Quantum: an indivisible entity related to energy and momentum of an elementary particle such as a photon. AKA...really small! But I'm not here to give you a physics lesson and my roommate, the one who could actually explain this idea to you, is off grading freshman chemistry exams.
Quantum of Solace.
Now that is something we all want to talk about. This latest installment in the Bond saga is also the highest grossing film over its opening weekend. It pulled in a solid $70.4 million by selling 9.8 million tickets. The previous largest opening weekend for a bond flick was $47 million for Die Another Day on 8.1 million tickets.
Quantum of Solace is the direct descendant of Casino Royale and picks up exactly where Casino Royale leaves off. If you remember, Bonds latest girl, who actually appears to love him and who he actually spends a considerable amount of time with gets killed. She drowned in an elevator in Venice and for some reason Bond was not able to revive her. (Although his attempt was pitiful, what would have happened had she lived?) Bond then travels to see the guy that he shoots in the leg at the very end of the movie. This guy has much needed information...
Quantum of Solace picks up with the spot that any Bond should be in, with Bond in an Aston Martin being chased by men with semi-automatics. This time the Aston takes a beating and sadly there are no gizmos attached to the car. (When does Q start making them?) If you don't remember the guy from the end of Casino Royale, like myself, then you forget that he is in the trunk and susceptible to being shot...but he lives.
This guy, I wish I could remember his name, is an operative for a super secret organization that even M does not know about. So when they attempt to question him, the movie starts its mayhem. Operatives all through the agency suddenly show that their allegiance is split. Ok, maybe not all over, but ones that used to guard M suddenly show that they are moles.
The villain in this movie is a guy who is supposedly buying up useless pieces of land around the world for an environmental organization that claims to be working for good. You find out over the course of the film that he is not actually who he says he is, but rather a mercenary with a "good" front. That seems to happen so often in movies... But his ex-girlfriend wants to work with Bond after Bond prevents her from killing a general who killed her parents. This general is going to take over a country, Bolivia?, and is getting his support from the main villain.
Felix, the CIA agent from Casino Royale makes an appearance, as well as Matthius the one who may have been a double agent.
There are chases in every form of major transportation besides train. Movie starts with a car chase. Later on there is a boat chase. There is even a plane chase, not to mention a foot chase on the roofs of Italy. But no train chase. Which is ok, the movie would have been a bit longer than it already was and it dragged on a bit.
The Good:
Bond goes out as a rogue agent for most of the film because his vengeance for his lover leads him to kill a lot of people, or appear to kill a lot of people.
A cool moment is where Bond pops a dinghy with a grappling hook and it goes flying in the air. Watching an Aston Martin weave through traffic and then skid around corners in a stone quarry. Some beautiful explosions from damaged fuel cells in the desert.
Oh yea, some beautiful ladies too...
The Bad: It didn't have the energy that Casino Royale had. I'm not positive on what was missing but something just felt different. Some of the fight scenes are the type that occur so fast you almost get sick trying to watch because the screen begins to blur. The organization that is unknown from the beginning, is still unknown at the end. Quantum is used either as the unknown organization, or the amount of land that the environmental front is buying up. It's never made clear.
The stats:
Length: 1 hour and 46 minutes (felt a lot longer)
Rating: PG-13
My rating: 3 out of 5 Go see it for the explosions and fight scenes on the big screen.
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