he get to become 007), Quantum of Solace starts the film with a mind blowing car chase featuring the Aston Martin DBS V12. It is always fun to watch the car chase in Bond film. Not only we get to see super cars in action with great driving stunt, but it is just fun to see how they destroy these super expensive cars as if they were bought using cow dung instead of money. The case ended in a rocky cliff construction site...and somehow reminded me of the very first car chase of Bond films in Dr No.

The title sequence is rather so-so compare to the last one. Although the naked women image is making a comeback, but I prefer the innovative use of playing cards' motive to represent elements like blood, smoke or bullet in Casino Royale's title sequence. As for the song, well, so far nothing can match Connery era's theme song.

Being a direct sequel, the film's main story will be about Bond tracking down the main culprit behind the activities in the previous film. Although Bond appears to be not so affected by Vesper death, but throughout the film we can see that the death indeed affected him a lot. So, the viewer will not be so sure if the action in this film is more on the world saving mission or rather a personal vendetta by Bond.

Actually, the world saving part of the mission in this film is like a bonus. Bond's mission is rather more to personal vendetta and it is fabricated by the need to track down and make clear what is the organization supporting Mr White's plan. This can be proven by the setting of character Camille Montes who is trying to avenge her families death. Camille is a parallel to Bond in this film but both find their solace in a different way.

For Camille, her haunted past died after she avenge her families death, and is going to start a new life, while Bond, despite the advice from his friend and superior, is still haunted by Vesper death and to a certain extent, use it as a motivation to keep on going in his mission. Rather a Batman way of handling death of love ones...

There is a good balance between action and exposition scenes. After a few minutes of super stunt, we get to take a breath and being fed with plot devices. There is nothing new about it, the evil plan is a workable one but typical in most post modern spy and conspiracy theory film. But in anyway is better than laser gun satellite and invisible car and surfing on tsunami.

Action wise, it is so good they have very little CGI in it. Like the car chase, plane dog fight and physical combat with a lot of debris, crashed furniture, torn clothes, cuts on faces etc...It is just hyper-realistic and it is an eye candy.

Acting wise, Craig did it again! Giving life to a update version of Bond. He is the very first Bond that actually give us a cold feeling. He really made is credible that Bond is a cold-blooded assassin that has no opinion taking anyone's life. While Lazenby, Moore and Brosnan have made Bond into some kind of stock character, so far only Craig and Connery have made Bond serious man with a very important mission.

As always, Judi Dench is the best M ever. A little of motherly value, a bit of sarcasm and a competent boss and leader. The previous movie M is like the Commissioner Gordon in the 1960s Batman series that call Batman for whatever idiotically simple crime like missing lunch box etc, Dench's M is like Gordon in The Dark Knight. Yeah, she mean business and there is no joke about it.

Well, this year we have two sequels of a rebooted franchise - Batman and James Bond. Both sequel is applying the same approach - more on realistic plot and characterization, less on campy-ness and gimmicks. Both left us wanting for more. While Nolan is not sure yet for the third Batman, Bond 23 should not be a problem, but just keep our finger cross and pray that they won't screw up Bond like Moore and Brosnan anymore...