I managed to see a late showing of the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, this weekend after Dancesport. Here are my initial, first viewing, thoughts.
I'm still not sure if I like this movie as much as its precursor, Casino Royale. The first movie developed Bond's only real relationship with a woman, Vesper, which was what made it so intriguing and. . . good. Quantum of Solace takes place immediately afterwards as Bond pursues the organization behind Mr. White. Obviously, because Vesper is dead, this movie lacks that romantic element of the first. However, this does add an interesting twist as Daniel Craig does an excellent job, again, of portraying a man who has lost his soul. You can see the development of Bond's character, as he resorts to sex and excessive violence to deal with the percieved betrayal of Vesper. I think this adds an element that has never been seen in a Bond movie before, because you get the sense that Bond is really in pain; you start to understand why he is the way he is.
Plotwise, QoS, is a typical Bond film; tons of villains, two unbelievably attractive women, action, intrigue, blatant product placement by Ford, lots of shooting and explosions. . . yeah, it's good.
And hooray for the absense of the painful one-liners that were typical of every Bond film made before Casino Royale.
My initial grade is an A- but that might change when I view the movie again.
