James Bond returns in his first sequel!
After the huge success of Casino Royale there was little doubt Daniel Craig would return as James Bond. What would be unexpected was his encore Bond film would be a direct
sequel to Casino Royale.
When we last saw him Craig’s Bond had lost the woman he loved at the hands of a mysterious large evil organization. The only clue he had to them was the figure of Mr. White, who
Bond had succesfully tracked down before the film faded out.
Now it was time to begin to unravel this mystery, earn his trust from M and attempt to find some kind of emotional solace from the death of Vesper.
With a newly hired Bond director, Marc Forster heads into uncharted territory with the first Bond sequel and a distinct vision he had in mind for it. The production would be plagued with numerous problems. The most notable issue to be dealt with would be a writers strike that would become a major stumbling block.
Daniel Craig is back, along with Casino co-stars Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright and Jesper Christensen and the new faces of Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric and Gemma Arterton – I take a look at possibly one of the most divisive Bond films among fans (everyone has a strong opinion about it) Quantum of Solace.
Just a sidenote – I had initially intended to complete this review quite a long time ago. And it was looking like I would. Literally work on it began well over a year ago, but stuff happens and it sadly got pushed to the backburner for much longer than I anticipated. I want to thank you Haphazard Bond fans who enjoy these projects and who have kept asking me about it, waiting for it and remindingme to finish it. You guys are a real motivating force! Thanks for your patience.
Oh and yes I know – this is a first in this review series. This is the first time one of my reviews is actually longer than the actual
film itself. Perhaps a bit of overkill on my part. Oh well.
To read more content by John, visit his blog.
Yeah, good analysis. I bought tickets for a bunch of friends to the first post-premiere showing in London and… it was such a disappointment.
Good actors, good locations, handsome cinematography – marred by an unfinished story and the editing to cover for it. It’s a real shame.
Amalric could-should have been an excellent villian; Olga Kurylenko could have been a great non-love-interest female character. Lots of potentially great moments which were rendered meaningless by their lack of context, but as part of a more solid film could have been highlights.
It never truly settled on its themes – it should have been a simple two-strand affair: a revenge theme, and the theme of “being a good guy involves playing with the bad guys”.
I don’t even really think it’s the director’s fault. It was simply a poorly conceived project against an inappropriate deadline. With better coverage in the shoot and slower pace, it might have actually been fine. I think they really didn’t have the material in the first place to allow this, and Forster and his actors’ brave on-the-fly attempts to compensate didn’t come off.
Film-making is collaborative, so it probably doesn’t land on anyone particular that this went so completely wrong. The idea of Quantum could have been a goer.
Oh well.