blog@cliffdweller

Quantum of Solace. What to say. It's the 22nd film in the 'official' bond series (at least according to Wikipedia). It starred Daniel Craig in his second outing as Bond, James Bond. What's not to like? woof!

Still, I didn't like it.

The explosions were there. It had car chases, boat chases, plane chases, foot chases, falling parachute chases and desert chases. It had at least one scene that reminded me of Enrico Palatso in Naked Gun 2 1/2. Don't know why, but it did. It had nasty bad guys, opera, horse races, alpine car shoot-em-ups, tuxedos, martinis, hot women, Daniel Craig in those pants, naked women covered in motor oil, etc etc. They definitely put the money on the screen, as is their tradition in the Bond franchise.

The thing I didn't like though, the thing that keeps nagging at me, there's no growth in the character.

It seems like Bond always gets in trouble for doing his job, and no matter how hot he looks he has to work outside the system. Of course, even tho MI6 cancels his passport, he still moves with ease to other continents. He still manages to crash social events and don the Tuxedo that looks tailor made even tho he just stole it from a locker room. And in the end, he is the only person who is right and everyone else is wrong, including the CIA, and his bosses back in London.

He is Bond, after all, right?

The message I took away from the film is that it's ok to ignore the rules. Do what you want, the ends justify the means. I stopped counting bodies at One because he only killed people who deserved it. Making him judge jury and executioner. I know it's only a movie, but maybe I am finally getting cantankerous in my old age. I don't think it's that though, I think I'm just getting bored with the same story told with different accents.