MOVIE REVIEW: This Bond doesn’t charm
“Quantum of Solace,” the new Bond flick, is a disappointment, plain and simple. It’s incoherent in story and style. Bond is not the wise-cracking, cocky, womanizing and ego-maniac we all have grown to love. Instead, he has been transformed into a dour, mindless kicking and punching action hero.
“Solace” is the first-ever direct sequel in the Bond franchise. It starts about an hour after “Casino Royale” ended. Bond is out for revenge. He’s trying to find out who killed his beloved Vesper. Don’t remember who Vesper is? You’d better brush up on the first “Royale” before seeing this movie or nothing will make sense.
But, sadly watching the first movie still won’t help you much as this movie is so muddled it’s almost incomprehensible.
It’s time for the “shaky-cam” style of filming to quietly exit. This trend of filming for action movies is becoming more and more prevalent ever since it was made famous in “The Bourne Supremacy.” The reason I say this is because “Solace” opens with two extremely frustrating and nauseating chase scenes. The first is a car chase where each shot lasts no more than one second. The quick cuts fly all over the place, most of them a blur because of the shaking camera.
Director Marc Foster (why didn’t they keep the director for “Royale?”) has directed some great movies (“The Kite Runner,” and “Finding Neverland”) but is a novice when it comes to filming action scenes. Foster tries his hand at a footrace between Bond and an unknown agent. Instead of trying to emulate the famous pakour-inspired chase scene through the construction site in “Royale,” Foster goes with a more personal approach. Extreme close-ups of Bond’s face, legs and torso crashing through glass and sliding down roofs. I wanted to yell at the director to tell him to move his cameraman back 20 feet so I could see what was going on. There’s a lot of action, sadly it always feels like it’s just off screen.
Daniel Craig is a great Bond. He was amazing in “Royale,” and he does the best with what he’s given here. But, sadly that’s not enough to carry the film. “Solace” has stripped away all that was Bond and replaced it with someone more closely resembling Jason Bourne. He has hints of humor, but nothing ever materializes. And seriously, since when does Bond not know the type of martini he’s drinking?
Even the villain leaves much to be desired. His name is Dominic and he has a genius plan that involves a deposed dictator and the Bolivian water supply. Dominic isn’t even worthy of being a villain. He’s a weenie, and he acts like one. He doesn’t even employ all that much cunning to warrant such a foe as the great James Bond.
The plot has Bond hopscotching around the globe finding one lead after another. There is one scene of promise where the who’s who of the rich are having a secret conversation at an outdoor opera. But, it’s rudely interrupted with another incoherent chase scene, but this time it’s intercut, for no apparent reason, with pointless scenes from the opera.
It all builds up to a showdown at the “Hindenburg” of hotels. Bond is a shell of his former self, and we know as much about the plot as we did at the very beginning.
I’m not calling for the return of the old Bond, but there are certain things that distinguish Bond from other action heroes. There’s a reason this character has been in 22 movies so far. We adore his persona. He’s smooth and charismatic. Here he is not. Craig was allowed to be that bond in “Royale.” He’s fantastic in the poker game. He’s silky smooth, but still has time to kill some bad guys and revive himself with defibrillators during the breaks. But, here you’d be able to cover up Craig’s face and not realize you were actually watching a Bond movie.
The “Solace” Bond has a one-track mind. He doesn’t even bed the “Bond girl.” While I loved the reinvention of Bond in “Royale,” I do not like this Bond. He’s become like every other action hero. Dare I say, Bond has become generic.
–aaron.peck@aggiemail.usu.edu
Grade: C-