Quantum of Solace

Went out with my aero friends today and i finally get to watch the movie that i had been keen to watch since i knew its existence. Casino Royale had brought out the new, raw and grittier Bond loaded with stunning action sequences and i was hooked, keen on the 2nd episode.

Sad to say though, Quantum of Solace definitely was not on par with my expectations. I was expecting the Casino Royale follow-up to be closer to its predecessor's levels but it never came close to that. It could partly be due to the story itself which involves globe-trotting action from Siena to London to Haiti to Bregenz to La Paz, but the purpose of pursuit never seemed to come out strongly. The action sequences in QOS should still be given their due compliments as they are quite gripping with the numerous car chases, run chases, and even aerial pursuits. The action sequences and the production quality are first rate but the drama in between all the action falls flat and feels cold.

Talking about Bond and new Bond Girl, Olga Kurylenko, there is a slight hint of chemistry between the leads but it doesn't go anything deeper than that. Vengeance, which is the main theme of the whole story, was not fully connected with the audiences. The origin of vengeance was not given its due appearance to explain for the onset of vengeance (as the crime occurred in Casino Royale which is a bit of a distant memory for most of us). As a result, vengeance became more nuanced and unapparent.

Talking about villians, Dominic Greene is the new villian in this latest installment of Bond. There are different categories for villians from rather tame to pure evil; Mean, Bad, Vile, Viscous, Evil. I would rate the latest villian in the 'Bad' category. Perhaps he should learn a bit more from the top of all top villians; the Joker in The Dark Knight. Director Marc Forster should probably consider sticking to what he does best instead.

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