Quantum of Solace Falls Back into Genre Film, in a Bad Way

Director Marc Forster’s latest addition to the James Bond legacy, Quantum of Solace, has some nice tricks but never really solidifies itself to keep my interest. When I saw the trailer about a month ago, I knew I was going to love every minute of it. Daniel Craig instantly became my favorite Bond with his debut, Casino Royale. I thought that had the depth and intrigue of a classic Bond film but with the added storyline and contemporary flare needed to compete with today’s tough crowds.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes QofS weaker than its recent predecessor. Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster’s Ball) takes great liberties with the camera work: his sweeping motion instantly adds energy to the shots and creates a ever-changing landscape for Bond to traverse; the inclusion of clever, super-imposed titles signifying a new location gave the film a edgy style that bordered on distraction but was ultimately just cute; the characters are beautiful and wear amazing clothes and drive amazing cars (a must for a Bond flick).

I hate to say it, but the story finally drug this installment down. Casino Royale is a tough act to follow. That film won back all the average Bond fans that had finally checked out with the last few Brosnan attempts and quieted the die-hard fans that thought Craig was too blond to be Bond. The writers tried to take the easy way out by continuing Casino’s story line and using the same characters (not usually seen with Bond films). Never revisiting that story, they forced us to remember what happened and hoped we would connect everything ourselves. Usually, I hate when they spoon-feed the back story to the audience but give us something to work with! I never really knew what the bad guys wanted, how they were going to get it, or what was stopping them. Most of the time, I didn’t know who was chasing Bond and therefore didn’t care if he got away or not. Because I never fully knew the story I never fully cared about the success or failure of his “mission” (which was never official). The film approached the end and I just thought, “is the world safer now? Did we win?” The writers never fully delivered because I would bet they didn’t think they would have to. James Bond sells itself.

There is no theme or image that makes this film distinct from the rest of the canon. Moonraker is in space! Goldfinger kills a girl by painting her with gold paint (an image revisited with oil in QofS… get some new material…) Absent is the enormous Cuban satellite to slide down, or the invisible/remote controlled car, or the jet pack; anything that the audience could talk about on the way to the parking lot. Which makes this just a collection of themes and stereotypes that have to be checked off the list or something. The recent films have also tried (with varying success) to include powerful women characters but now the sexism is back. The female leads are portrayed as dumb, persuasive, and needy and get in the way at best. A huge step back from where the franchise was headed, in my opinion.

I can’t say I was completely dissapointed, it still has pretty people doing amazing things (some even off-the-wall for a Bond movie though) and that must carry some weight. Maybe my expectations were too high but this never filled the shoes that current action movies are making bigger and bigger every day. Go to see pretty people but don’t expect to have much to talk about on the way home.