Quantum of Solace [DVD] [2008]

Yep as usual, like this film vs Casino Royale, Daniel Craig vs Sean Connery, Connerys' toupee vs Roger Moores', there will no pleasing everyone. But straight off the bat I will agree there is some loose moments - and a lot of very clumsy,short editing going on (fight scenes mentioned mainly in reviews - but what about the start? you barely get more than a 2 second glimpse of the beautiful Aston Martin DBS!!?) But, I actually think such comments miss the point. Starting with a cracking re-working with Casino Royale, the new bond films present a fantastic and vibrant re-imagining - all the key "Bond criteria" is present but with two new and critical points - character development and story telling. Of course the majority of new Bond revisionists will argue that nothing will top Casino Royale (CR for future ref!!) but this film actually in some ways delivers more. CR is the new-laid foundation - but at the end you want to know more, not just in terms or what happens n ext, but what of Bond himself. So in QOS you actually see the cause and effect - not seen since "License to Kill" have we seen Bond driven by revenge - but thanks to the ever-skillful Daniel Craig we see more - yes, the film starts a bit full on and clumsy, but the delightful interchange between Bond and M early on set the mood. He tries to center himself, but is out of control - he is mourning, he is genuinely troubled - but angry at himself and at his betrayal - and this whole side of Bond is new to see and handled superbly by Craig. Like I said the craftwork of the film is not what I am focussed on - its how things develop. The cast is very strong - Denchs' M is so well realised, Jeffrey Wright is also excellent as the new and probably-the-best-ever Leiter, Kurlyenko also delivers some genuine depth and skill to what could easily be a one dimensional caricature and her characters' burning desire for revenge is so intense - it actually seems to perfectly balance out Craigs' vengeful yet out-of-control Bond. Looking from this angle the film is strong - visually it is no less beautiful, some really striking scenes - the theatre scene is just amazing, the character development and interaction progress all the more (the last scene with Bond and Mathis is genuinely affecting - like NOTHING before in a Bond film) so to this end I think its an imperfect but in my opinion braver, deeper more considerate film even than the excellent CR. Which actually strives to look further into the Bond character and give greater depth to his protagonists too. Great stuff!!

Brilliant film

A sequel to Casino Royale and a well made blu ray disc. Both sound and picture are of high quality.The action is fast paced and set in lots of exotic locations as is usual for James Bond. Daniel Craig plays his role well as a hardened and cynical 007 killer but you can see his softer side in his relationship with with women. You really saw his emotional side in the last movie with Vesper and it carries over to this one. The final scenes in the desert hotel are fast and furious though I never really understood Greene's motives - was it greed for money (as he seemed to have plenty) or did he just want people to suffer by creating a water shortage?

Quantum of Solace - Non Spoiler Review: In my honest-to-heart opinion - this is probably the second best bond (best being casino royale). If you haven't seen Casino Royale, then Quantum of Solace will make no sense whatsoever - so don't see Quantum before you see that movie. Back to Quantum - there's everything you want from: a) a bond film b) any great film The movie opens with a thrilling car chase, taking place approximately 30 minutes after Casino Royale, where Bond has Whyte in his car. We then get a fantastic chase, from rooftop to rooftop, with astounding stunts, fantastic, realistic action, (Yup, we're past Die Another Day) and another great David Arnold score. I really haven't a clue why so many hate on Quantum, it's a fast-paced, well directed Bond film. As aforementioned, this really is a sequel to CR, and a lot of it's main events come of the back of that. Quantum is also a movie about revenge, but for the most part, Bond tries to convince himself that he's not motivated by it, as M (who has some great dialogue) suspects. The ending of the movie is really powerful - more subtle than Casino Royale's, and just as heart-breaking, as we learn that Bond has moved on from the past. Bottom line - Fantastic Movie - check it out (but watch CR first, for sure) - it's a kick-ass action film, with great performances.

Fantastic film, Daniel Craig was brilliant as Bond, he really captures the essence of how we expect 007 to be. This film and the others Daniel Craig made are classic James Bond.

I went to see this at the cinema & I loved it,this is Daniel Craig's second outing in the role of James Bond 007 & i think he is brilliant in the role. When the film opens & the car chase with Bond in a Aston Martin (thank goodness it is not a BMW) I was waiting for side missiles etc for the car to unleash it's weapons at the following Alfa Romeo's & it never happened (shock it is a Aston Martin not a Q gadget) here in lies the beauty of this film as it is Bond at the most roar in recent times we have seen him with no gadgets & living on his own savvy & makes for a tremendous action movie. The film is in my top 4 Bond movies & I hope to see this type of Bond more often where it is his wit & intelligence along with the devastation he can cause being seen in Bond movies more. Buy it as this will appeal I think to Bond fans but also those who are not fans but love a action movie.

After the pure excellent of Casino Royale maintaining that standard for the next film was going to be hard. We were promised more action than CR, more! There was plenty of action in CR for me, and you can actually see what is going on. In QoS the film makers have gone down road of the last two Bourne (and countless other films) of having jerky, close in, fast cut action scenes, which I have to say are not my bag. Having got back to 'doing it for real' it is a shame that the viewer can't really see what is going on a lot of the time. With the stunt people risking life and limb it would be quite nice to be able to see their hard work - if I want to 'be in the action' I'll go to Skirmish or a rollercoaster for the day, I don't want to get motion sickness in the cinema! That's that gripe over with. QoS opens with one of these 'high octane' action scenes, a confusing and confused car chase, but where is the suspense? the opening scenes have been getting longer and more involved recently, where as the best of them, From Russia With Love, had a short scene, with tension and a great pay off. A car chase just doesn't do it for me, and as this is meant to have happened directly after the end of CR, where did all the bad guys come from? A smile was given when Bond opened the boot to reveal Mr White, but that was quickly wiped off with the worst, and I mean the WORST, titles scene ever. I just hope that Danny Kleinman was ill or working on something else when the producers came to make the titles, because if they passed him over for the morons that made these then shame on them, especially as CR had just about the best title sequence of the whole damn series! The rest of the film seems to move along at a muddle, at the end you are thinking, what was that all about? Marc Forster's remit to get the four elements into the film are probably responsible for the overall muddled feel and his arthouse pretensions at odds with the awful fast editing wobbly camera work of the second unit, who thought they were making Bourne 3! 007's final scene with Vesper's ex-boyfriend is about the only thing that really ties it in with CR and Bond achieving his quantum of solace. There are good moments, and there is possibly a good film in there trying to get out, but I think Marc Forster missed the boat on this one, bring back Martin Campbell for the next (also Moneypenny, and Danny Klienman for the titles) and lets get back to Premium Bond! The Quantum organisation, is, I think, a good one, but they need to be less shadowy to the viewer (MI6 can be kept in the dark) and Mr White could/should be a recurring character. Parts of this film went against Bond's character for me, and I thought the callous and slightly sick scene with Mathais' body was totally out of character and unnecessary, Mathis would have been a good recurring ally for Bond. Although this is the most expensive, (doesn't look it) and the shortest (doesn't feel it) Bond film, and has has excellent box office I think it was a missed opportunity. The DVD is a two disc 'special edition' that really isn't that special - you'll have to wait for the Ultimate/De Luxe Edition for the cut Bond/White scene and Daniel uttering the words "Bond, James Bond". The DVD menus are fairly average, though I have to say the picture and sound quality are excellent (as they should be!) It comes in a nice stiff cardboard slipcase, but (and I think this is a first) no booklet, and for a DVD retailing at close to £25 that is unforgivable. Also there is a fair amount of repetition in the featurettes. A mixed bag then at best, lets hope that Bond 23 delivers a better, viewer friendly picture and some humour, which is lacking really in this film.

Acting as part 2 in the new James Bond series this story picks up just moments from where Casino Royale left us, with incredible actions scenes that don't have to rely on gadgets and a more 'human' Bond with feelings. Still hurting from the death of Vesper, James is motivated by revenge until he meets somebody else with a similar background looking for vengeance. A fairly short Bond pic with an often confusing plot but Craig has not yet outstayed his welcome, glad to see that the story continues rather than starts again like other Bond pics. Theme song is abysmal though, Jack White/Alicia Keyes - Another Way To Die is not exactly a classic Bond theme. However I look forward to part 3. ABOUT THE DISC: This blu-ray version is one of the best visually BD's on the market. Sound is also clear. Extras are rather poor but are all featured on 1 disc unlike the DVD which is spread onto 2 discs. Highly reccomended.

Todo correcto y perfectamente embalado. Completada la coleccióndel agente secreto James Bond 007 en vinilo/DVD en caja metálica, edición limitada..

Très bien

First off, I will just say that my only qualm about this picture was its length. In the past, a certain pedigree has been expected of Bond films' runtimes; they are LOOONG. This is typically not a bad thing, if done right, and the film doesn't drag on. However this flick clocks in about 45 minutes less than Royale, and I thought it could have used just a little more substanence. That said, grain of salt and all that, this was a very good movie. I stood up at the end and escorted my girl out of the theatre with me and said "Wow, that was a great movie." In the end that is all you can ask for. For those on here looking for an unbiased view, or one not laced with peoples' hatreds and indolences, this is where you should look. They burned the poor man at the stake in '05 when he was announced as Bond, they continued to bust his chops after Royale, (which was both a commercial and critical success by the way) and they continue to stone him after this effort. And it is just wrong. 'Bond Purists' 'Old Timers' and all of their ilk share in their own naiveity. They stamp their feet begging and whining for Connery back, and lash out at anything else, reguardless of how evidently well the movie/actor has done. The fact of the matter is, Daniel Craig, under the production of the current crew has brilliantly opened up a new avenue of 007 that people have never been introduced to, or seen in the near 50 years since Fleming wrote Casino Royale. His performance adds such great contrast and depth to a man we all thought we knew absolutely everything about after 20 films, but yet he manages to bring something very new to the stale cookie-cutter James Bond portrayed over the last 40 years. Not that these are bad performances... just stale. Hell, I own every Bond film. This is a great film, and definitly worth a watch if you into James Bond, the spy genre, action or all of the above. I would recommend watching Casino Royale before this if you have not seen it yet, as this movie is a continuation of that picture, which further separates QoS and Royale from every other Bond film. Never before has continuity ever been fully utilized in the 007 universe, and they do it well here. As I said before, don't look to the bad-teeth feet-stampers crying for a Connery/Moore clone to come back. Watch this film, and judge for yourself.

Snelle levering, netjes verpakt en een mooie aanvulling op de collectie

Also um es gleich mal vorweg zu sagen: die schlechten Rezensionen hat dieser James Bond wirklich nicht verdient. Vermutlich haben die schlechten Bewertungen der bisherigen Renzensenten ihren Grund darin, dass einfach der Vorgaengerstreifen "Casino Royale" eben nochmal ein Stueck besser gewesen ist und m.E. als der (bisher) mit Abstand beste James Bond Film aller Zeiten angesehen werden muss. Dies sollte aber nun nicht dazu fuehren, 'Ein Quantum Trost' nur am Vorgaengerstreifen zu messen; verglichen mit den anderen 'Bond'-Filmen ist er naemlich immer noch ein Spitzenfilm. Kommen wir aber nun zur Bewertung selber.... 'Ein Quantum Trost' ist der zweite Bond-Streifen mit Daniel Craig nach 'Casino Royale' und bildet von der Handlung her die Fortsetzung von 'Casino Royale'. Hier muss man dann als erstes anmerken, dass Daniel Craig schlichtweg die bisher beste James Bond Verkoerperung darstellt. Daniel Craig fuehrt naemlich die Gestalt des Geheimagenten James Bond da weiter, wo man irgendwann einmal mit Sean Connery angefangen hatte: James Bond ist nun mal ein Kerl der sich hauptsaechlich mit seinen Faeusten (also koerperlich) gegen seine Kontrahenten durchsetzt mit etwas Unterstuetzung durch neueste technische Gadgets. Dabei verfuegt er ueber einen typisch britisch-trockenen Humor und zudem fliegen ihm die Frauen nur so zu....genau DAS ist James Bond! - Und genau DAS verkoerpert Daniel Craig; das ist es auch, warum mit Daniel Craig ein neuer James Bond Massstab gesetzt wurde. Die zwischenzeitlichen Bond Haupt-Darsteller Roger Moore und Pierce Brosnan (Lazenby und Dalton waren nur kurzzeitige 'Ersatzleute') entsprachen in keinster Weise der eigentlichen James Bond Figur: Moore war ein reiner Witzbold mit britischem Humor, waehrend Brosnan noch nicht einmal ueber diese Eigenschaft verfuegte.... Mit Pierce Brosnan waere dann die James Bond Reihe wohl auch komplett 'gestorben'; zum Schluss musste man sogar auf so einen Schwachsinn zurueckgreifen wie ein unsichtbares Auto oder aehnlichen Bloedsinn...Brosnan's Bond war wirklich unertraeglich...eine reine James-Bond-Abziehfigur im Smoking, sonst nichts. Die Rettung fuer James Bond kam dann - erstaunlicherweise - durch einen anderen Geheimagenten (mit den gleichen Initialen!) der wohl selbst einmal James Bond als Vorbild hatte: J...ason B...ourne! Die dreiteilige Jason Bourne Reihe hatte hier ganz neue Massstaebe gesetzt: 1. Mehrteilig 2. Die (westliche) Welt ist ein durchtechnisierter 'Ueberwachungsstaat', der in zumeist stahlblauen Bildern in Szene gesetzt wird 3. Jason Bourne ist eine knallharte (emotionsarme) Killermaschine der gegen finstere Maechte kaempft, die die Welt kontrollieren wollen. Wer die Jason-Bourne Reihe kennt, der wird nun bei 'Casino Royale' und vielleicht noch mehr bei 'Ein Quantum Trost' Reminiszenzen an Jason Bourne finden. Zum ersten Mal wurde ja James Bond auch als 'Fortsetzung' gedreht. Die Londoner MI-6 Hallen sind geradezu eine Kopie der 'Treadstone'-Hauptquartiere: nuechterne, unpersoenliche blaue Korridore (kein gemuetliches Moneypenny-Buero mehr...) High-Tech-Ueberwachungsmonitore und Datenbanken ueber alle moeglichen Staatsbuerger, die weltweit ueberwacht und verfolgt werden koennen... Und dann endlich auch wieder ein James Bond, der auch koerperlich so gut gebaut ist, dass man ihm abkauft, wenn er einen (auch durchtrainierten) Widersacher auf Herrentoilette zusammenschlaegt und ihn im Pissoir ertraenkt... Hier uebersehen wohl viele, dass Sean Connery in der damaligen Zeit ja eigentlich auch ein 'gut gebauter' und gut aussehender Typ war, dem man abkaufte, dass er andere k.o.-schlagen konnte und dass ihm die Frauen nachgelaufen sind...wenn ich mir dann Roger Moore oder Pierce Brosnan angucke, dann kommen die doch gar nicht glaubhaft rueber, da sie weder so gut aussehen, geschweige denn den entsprechenden 'Body' besitzen, um die Rolle des James Bond ueberhaupt glaubhaft verkoerpern und rueberbringen zu koennen. Kommen wir zurueck zum vorliegenden 'Ein Quantum Trost': Es wurde von einem anderen Rezensenten angemerkt, dass die Einleitungssequenz erst zum Schluss kommt....ist ja auch verstaendlich, wenn man bedenkt, dass es erstmals eine Fortsetzung ist und daher natuerlich dort anfaengt, wo 'Casino Royale' aufgehoert hat. Die gewohnte Anfangsequenz am Ende zu bringen ist m.E. ein genialer Einfall; man muss doch nicht alles kritisieren... Die Actionszenen sind im uebrigen ganz hervorragend gemacht, sowohl die Verfolgungsjagd zu Beginn, als auch der anschliessende Kampf Bond's ueber den Daechern von Siena und im Glockenturm; der Sturz vom Glockenturm kommt dabei total ueberraschend und ist eine meisterhafte Szene...(Anmerkung: die Szene ueber den Daechern von Siena erinnert stark an Jason Bourne's Verfolgunsjagd ueber den Daechern von Tanger im Teil 3/Jason Bourne Ultimatum!) Und auch die Boot-Verfolgungsjagd in Haiti ist meisterhaft inszeniert. Wie immer bei James Bond gibt's tolle Locations: ein mittelalterliches Siena waehrend des beruehmten Pferderennens, ein traumhaft tropisches Haiti, die Welt des Jet-Set bei den Bregenzer Festspielen und Lateinamerikanische Spelunken (inklusive abgefuckten CIA-Agenten) und Wuestenlandschaften... Kommen wir nun zu den Maengeln des Films: die Story ist insgesamt etwas enttaeuschend und manchmal sehr 'konstruiert' und einige Szenen unglaubwuerdig...aber das ist bei einem solchen Genre nun mal nichts ungewoehnliches. Leider enttaeuschen aber auch einige Darsteller: das Bond-Girl Olga Kurylenko mag ja eine schoene Frau sein, allerdings ist sie keine Schauspielerin und entwickelt im Film auch null Sex-Appeal; eine Gemma Arterton in einer Nebenrolle nimmt ihr locker die Butter vom Brot und entwickelt sich trotz der kurzen Rolle zum eigentlichen Bond-Girl des Films...Hier war eine Eva Green in 'Casino Royale' natuerlich eine wesentlich bessere Besetzung als Olga Kurylenko, die auf ganzer Linie enttaeucht. Weiterhin voellig enttaeuschend auch der Boesewicht Dominic Greene, der mit seinem nervenden franzoesischen Akzent mehr die Witzfigur eines Boesewichts abgibt, als dass man ihm die Rolle ernsthaft abkaufen koennte....auch hier war im Vergleich dazu der Boesewicht LeChiffre in 'Casino Royale' doch ein ganz anderes Kaliber. Gerade die sehr realistisch gespielte Gestalt des LeChiffre hat m.E. viel zur Klasse von 'Casino Royale' beigetragen; es wird ja leider sehr oft von Filmemachern uebersehen, dass gerade die Boesewicht-Gestalten mitentscheidend fuer die Guete des Films sind. (Man denke z.B. an 'Highlander' in dem ein Clancy Brown als Kurgan ja die eigentliche unersetzbare Hauptfigur des ganzen Films darstellt, waehrend ein Christopher Lambert voellig ersetzbar gewesen waere...) Und auch die bolivianischen Putschgeneraele im Hotel in der Wueste sind dann ebenfalls mehr Gestalten aus einem 'Dick-und-Doof'-Film als ernstzunehmende Boesewichte fuer einen knallharten James Bond Streifen. Nun ja, im Vergleich zu 'Casino Royale' kann man durchaus im ersten Augenblick von 'Ein Quantum Trost' enttaeuscht sein (v.a. aufgrund der mangelhaften schauspielerischen Leistung von Kurylenko und Greene/Amalric), allerdings wenn man den Film objektiv betrachtet und in Relation zu den anderen Bond-Streifen setzt, dann wird man sehr schnell feststellen, dass es sich immer noch (nach 'Casino Royale') um den zweitbesten Bond-Film aller Zeiten handeln duerfte; dies nicht zuletzt, da Daniel Craig einfach ein Bond-Typ ist, mit dem man sich problemlos identifizieren kann und auch ansonsten der Film mit seinen exotischen Locations, seiner perfekt inszenierten Action, seinem modernen 'Jason-Bourne'-Techno-Ueberwachungsstaat-Ambiente und seiner professionellen Machart einfach eine tolle Unterhaltung bietet. Ich wuerde eigentlich viereinhalb Sterne vergeben wollen (der halbe Stern Abzug v.a. wegen der o.a. mangelhaften schauspielerischen Leistung einiger Akteure) allerdings denke ich, dass trotz dieser Maengel 5 Sterne o.k. sind, da es trotz allem ein Super-Film ist im Vergleich zu dem ganzen voellig hanebuechenen Transformer- und Vampir-Schrott was man heutzutage sonst im Kino so vorgesetzt bekommt. Fazit: Daniel Craig ist ein James Bond zum Identifizieren und bietet eine tolle Unterhaltung.