It’s nice to live in a world where James Bond is cool again. It amazes me that a movie about a super spy who cares more about his name brand watch than he does the cleverly named floozy he seduced last night, is able to make 70 million dollars in its opening weekend. Of course Quantum of Solace is no ordinary Bond movie. With 2006’s Casino Royale we saw the first signs of the evolution of the character. Gone were the gadgets and snappy one-liners, replaced instead with a grittier version of the British spy’s early years where we actually got a chance to see the notorious womanizer fall in love.  Even better - her name (Vesper) was totally normal. Sort of. Comparatively so when you consider seven years earlier Bond was courting Christmas Jones. DOCTOR Christmas Jones.
 
Quantum of Solace is a direct sequel to Casino Royale (a first in the franchise’s history) and offers Bond purists a whole new set of challenges to overcome. Complaints over Bond being blonde or the lack of exploding pens pale in comparison to a sulking hero set on revenge. In the good old days when James Bond lost someone he cared about he’d slaughter a couple dozen henchmen, drink a martini and bang the closest thing in a skirt. These days we get a whole film dedicated to his pity party
 
It’s all part of the evolution though. It helps that Craig is fantastic as Bond. He still carries that same rough exterior and raw appeal that made the match such a good one in the first place. Any vulnerability he offered in Royale is now frosted over by the cool exterior of a man on a mission, but Craig still manages to walk the walk without looking like a punk.
 
A lot has been made over the comparisons between the Bond and the Bourne films. Both have embraced the real world spy adventures that span the globe and push the action to its limits. In a TV interview, Craig, obviously annoyed at having to explain the distinction of the franchise for the four-zillionth time, points out that Bond is all about style. A certain level of quality that has always been top-of-the-line over the years. Bond’s been destroying Aston Martins and BMWs for decades while Bourne seems perfectly content in T-boning whatever hatchback looks the most inconspicuous.
 
Of all the things to lift from Bourne, they decide to take the shaky camera.  Every lick of action is shot and staged terribly. Not only will you have trouble seeing what’s going on but also figuring out who’s where at any given time. Say what you want about the invisible car, ice fortress or diamond-faced baddie in the last pre-Craig Bond film Die Another Day, at least you could tell what was going on when Bond punched some dude. And as simple as that may sound, I think a little clarity would’ve saved Quantum of Solace from its “bridge movie” mediocrity. 

Verdict | Watch It!