Monday, December 01, 2008

Quantum of Solace

I haven't posted a movie review here for quite some time. There are two big reasons for this. First, with things being so busy between work, school, and family I don't get to go out to the theater very often anymore. And second, I've been posting most of my "movie reviews" on Facebook. I saw a movie I really enjoyed last week so I thought I would break from the norm and post about it here.

Annie and I saw Quantum of Solace over the Thanksgiving break. I won't speak for both of us but I really enjoyed it. First and foremost to me was that this one really felt like a Bond film. It was subtle things but they added up. I loved Casino Royale and this film makes for the perfect dessert to that meal. Casino Royale was about James Bond becoming the James Bond we know and love. The James Bond in Quantum of Solace is the James Bond we know and love. And the film worked as a bond film on so many levels. The main antagonist in the film had a goofy looking bodyguard or henchman. It had the SPECTREesque larger criminal organization. The girls. Even the production design hearkened back to the great architecture and design of classic bond films. The massive eye as a part of the opera scene was very 007. One new element I really enjoyed was the use of typography for the locations. Rather than just sating Russia or Italy in plain white text at the bottom of the screen it was obvious that they look a lot of time to choose a font and placement that were appropriate to both the location and the shot that contained it. It was a nice touch and something I wouldn't mind if they continued even if Forster doesn't return. Some people complain that it was too short, and it is in fact the shortest Bond film made to date, but I didn't feel that way at all. I never felt that the story was lacking or that they rushed anything. The pacing felt good to me and I appreciate that they didn't inflate the running time unnecessarily to fill some sort of quota.

There you have it. I should get back to my homework now. If you check out the film I'd love to know what you think.

1 comment:

Ryan said...

I liked this one too. I'm writing a review that I'll put up soon, but for now I'll say my only complaints were that it had some too-quick and shaky editing and camera work, and that the story wasn't as exciting as Casino Royale. But overall I was satisfied and had a good time.