by The Film Blogger

Created on: September 10, 2009

Quantum of Solace, the 22nd James Bond film, is the first verifiable sequel entry into the Bond canon, hot off the heels of the hugely successful, highly refreshing dose that was Martin Campbell's Casino Royale. Campbell introduced us to a less-polished, edgier, more psychologically complex Bond, and taking the reins for the second ride is Marc Forster, helmer of Oscar darlings Monsters Ball and Finding Neverland.

Catching the hayride for a sequel is never an easy task, yet in considering that Casino Royale is held by many to be Bond's best outing, Forster's challenge is daunting at best. Quantum of Solace is a curiosity in many respects, not only for its 106-minute running time (making it the shortest Bond film), but for its adherence to many of the maligned and tired tropes of previous Bond films, although still managing to deliver enough thrills to entertain. Simply, Quantum of Solace is a disappointing follow-up to Casino Royale, but this is hardly surprising, or terribly detrimental.

From the opening minute, Solace is action-packed and frenetically paced, taking little time for a breather in its first half. From a car chase, to a run-and-gun pursuit, to a speedboat chase (among many more), Bond (Daniel Craig) causes bedlam in over half a dozen countries in well under two hours, yet the whole affair can't help but feel rather empty. Well-staged as the numerous chases are, Forster feels a tad lost in the shuffle, doubtless better suited to painstaking and contemplative dramatic pieces. There are numerous instances where Forster fails to focus fully on the action as he should, causing disorientation tantamount to the (comparatively unwarranted) criticism leveled against Paul Greengrass in the latter two Bourne films.

Bond's downtime is as minimal as possible in Solace, causing him to appear as little more than a blue-eyed Superman at times, particularly as Forster rarely lingers on any infliction of injury (contrary to Campbell's attempts previously). Bond is dealt (and deals) far more punishment in Solace than in Royale, yet Forster never resolutely capitulates this reality, instead content to push the picture along at a daunting pace, in which Bond is considerably harder to identify with than he was in Royale.

This is not to say that Solace is a poor film, because as an action film, it works far more than it does not. Aforementioned complaints considered, Marc Forster has an eye for the picturesque and the vibrant, and even in the action scenes, there are shots

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