Having captured Mr. White, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is that much closer to discovering the full picture about the shady criminal organization known as QUANTUM. The members of this group of bad guys were responsible for the death of Vesper Lynd, whom Bond loved, so this mission is personal for him. While M (Judi Dench) becomes exasperated at the spy’s reckless methods, he zeroes in on Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric), one of the more despicable QUANTUM players.

CRITIQUE

Spy action films have never seen a franchise as enduring as the Bond saga. The recent success, both commercially and critically, of the Bourne films has influenced 007, however, which could be seen in 2006’s Casino Royale. For action and a consistently engaging story of intrigue, Quantum of Solace is a Bond film that fits in well with such an established franchise.

Casino Royale was a change in the Bond series in more ways than just the more realistic, emotional tone that the Bourne franchise lent to the genre. It was also Daniel Craig’s first outing as the legendary British secret agent, which he pulled off in rousing fashion. The story also took the audience to Bond’s initiation into being a double-O, and was well-written throughout.

For this installment, the filmmakers wisely chose to do something no Bond film has ever done: it’s a sequel. That’s right, the plot picks up where Royale left off. It is a risky move, but a positive one overall. It lends all the action we’re used to seeing a fresher tone, and the final scene connects exceptionally well with Royale. The only complaint some could offer about this choice is that it may make the whole film feel like an afterthought, just a continuation of a story instead of a separate entity. I didn’t feel that while watching, but some might.

The only other peeve I would point out is the impact of the Bond girls in this one. In their quest for “tall and gorgeous,” the filmmakers have ended up with a couple of bland actresses. Olga Kurylenko gets the larger, more complex role but leaves only a decent impression, while Gemma Arterton borders on annoying. She does get a memorable death, however, covered in oil (shades of Goldfinger). Plus, Mathieu Almaric is a nice choice for villain-- not overtly scary but a strong actor.

Director Marc Forster provides the film with much of its entertainment value and quality. The stunning locations combine with the memorable production design and cinematography he has drawn from his artisans in a way to make the visuals of this film pop. Action is something Forster is comfortable with as well, as those sequences are top-notch here. Cars, boats, and planes all get chase scenes, for example.

Quantum of Solace distinguishes itself quite well within the Bond franchise with it’s story, tone, and action which are mostly the product of outstanding direction.

THE VIDEO

The studio provided a screener and not final product, which means this writer cannot comment on the video quality. Rest assured, the DVD features anamorphic widescreen.

THE AUDIO

The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack is pretty impressive. The final DVD also has Spanish and French 5.1 dub tracks, plus optional subtitles for English and Spanish.

THE EXTRAS

Bond on Location: At almost 25 minutes long, the doc focuses on the work the cast and crew did outside of Pinewood Studios, on various locations around the world. The information here is all interesting and any viewer will be impressed with the amount of work that went into these locations. In particular, the Panama locations, which necessitated re-plumbing the town! One point made clear here is that the filmmakers wanted fresh locations, and they got them.

Start of Shooting: The early rehearsal process is covered in this very brief extra. There is a tiny bit of repetition with this one, but mostly the audience gets to see just how much Craig goes through to do stunts himself.

On Location: Again, the locations are the focus, but most of what is here is new behind-the-scenes footage and new bits of interviews. The set for the party scene is singled out, which isn’t in the location featurette above.

Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase: The new Bond girl is the focus here, and this brief doc is a decent addition. Forster and Craig comment on Kurylenko and she discusses the action element of her role.

Director Marc Forster: Forster gets a lot of praise from cast and crew in this brief extra. The topic of helming a Bond film that is a follow-up to one of the most successful in the franchise is an interesting one and this doc leaves you wishing Forster the best.

The Music: Another brief doc, this time about the music. This is an excellent one, though, as both composer David Arnold and the singing team of Jack White and Alicia Keys give great interviews here. Hearing both the iconic Bond theme and the cool new Bond song in one extra is a treat.

Music Video: Alicia Keys and Jack White’s song for this Bond film, called “Another Way to Die,” gets a very cool, Bond-ish video. The song is catchy and the effects in the video are as well. Enjoyable.

Crew Files: A wonderful collection of production video blogs make up this bonus feature. Producer Michael G. Wilson introduces and closes these 32 brief interviews with various crew members of this film, which all originally played on the film’s website leading up to release. I personally love to hear from less-discussed areas of filmmaking and the viewer certainly gets that here. Everyone from the supervising art director to singer Alicia Keys gets input and all of it will leave you wishing these were longer. I particularly like Chris Munro, production sound mixer (whose cell goes off during his blog!), and Naomi Donne, who did makeup and hair for the Bond girls. Definitely watch these.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Quantum of Solace continues the Bond franchise’s recent grittier, more realistic tone in the direction and performances, as well as the strong script and direction. The extra features on this two-disc set are valuable to the viewer as well, and fans of this franchise in particular will want to own Daniel Craig’s second outing as the famed British super spy. Anyone will see the film and be interested in what will happen next to James Bond.