My review of the new Bond film is up and I have to say, I liked a lot better than many other writers did.
I'm interested to hear what you think.
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2 comments:
I was disappointed with Quantum of Solace, although not simply because Bond does not feel like Bond anymore, but that it failed to deliver on the promise given in Casino Royale.
Truth be told there are no huge slam-bang action scenes reminiscent of the previous films, although the finale comes close, the film is still punctuated with action pieces that almost feel timed after a certain amount of down time.
I also thought Greene was a pretty weak villain. He's barely on the screen and shares practically zero time with Bond. Now when Joseph Wiseman showed up in the last 20 minutes in Dr. No, he more than made up for lost time. Since then it's become standard practice to introduce the villain early, sometimes even in the teaser, which can be overexposure.
But Bond here gets no chance to play off of Mathieu Amalric, who I think was wasted. I wanted to see some verbal sparring on par with Dr. No, the best Blofeld (Telly Savalas) and 006 which I thought would pack a big punch with Amalric in the role. Although their fight was sufficiently brutal that quashed any issues I had early on about his physical presence.
I am still impressed with Daniel Craig in the role, who certainly in the most visceral and brutal Bond to cross the screen. The fights have taken on a more violent, realistic tone while still be somewhat stylized, the rope fight for example, but you can feel the pain and anguish for the first time since Goldfinger almost sliced Sean Connery in half. I still don't think "He is Bond" when he's on the screen, although that is the point of this reboot.
A few other points: I actually give the top Bond spot to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, with From Russia with Love a very close second. Also I enjoyed Dalton as Bond and thought his more grounded and emotional take on the role, after Roger Moore, was a refreshing change of pace at the time.
I love all previous Bond, and every actor who came before the new BlondeBond. I am willing to try and warm up to this new guy, but it hasn't happened yet. Casino Royale was a major disappointment for me. I don't need to go into the details of why I didn't like anything after the first 20 minutes (OK one thing... let's just say I don't want to ever see Bond playing a card game that's seen daily on the Game Show Network... he might as well travel to the exotic locale of Newark).
So it will take a lot for Quantum of Solace to deliver for me. In time, I have even found things to enjoy about the worst of the Bond films (for example, used to hate View to a Kill and now it's a top fave), but the main thing is connecting with the actor behind the Bond. And Craig and I don't have that kind of relationship yet. We'll see!
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