The world has changed. Despite the enormous popularity and longevity of the James Bond series, the people who made Casino Royale and now Quantum of Solace have chosen to take the franchise in a different direction. Bond is still a British super-agent and globetrotter who scurries around the world hunting bad guys. But, the tone, atmosphere, and overall feel for the character has changed. In some ways this is very refreshing and in other ways it is a bit sad. Here are a few specific thoughts on the movie "Quantum of Solace."
The good
Daniel Craig was excellent in Casino Royale and he also does a superb job in Quantum of Solace. Somehow, Craig has captured the brooding grittiness of the character, while at the same time allowing us a peak into the soul of the complex killer. The writers also repeat a good thing, which is to allow the audience to see James Bond get a little beat up. Granted, we're rooting for our hero but it got a bit silly in past movies when he did his miraculous stunts and then popped back up without so much as a wrinkle on his perfectly-tailed suit. The chase and fight scenes remain well-choreographed and the plot works despite some slightly convoluted points along the way. Judi Dench also does a fine job reprising her role as the steely "M", who constantly lectures Bond on his irresponsible behavior.
The bad
There are a few things that I missed from this film. It is nice to get a reboot on the franchise, but I do miss "Q" and the gadgets were always fun to watch on-screen. Unfortunately, the gadgets have been replaced by close-ups of Sony cell phones, which I suppose is to be expected since they paid for the film. There is a bit of humor at times, but there is much less of the cheeky quips that became so prevalent in previous films. Some of that is welcome, but a few one-line zingers were always appreciated. Also, the Ford product placement was a bit much. Times may have changed, but Bond driving a Ford sub-compact just doesn't work.
The unsure
To add to the depth of the film, the writers also seemed to be attempting a few political or social statements. I suppose that could be construed as the maturing of the franchise, but they didn't quite fit in this type of film. We're still talking about James Bond and the theme is action and hunting the bad guys. Some depth of character is well-suited to the modern Bond film, but I don't know if the plot needs to include a socially-sensitive "moral to the story." Still, it can mostly fit in with the modern complexity put forth by the "new and improved" Bond franchise.
Overall, Solace is not as good as Casino Royale by any means, but it is still enjoyable. Craig seems to have settled nicely into the role and hopefully he will be able to put together a couple more films before he ages too much. It will be interesting if the filmmakers continue down the road of remaking the franchise or if they will bring back some of the "oldie but goodie" elements. James Bond will return.