Reviewing 'Quantum of Solace' - The Countdown to Bond 25

CINEMATIC 007 -- "Everything he touches seems to wither and die." The Countdown to 'No Time To Die' continues with a review of 'Quantum of Solace.'
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[@naihannoor2245]

No matter what anyone says I like quantum of solace I don't why I like it I just like it

[@katten838]

Olga Kurylenko is the most beautiful Bondgirl in my opinion

[@brettarney8069]

Claudine Auger for me.

[@renekauts8323]

Anya Amasova(Barbara Bach).

[@mattjames7386]

I have watched this film 3 times and still have no idea what the hell is actually going on.

[@martam4142]

Buy yourself a brain.

[@thelizardkingdc]

I remember leaving the theater confused and a little disappointed but on rewatch it holds up better imo

[@Statuskuo75]

It is more watchable then people remember.

[@SeanAndersonMayhemCombatives]

As someone who has trained in knife fighting and defensive tactics I must say I loved the hotel fight and stabbing the femoral artery was textbook great! Thank you for another great video guys!

[@RighteousBrother]

I was disappointed when I saw it at the cinema. Then I bought it on blu ray and it started growing on me. Its visceral and brutal. I understand and accept the criticism levelled at this film but I still dig it.

[@ammosophobia]

I saw it in Seattle ... I wore khakis and a blue polo (lol). Ijjust walked to the cinema because I lived real close and actually saw an Aston Martin drive by, so i was like "Man, the universe aligned for this!" Then I saw the movie ...

[@Gamingnstuff131]

This was the Craig Bond movie that made me really hate him as Bond. I couldn’t get past the terrible directorial flourishes Marc Forster did here. I honestly can’t stand those Bourne movies because they have a similar overly rough and tumbled appearance only more so and their plots are so vanilla. The only good thing they caused was for James Bond to reboot in a darker and grittier tone. Get away from that schlocky crap that Die Another Day did. I was afraid he was going to the Jason Bourne Bond. A complete disappointment after Casino Royale where he was more likable in the role and it made me yearn for Pierce Brosnan. Aside from Die, I enjoyed his other movies. Skyfall got me to warm to Daniel Craig as James Bond but I still had Quantum memories. Spectre cemented my love for him as James Bond. More so than Pierce actually. Quantum grew on me over time although I still don’t like those Bourne movies. November Man had the same Bourne-ness which was ironic because Pierce Brosnan starred in it. A huge inverse to his kid who never grew up Bond.

[@blacksky379]

Casino Royale is a great film because it's about James Bond. His caracther and his arc. Quantum is one of those Bond movies that try to reflect/follow whatever hollywood's trend of moment is.

[@charlespuruncajas9663]

Wrong, Quantum’s actually Casino Royale final coda, Bond doesn’t become Bond until the ending, when he finally avenges Vesper’s death and accepts his fate. That’s why Skyfall also works, because Bond is starting to get tired of his work as 007

[@blacksky379]

@@charlespuruncajas9663 yeah, I see how Quantum can possibly be seen as a coda to Casino Royale and the "conclusion" of Vesper/Bond plot. However, I'd say it's an uncalled one. By the end of CR Bond has already learned his lesson and he is scarred for life with it. Also, Quantum tries and fails to build up a cinematic world everything is connected type of franchise. Which was, still is, Hollywood's trend and money grabber machine. There's also the Bourne syndrome. The way the movie is cut is very similiar to Bourne's. Which was the standart by the time as THE spy movie. That's why Quantum fails, as an action movie and as a Bond movie. And that's why I said Quantum is a product of its time (just like every Bond movie). There's also the writer's strike that affected the quality of the script. Like, a lot. Quantum is an enjoyable but forgetable action flick. At most.

[@ManuTheGreat79]

The fast editing of the action scenes was such a turnoff. Assuming they didn't throw away the raw film somebody should edit this again. And yes, water in the desert of a poor country is not much of an evil villain plot. Sounds like a henchman of Dr. Evil made tat up.

[@Gamingnstuff131]

That water plot was so stupid. Quantum was going to profit off poor people how? So lame.

[@charlespuruncajas9663]

@@Gamingnstuff131 actually it’s not so far from reality (the president of Nestle suggested privatization of public water reservoirs)

[@LittenMandrake]

You should make a top 10 Bond allies list. No other Bond podcaster enjoys/references these characters as much as you and I've never even seen a list of this type before. Mathis, Kerim Bey, Columbo, etc

[@redlightmax]

Quantum Of Solace has been called "The Bond Identity" and it fits. It has the same rapid-fire editing of the Bourne films due to Richard Pearson. I like QOS because I like the (first three) Bourne films, but I wish it had more of the old-school Bond trademarks like gadgets and humour. Still, I'll take the lean-and-mean QOS over the bloated Spectre any day.

[@pretzelstick320]

I feel like the movie industry learned all of the wrong lessons from the Bourne movies.

[@irishspagetti6565]

Casino Royale had some of the Bourne elements but it doesn't distract from still feeling like a 007 movie, QOS went overboard with that plus the story was lacking and characters too

[@EthanKnight97]

I wished it was Camille coming back for No Time to Die rather than Madeline Swann.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Talk about slim pickings.

[@unclepatrick2]

Camille is my choice for a spinoff. She a strong woman , Yes she has flaws but she over comes them. Olga Kurylenko is a great actress and has done a great job as the lead in films like Momentum and The Assassin Next Door.

[@calebsanchez1988]

I wish Spectre never existed, it almost ruined the previous three.

[@apyorbitz]

This movie has grown on me, not as a spectacular Bond movie but I sort of just like tossing it on in the background. The action scenes are decent and you can sort of tune it out if you're doing something else. That is kind of a back handed compliment but for me there is value in those movies. But one thing that always takes me right out of the movie and it happens so early is when Bond delivers White and he's like "We thought you were listening on our phone calls, but turns out you don't know who we are" which apparently he's just learning this...but then they have had at least one mole in MI6 the whole time!??! Wat.

[@childeroland2569]

Call me crazy, but I always liked this film.

[@martam4142]

I call you intelligent.

[@Aceimus1066]

I used to HATE this movie and cast it aside like it didn't exist. I've recently watched it twice in the same week and although it's heavily flawed, I think it's actually a great movie. I think once you understand where the film makers were coming from with it, it's a really good ride.

[@scottrader7498]

You're not crazy. Its in my top 10 Bond films.

[@scottrader7498]

@@martam4142 I call you rude

[@Enthusiastlist]

This is in my top 10 as well. Personally I always thought the plot was very interesting and felt realistic.

[@pierrelucbrodeur]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the scene with the extra sweeping without touching the floor haha!! you guys are awesome btw! keep up the good work!! I can't wait for skyfall!!

[@Dohsoda]

Another great video. Interesting and valid points made all around. I got to say this, thank you guys, Being James Bond and The Bond experience, for providing the Bond fans for so much great entertaining content over the past few years. Joe, I did not discover your channel until last summer during on the Connery era reviews, but I have enjoyed these reviews and specials. I love the crossing over from channel to channel. Great discussions and comedy are always in supply. Your channel, David's channel, and even James Bond Radio have gotten me though many hours of work at the office and through graduate school assignments. Now more than ever are these videos needed in the fandom. Keep up the great work guys.

[@PierreIsmail]

I like the Jefferson's theme song joke. That is brilliant!

[@Gamingnstuff131]

I cracked up at that one. It almost reminded me of another KZbinr who was saying the font for No Time To Die looked like the font used for The Love Boat. I cracked up at that one too. I think it was Critical Drinker.

[@flogalvez82]

You said it! Quantum is an example of Hollywood learning the wrong lessons from a wonderful previous film proceeding into a dreary sequel.

[@MickeyLeeBukowski]

Quantum gets better with age while Skyfall gets worse.

[@martam4142]

Certainly.

[@moodyguymick]

Not one mention of Green's henchman, Elvis ! Shame on you guys.

[@martam4142]

Gotta love Elvis!

[@PantsofVance]

There wasn't a lot to QoS, just brutal, gritty action. And that's why I like it. Also, it's Daniel's best fashion film as Bond

[@ammosophobia]

Before the shrunken suit phase, lol

[@derekmcintosh6925]

I know I'm the broken record here but regressing back to the Walther PPK after an excellent movie where he carried the P99 was just heartbreaking.

[@derekmcintosh6925]

And if we talk Skyfall he regressed even further by carrying a PPK with an unloaded chamber. There were 2 or 3 scenes of him cocking the PPK.

[@pretzelstick320]

Both are beautiful guns but the p99 is more of a compact/full rather than a subcompact. Unfortunately there weren’t a whole lotta sexy subcompacts especially back then.

[@robertharvey2604]

This is what you get when a film is rushed, the script is nowhere near done, and the wrong director is chosen. It's a shame as there was a good story to tell. I've always said that Mathis should have had the dialogue from the short story to make the title work, so I completely agree. The cast is pretty good, given what they had to work with. I've always thought that Greene was like one of those Spectre agents sitting around the table in Thunderball made into a main villain. Whenever I watch this and I hear the organization referred to as Quantum, I just say Spectre. The whole thing is a missed opportunity. I think you guys forgot Elvis...oh yeah, it's easy to do that.

[@redlightmax]

34:55 The hotel fight-scene has the same pacing and editing as the assassin fight-scene in The Bourne Identity - it even has 35:00 Bond using a pair of scissors, similar to Bourne using a pen. I think it's fine for Bond films to copy the trends of the time - but I guess some trends are more popular than others.🤷‍♂️

[@ColdIce99]

People don't understand how to watch this movie. You cannot watch this as a stand alone bond film. You have to watch it in the context of Casino Royale. Additionally, the film pays homage to bonds of the past with Goldfinger and The Spy Who Loved Me motifs. If you are a true Bond fan you will see them a mile away. Bottom line. This field is very underrated.

[@skakirask]

My feelings toward this one improved by watching it immediately after CR, but I still rank it overall fairly low among all the films. My issues with it revolve around more technical/pacing aspects than general plot or acting. The rapid editing hurt my eyes during some of the action scenes and it really blows through a lot of plot in a really short amount of time. If it took some more time to breathe and relaxed the nausea-inducing shaky cam during the action scenes I might've ranked it more favorably.

[@mrmeerkat1096]

@@skakirask I agree 100%. I like it better now I have watched it not long after CR. I also agree with you on the editing, it hurt my eyes also. I just wanted it to end. The fight that Bond has with someone near the start on some scaffolding looked like a really good fight scene. But I couldn't enjoy it as I couldn't get my bearings on who was where in relation to this platform or each other. Bang on right about the plot aswell. Too rushed and too fast paced. You can't stop and take anything in.

[@glenbard657]

I didn't like Casino Royale so watching it first would not have improved my opinion of Quantum of Boredom.

[@philhellmuth2771]

@@glenbard657 how can you dislike casino royale??

[@georgebond4787]

Kinda, but not really as when it was released, it was released as a stand alone movie. The trailers didnt say "watch casino royale just before hand". I see what youre saying but tbh if it isnt a stand alone movie, then they shouldnt have charged full ticket price if youd already paid to see casino XD

[@groundzerorocks]

The ending is amazing hahahaha so good! Zaritsky cool as ice & Scott is hilarious, what a legend! With the martini. Did he have like 3 or 4 versions of "Being james bond, Vol 1" in the boot with him?? hahaha.

[@gauravtributes5023]

Airdog fight was pretty good in my opinion as there wasn't much shaky cam in that scene but it was ruined by that fake parachute jump. Film had great potential from opening car chase to rooftop and Bell tower chase, opera sequence, the whole desert ending.Overall a very rewatchabale bond film, Craig and Olga gave a decent performance.

[@ammosophobia]

They should never use CGI in a Bond film. Period. Also, love the Dalton avatar! He might be my favorite. Would have loved to have seen him in GoldenEye

[@lpquagmire3621]

Olga Kurylenko was a great Bond Girl...and the highlight of this movie.

[@JeremiahEmbury]

I prefer quantum of solace to all other bond films

[@RighteousBrother]

Another Way To Die features a few bars from the OHMSS theme. I have never read this anywhere or heard anyone mention it. Am I the only person that has noticed this musical Easter egg?

[@nicknewman7848]

Positives.. 1) It has arguably David Arnold's most interesting and musically sophisticated score.. 2) the production design is quite good in places.. 3) the Camille character actually has some depth and is the only leading lady in the series that doesn't shag Bond making her unique.. 4) the interplay between Mathis and Bond is quite good and the mentor theme had never been explored before as far as I'm aware. I like it and it builds Bonds character to lose a mentor. Craigs Bond is about loss fundamentally. It features throughout all his films. 5) the mysterious organisation idea was interesting at the time and was something that hadn't featured in the series for decades and was something i'd been waiting for. Shame it couldn't have been "Spectre" really. Negatives.. 1) Martin Campbell declined the invitation to return.. 2) The writers didn't have Fleming as a source (one of the reasons Casino is decent).. 3) the structure of the story is horribly flawed.. 4) a lot of the characters motivations don't make sense, aren't really explained or are just lazy writing.. 5) they didn't realise at this point how Mendez was gonna retro fit Craig's Bond in Skyfall which doesn't help Quantum's MI6 stuff.. 6) the title song is a mess (and I'm actually into that style) its confused structure actually mirror the film itself, weirdly.. 7) the script is mostly poor apart from a few interesting moments. The producers always seem to leave the script late which baffles me. I could go on but you're probably bored by now...

[@DasKame]

My personal Worst Bond Movie: Die Antoher Day and Spectre had at least MEMORABLE stuff, this was Bland as F

[@ammosophobia]

Die Another Day is certainly my least favorite, and downright the worst Bond movie. I think the only scene I like is the sword fight (which is a flawed scene for sure) because it ratchets up to over-the-top and then some. Then again, 50% of the appeal was the Arnold score.

[@Gamingnstuff131]

This had enough for me to remember but it’s not even close to the worst one in my personal rankings. It’s an alright movie but is hampered by bad direction. Die was an absolute low and what sticks out in for me are the bad parts. Very little of the few good parts it had stick out in my memory.

[@Gamingnstuff131]

Universal Exports I can’t stand that one. It baffles me how people still defend it. It’s the biggest dumpster fire in the series. The Batman And Robin of the series more interested in effects, lame puns and selling things than telling an interesting story or being the best movie it can be. The dialogue was almost entirely one liners. Tomorrow had a similar flaw but that one has great action scenes and it doesn’t look almost totally fake. Die looks like it’s almost totally a studio job rather than an on location job with some studio work. Lee Tamahori was far worse a director than Marc Forster and practically everything he did with Die was gimmicky and misguided. I’d take more visceral editing over bad motion blur and fast motion and those awful shots that look like someone is fast forwarding the movie.

[@martam4142]

Best movie.

[@lloydkline1518]

Never say never again; a view to kill !" Worst James bond movies 🎬

[@ryanhunter130]

Fantastic tag scene 😂😂😂 Bucks County, PA…I’m dead!!

[@paulpatterson3514]

Just imagine if Mathis hadn't followed Bond initially? He could have turned up later to further the plot and utter the title Quantum of Solace to Bond. But it's what we don't see that ruins QoS. The editing ruins every action scene, but there are three interrogation scenes that could have saved the film. 3. Bond drags Greene out into the desert and Greene tells Bond 'everything' he needed to know about Quantum, yet we don't hear a dicky bird about what was said. Nothing. 2. The cut scene with Haynes, White and Bond was pretty vital to the plot conclusion and would have made a great scene, just as much as . .. 1. The Vesper story line has built up over two films and for Bond to track down Yusef at the end and then fade out is a disgrace. We need to see Bond interrogate and interact with him. Fight him. This is the man responsible for his lost love and we don't see ANYTHING. Those scenes (and longer actions scenes without silly cutting) could have padded out the runtime to a decent length and at 105 minutes, it felt FAR longer and said VERY little ..

[@garrylewis1868]

Yeah I think that would have been great opportunities, if they had writers I think they wouldnt have ignored the ending and what interrogation they could have had. I think having the boyfriend be very blunt and matter of fact about vesper and see bond wrestle with that side of him that wants to just shoot him in the face. It couldve shown how bond had grown over the course of the movie. I do feel it's still subtile enough but it would've made for a more complete film if they had atleast tried. I thought it was actually good especially after casino. I think the arguement is that quantum didnt need to exist but we had so many questions after the ending of casino because the whole vesper thing came out of nowhere and the fact that atleast to us the audience gathering from what M said it does feel like vesper may have picked her boyfriend over bond hence why I think there was alot the carry over into another film. I think they tried to do a bit too much but I'm guessing because it was a bare bones script they couldnt flesh out the governmemts teaming up with quantum subplot and that they didnt have the writing ability to do dramatic scenes that needed to be well written. It's not a perfect film (that freaking editing is really bad at certain points) but I think as a character drama it's a lot better than I thought it was.

[@stevem030]

Am I the only person who loves this film? Yes it has some flaws but I just don't get the hate.

[@redlightmax]

Steven Morton I love Quantum Of Solace because it's like the Jason Bourne films - which is also why QOS is hated.

[@lovablesnowman]

It's a horrible movie. Writers strike or not you have to judge the final product. And the movie is both boring and yet simultaneously very tedious and complex. The absolute worst thing a movie can be is boring

[@martam4142]

I love it too.

[@Trazynn]

Marc Foster said in an interview that he aimed at turning Bond into an arthouse film and let the explosions take care of its commercial performance. And I fucking love the man for doing that. He basically pulled a fast one over on the producers and the audience and gave them a taste of something more profound than they were prepared for.

[@thedarkknightman6150]

I love this film as well. To me this movie feels like Miami Vice

[@Nickypoo700]

Fantastic ending of the review 👏🏼 👏🏼 I laughed my ass off when the artsy PA location card popped up 😂

[@MrDame9teen]

This is imagination porn: switching the villains in QOS n Spectre. The guy that plays Dominic Greene looks like Blofeld and is a great actor. N imagine Christopher Waltz playing a Spanish businessman. He could pull off a bitter middle aged man devious enough to sell water.

[@Gamingnstuff131]

Now that Craig has more variety in Bond movies, I can enjoy this one on a continuation of Casino Royale level. It doesn’t work well as it’s own movie and isn’t anywhere perfect but I now find it rather entertaining. I do find the villain scheme as idiotic as I did when I first saw it. I mean holding Bolivia’s water supply hostage to nickel and dime it back to the populace ? How stupid! It was also made to seem convoluted but it wasn’t really. The oil scheme was just a ruse to hide their real intent although frankly oil would’ve been more valuable than water. It’s better than the even more asinine plot of TND where Carver was going to start a war to sell newspapers and increase his network ratings and gain exclusive broadcasting rights in China for the next 100 years but not by much franky. At least with TND it’s more of a satire. The action scenes are alright here and i have grown to enjoy the visceral feeling they have from the quick cut editing style. But honestly Skyfall feels more like a true sequel and Spectre feels like a continuation to Skyfall and the lead in to another movie. Quantum is a feature length tag scene. Love the ending though. Almost like a bookend to the opening in Casino Royale except filmed in color. Thought that was really clever. It was also great to see Bond grow as a character. He didn’t kill Vespers ex lover which was commendable in stark contrast to how he killed people left to right before being he wasn’t a refined blunt instrument yet. The score was great and had an awesome edgy sound to it which suited the edgy feeling of the movie perfectly. David Arnold went out really well. Underrated as a movie for sure. It’s also paced really well which is great. It moves very quickly. I loved Casino Royale but felt there were areas where it dragged. Most notably the big poker game at Casino Royale . I don’t know anything about poker so those scenes always fly over my head.

[@daxtonmounger3445]

Its grown on me quite a bit. I rank it 10/24.

[@petesampras3188]

its better than Spectre for sure

[@mastroia0077]

I love this movie. I don't know why they talk about this movie so badly. perhaps because casino royale was incredible.

[@DasKame]

Because this was a solid JASON BOURNE MOVIE Not a James Bonmd Movie

[@petesampras3188]

u love this movie, because ur a huge Daniel Craig fan

[@joemills4603]

I have to say, many deserts have large underground aquifers. I agree this is a boring plot detail, but it's at least accurate. Also, at the time, there was a lot of political concern over access to water being a potential cause of future large-scale conflicts (similar to oil has been).

[@mariakelly90210]

A few years after Quantum Of Solace was released, Dick Wolf decided to make the plight of the Bolivian peasants and their water shortage problems a plot point on an episode of Law and Order Special Victims Unit. I remember thinking "whoever wrote this episode must have watched Quantum Of Solace!"

[@garybryant1501]

The Opera Scene is pure Bond and the rest is pure Bourne

[@therealmovieman]

Despite its problems imo it is not his worst. I think that is Spectre, but again imo that is not bad either as all of Craig's movies are good

[@ammosophobia]

You guys are awesome. Been following since 2007!!! Time flies.

[@HoustonSoto]

There’s something alien about Quantum of Solace. No one really feels human, save for maybe a Mathis or Mr White. It’s an empty, soulless, ugly film. And even at close to 90 minutes it moves like a snail in molasses.

[@liquidgeorge]

This is exactly how I felt about it. Every character feels like they are 96% human. It's obviously the terrible writing and directing. How can you make the great Judi Dench even come across as some form of replicant?

[@Gamingnstuff131]

It’s what I hate about those Jason Bourne movies. Only good thing they caused was getting the Bond series to head back to it’s roots and get away from cheesy balls to the wall action movies where the action and effects take precedence over the story as opposed to how it should be the opposite as they do with the Daniel Craig movies.

[@aaronwalderslade]

Brilliant idea about using Mathis to create the title conversation. I've read the Fleming story too and this would be perfect.

[@KhalilGhibran]

This is 1 out of 2 Bond films I saw in the theater...not in love with the intro theme, but in retrospect, a really decent 007 outing. QoS>Spectre

[@michaelvau4818]

It is a better bond than Skyfall, which felt like a cheap remake of the Dark Knight. Craig should not have had such a big “age” change. He just started out in Casino and Quantum, and in the third movie he is already old news? Where were all the missions that led to that point? Spectre at least ties into the first two movies. Skyfall just feels like an odd movie out, and not much better than an “Angel has fallen,” made for TV movie. Feel free to disagree.

[@martam4142]

True!

[@WhiskeyPolitics]

Fantastic channel, and I mostly agree with all your reviews... QOS left me feeling very disappointed especially after CR. Thanks for doing these with Scott. Huge Bond fan here, watching every one with my Dad before he passed right after QOS. Thanks guys.

[@tobyhart8515]

Nice Thursday night surprise. Cheers for this guys.

[@TravisTLCdrumming]

It is almost hard to watch, it’s got some good moments. I really like what he does to Greene at the end. It’s not Casino, and it’s not Skyfall but it’s definitely not the worst.

[@Gamingnstuff131]

I agree it’s not the worst or near it. Not when you have ones like Die Another Day, The World Is Not Enough and A View To A Kill. There are some great moments here and there like Tosca and the Italy foot chase.

[@seandobson756]

That is a very fair comment

[@hockeygoaliejesse]

I don't hate this movie, but It was definitely rushed. Could have been a lot better. They need to start pushing out more films based on the books so they can have a film every 2 years again. Not every movie needs to be some over the top extravaganza.

[@gocanuckurself1]

YES!! FINALLY!! Going to enjoy this!

[@mariakelly90210]

I think people would enjoy Quantum Of Solace more if they just accepted it as the direct sequel to Casino Royale. There are plot points from Casino Royale that carry over into Quantum, and two characters from Casino Royale, Mathis and Vesper (Eva Green may not be physically in the movie, but several other characters talk about her a lot and Bond even steals a photo of Vesper from a MI6 file and keeps it with him for the rest of the movie) have significant roles in the film.

[@RighteousBrother]

No, no no NO! Quantum of Solace should NOT have been worked into the dialogue. Mathis to Bond "I hope James, that this gives you a quantum......of.......solace" would have been so corny. When the lines " for some people the world is not enough" or "so you get to die another day" are delivered in their respective movies I heard people grown out loud. Imagine if they did that in Indiana Jones films or Star Wars........Sallah to Indy "Indy my friend, must we be raiders of the lost ark?" Vader to one of his imperials "and now the Empire Strikes back!!"......... actually that might be kind of cool!

[@finnflash23]

Did you talk about the music of this film? The theme song was mentioned, but the soundtrack by David Arnold (his last to date) was not discussed! I've heard a lot of the background music from Quantum in your recent videos, so apparently you like the score. If you ask me, the soundtrack is the best part of the movie. There are some great musical themes in this, like the one from the opera, or the one from Bolivia desert, and even the End credits theme is great. So yes, I think David Arnold did a good job with the score!

[@gary6514]

This movie I saw at my local cinema and it was literally unwatchable. The PTS was edited so badly I felt seasick!!! Terrible film. By far one of the worst Bond films. Rubbish villain and quite frankly dull dull dull. When you consider Casino Royale was a triumph and this movie was the sequel it simply not good enough. Should have filmed the two movies at the same time such as The Lord Of The Rings were filmed. Then the superb feel and style of direction would have been maintained.

[@Gamingnstuff131]

This movie really does suck. Thank God it wasn’t Daniel Craig’s last Bond movie. I’ve only recently begun to come around to it because Daniel Craig has a good amount of films and Quantum was revealed to be a front for Spectre. It made them more interesting. Compare that to knowing practically nothing about them.

[@david_gillespie]

Love the ending

[@HistoryNiche]

I love the Austria scene at the opera excellent location. Love the modern look and feel of this film and expect this one to age better than Craig's other films. The most Germanic Bond film. The director a German.

[@MGEX8206]

2008: I'd settled into what is still my home city by this point, made some friends, enough to watch this film with. I remember the buildup to this film for a ton of different themetunes people made for this film that wound up on KZbin...a lot of them were very good. Having said that...I still actually like "Another WAy to Die". The film itself well...my memories of seeing it in the cinema are pretty vague...I hadn't rewatched it since prior to just now. My impression was "solid, but not quite as good as Casino Royale". So...boy was there a lot of stuff I'd just plain forgotten prior to this. 1. The jumping between the hose race and the interrogation...I felt that was sort of symbolism of how MI6 were doing this under the noses of Joe Average...at least I think that was the idea...it wasn't really neccersary. 2. Mathis...I get what they were trying to do here...with Bond having gone rogue(again...)he needed an ally just to get himself to La Paz...it might as well me a familiar face...Vespa was going to come up...the rest you guys covered. Did they need to throw him in the dumpster? No but the character was useful. 3. Action I generally liked. Plot wasn't that bad...though why they felt they had to pick up where Casino left off I'm not sure...it's not something they've done before or since... Solid late 00s action film but not a classic...the film's attitude towards the CIA made me suspect somehone had watched Spooks too many times. 7/10 though. If you like Casino Royale...you'll like this...just not as much.

[@mariakelly90210]

Yeah, for some nutty reason, the MI5 Agents on Spooks don't seem to like the CIA very much.

[@xenofett7008]

100% agree on this one. The car chase at the opening was a horribly shot mess.

[@martam4142]

The car chase is awesome.

[@jamesbondnorthamerica3890]

The ending is the best!🤣🤣🤣

[@ammosophobia]

Well shaken martini is always something good to end on!

[@jamesbondnorthamerica3890]

Darth Decius Scott’s all wet but his martini is still dry

[@jhking8542]

This film is criminally underrated in my opinion. People forget the context, this movie is set 5mins after CR. Bond has just lost the love of his life, the baddies are still out there and he's mad. This is essentially a revenge plot. It would be crazy if Bond was back to schmoozing under this context. Bond was out of control. I loved this. Controversially, I also really liked the unique cinematography and locations. Forster directed this very artistically, especially the scene at the opera. This one is supposed to be unique, a one-off revenge hit. I liked what it did. Admittedly Greene isn't all that great, and the villain's scheme is wanting. 7/10.

[@martam4142]

9/10.

[@Chopperwocky]

@@martam4142 1/10

[@Hn-gz5iw]

I dont know why but i hate Daniel Craig and can barely stand 10 minutes of his movies, but my favorite is Dalton who is said to be most like Craig?

[@theplasticdesert2408]

Okay, help me out here. I’ve always assumed Solace starts minutes after Royale; Bond puts a Mr. White in the boot/ trunk of the car and off they go. If this is correct why is Bond wearing something completely different at the start of Solace? Or am I just wrong about the continuity?

[@RighteousBrother]

Yeah he's wearing something different it's a continuity error I think you're just supposed to go with it.

[@theplasticdesert2408]

RighteousBrother cheers. It’s been doing my head in for years lol.

[@curiouscase0075]

It's a continuity error because the suits were provided by a different designer.

[@Zholobov1]

What's worse: Bond seemes to have been transporting Mr. White for a couple of years: it was 2008 when they finally arrived to Sierra.

[@curiouscase0075]

@@Zholobov1 Roadworks in Italy is a nightmare!

[@jameskroeper1759]

The first “art house” 007 film and hopefully the last. Yeah, there’s some good things (production design, a well done fight sequence) but with a huge budget that’s to be expected. The only Bond film I’ve only seen once in a theater and for good reason. The best way to describe “Quantum” is that it’s an extended ending to “Casino” which was wisely edited out. Nice review guys you covered all bases.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

There really is no such thing as "art house". That's just one of those obnoxious movie industry nouns that are used to push films that may or may not have artistic value.

[@ammosophobia]

I hate that, for such an expensive movie, you never 'see the money on the screen' as Broccoli once said.

[@drklynoon]

Interesting takes, I agree that the plot isn't exactly the strongest and the writing is a bit clunky but I don't necessarily agree with the critique of the pace and chaos of the movie. The action scenes are hard to follow but I believe that is the point. I am glad not all Bond films are this way but the way in which they are able to capture the confusion of battle is pretty awesome. I understand that it doesn't flow all that well from the end of Casino but putting that aside I love the way in which the capture the frantic pace and confusion. All that being said, I realllllllly do not want this to be a norm in Bond movies. I prefer the fantasy/ romantic aspect of Bond. The character is not Borne and should not be confused as such. Lastly, the more people hate on this one I feel the need to defend it, I'm not sure why as I'm typically not a contrarian but with this movie I think it gets unduly critiqued due to Casino being loved and this being such a departure.

[@chrisb2116]

Bucks County, PA made me laugh out loud. Nice. To Joe’s point about dialogue scene with Bond and Mathis in Italy... there’s a great chapter in Casino Royale called the Nature of Evil where they’re discussing evil, spies, etc... P&W attempt to touch on that here in the film but of course it’s subpar because it’s P&W. A lost opportunity I agree

[@markjone671]

Ooh, so much hatred levelled at this one but is it worse than Die Another Day? There's been a tradition in the Bond series where a debut film for a new Bond sets the bar so high and raises expectation for the follow up to such a level of expectation it almost inevitably disappoints most fans. I don't think there should have been a direct sequel to Casino Royale anyway. The book was a self-contained story and the film should have done the same. If they were determined to do a sequel it should have ended here and not dragged it out into a five film story arc. I don't actually have much of a problem with this one as most people seem to. I've seen a lot worse and it was beset by problems. Any problems I have are niggling things such as the title. They used the title of a Fleming short story that barely had anything to do with the James Bond character and then used a very convoluted way of working the title into the story. They should have re-titled the film Another Way to Die after they came up with the idea for the theme song. I agree with you completely about the plot. Even that is a little stretched and convoluted. Nothing about this film was ever going to be as good as Casino Royale and I always knew that going in, so I'm a little more forgiving even though I have never been a fan of the shaky-cam and quick cut editing. I'm a traditionalist, there are veteran directors out there who know how to film action. The great Terence Young personally choreographed and filmed the exciting hand to hand fight on board the Orient Express between Sean Connery and Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love. Yuen Woo-ping filmed a climactic fight on a rooftop in the film In the Line of Duty: Witness, where he set a camera up on rails and just simply followed Donny Yen fighting another guy on top of a roof-top, capturing it all in one long shot, no close ups, no edits, no change of angle. One camera, two performers. The shaky cam is an overused trend used by many young buck directors who neither have the instinct or experience to film action. They just follow the trend of current directing tropes, rather than learn from past directors who knew how to do it and do it well, not only nailing it but writing the book on it. Too arrogant and self-assured to accept that directors of the past actually knew the nuts and bolts of directing inside out better than the current crop of film school graduates. The newer guys still have a lot to learn but prefer to believe that they can do it better. Nobody does it better than the old pros. There that's my 2 cents. I probably just sound very old, lol.

[@andresosorio8589]

Great review but you guys forgot to mention Jeffrey Wright as Felix he did good as well!!

[@johnashley327]

How can you forget Felix.

[@christhornycroft3686]

Quantum needed to be a revenge movie. Unfortunately, that's all it is.

[@chitown1782]

Marc forester was not the right director for this, he just doesn't understand action!

[@ricardocantoral7672]

He doesn't understand a lot.

[@dirkworld]

and a shakespearian Director does?

[@ammosophobia]

He's a art-house director ... the boat chase, air chase, land chase, and the hotel fight were all supposed to represent the 4 classic elements of Earth, Wind, Water, Fire. I saw that because Forester says that in a behind-the-scenes. Ugh

[@ricardocantoral7672]

@@ammosophobia "Art House" is a nothing label just like "indy".

[@patwaters-actormoviereviewer]

I always laugh at the Marc Forster interviews for QoS, because it seems like he's a big fan Captain Planet when mentioning ”Earth, Fire, Wind, Water”.

[@Dohsoda]

If Quantum of Solace is "The Last Jedi" then is Spectre "The Rise of Skywalker"?

[@ammosophobia]

Ooooh, that's brutal. haha

[@tobyhart8515]

I Haiti almost everything about this movie. Seizure inducing action set pieces, free from any sense of Bond heritage, and devoid of any wit, charm, elegance and romance. Lacks almost any sense of Britishness too which is the one quintessential element that separates Bond from the competitors. Marc Foster seems to have been infected by a Tony Scott-esque editing plague , usurping any sense of scale and occasion for what he thinks is visceral energy. The CGI on the boat is just plain awful. Ironically the action ends up feeling far less real and credible than any normal set piece. The script is very poor., lacking both a spine and a heart. Can't place all the blame on the writers though, as I sense a lot of cut and paste and very little insight. Feels like a high school student writing what they think seems dark. I suspect Craig and co rewrote this on the hoof. The typography is off brand and inconsistent. The one other key element lacking is Bond ism. No gun barrel. No use of theme music. No great score. No humour. No romance . No Q and field gadgets. Nothing.

[@nicknewman7848]

That's a pretty coherent critique. In defence of the score.. It's difficult to be great when what you're scoring isn't.

[@RighteousBrother]

Typography inconsistent? If you're referring to the place names for each location. Each one is tailored so it fits in with that specific location. As for Craig and the script the movie had an immovable end date, there was a writers strike so no writers could contribute, so he stepped up to the plate.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

@@RighteousBrother That typography was a mistake. That's something that is better suited for a tv show.

[@tobyhart8515]

@@RighteousBrother I figured what they were trying to do, I just don't think it works. The movie has no clear vision, like a badly planned school project trying every trick. What's your favorite Bond movie BTW?

[@tobyhart8515]

@@RighteousBrother I know about the strike and I'm not having a go at Craig, screenwriting is tough. But writers are writers for a reason, it's damn difficult. You wouldn't ask a writer to do a scene as 007 for one part of the film, and the same principle applies to writers.

[@ryanh603]

This one was my least favorite of the Craig entries. It took me a long time to put my finger on what I didn’t like about this film besides comparing it to Casino Royale. I always felt like Marc Forster went for an art house Bond film and also a environmental/recessionista feel given that this was released during the economic collapse of 2008 with the impoverished locations; bad guy getting around in a Ford Edge, boring plot about water and rushed editing. I get that this was supposed to be the 2nd part conclusion to the Casino Royale story arc until Spectre tied them along with Skyfall all together so I kind of forgave QOS for leaving Mr. White’s fate unanswered. One thing that really rubbed me the wrong way, probably along with many other fans, was that Bond never bedded the girl. Yeah he got with a field agent that was meant to send him back home, only to be wasted within 15-20 minutes screen time. I was glad the boyfriend side story got a resolution, but it just felt forced at the end of the film, out of continuity and unnecessary at that point. Instead he should have been integrated more into the story to make him justified. Dominic Greene was so boring as a villain, that when Spectre references La Chiffe, Mr. White, and Silva from the last 3 films respectively, Greene was completely omitted from existence. But then again he did reveal to Bond (before his offscreen demise which disappointed me) more information about Quantum, that felt irrelevant during Skyfall. Yes, Mathis was completely wasted here, only there to reflect on Vesper then tag along to meet his demise in vain. Beam’s character was another wasted character with no interesting role that M mentions at the end of the film about Leiter’s promotion that I didn’t care about either. The visuals probably wasn’t needed except to give QOS it’s own look that hasn’t been repeated, something I’ve noticed in Ridley Scott’s more recent films (Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, and The Martian), I did not care for the title cards for every new location. Overall I don’t feel this an entirely bad film of the worst Bond film, it’s definitely a bland uneven entry that’s far from the best. I will give it points for upping the grittiness with the fight sequences but it should not have tried to copy Jason Bourne. The opera scene was a visual feast to watch, I think my favorite part of the movie was the pre-title opening sequence and then after that it went downhill from there. A silver lining to the QOS was that Bond was able get find peace and resolution from Vesper’s story until revisited again in Spectre.

[@joyis9638]

Great analysis about QOS but Spectre was a great in its own right, not perfect but great. None of them are perfect. I mean, look at that death of 007 that would follow Spectre if you want to talk about retcon.

[@apyorbitz]

You guys left out the best line: Can you uh....help me find the stationary? Which is an amazing line for bedding the Bond girl in the sense of such lazy writing that it comes full circle.

[@ammosophobia]

I swear I was listening and thought "the stationary thing must have been Paul Haggis"

[@kristianjanse182]

What happend to the girl in the last bit of the film in the hotel?

[@TomCamies]

Burnt to a crisp.

[@Zholobov1]

She lost her panties.

[@nslayton5]

Catching up on this and I agree with Joe about the weird trailer vs. film editing of the Slate/Haiti fight. The choreography is great but for some reason the trailer did a better job showing the action. Like, I love the final fight with Greene for the staging and the way it allows Greene to go toe to toe with Bond, but maaaaan. Even the trailer had the Bond kicking him moment look better than the theatrical cut.

[@markwaldman1079]

Coming on the heels of the Quantum of Solace showdown yesterday, exceptional work gentlemen. I'm with you. While some of the guys made compelling pitches yesterday that definitely make you stop and think about it differently, overall it's a choppy mess with lacking villains, an under whelming story and poor direction/editing. It's too bad as Daniel definitely looked in great form but sorry to its fans, just not a great movie. I'm also an old fuddy duddy - I don't think we need to experiment too much with Bond. Look to Fleming, you can't go wrong. The Jefferson's theme comparison was brilliant. Thanks for all you do, stay safe both of you.

[@martam4142]

It's a gem.

[@emilymcplugger]

Counter-point: I prefer watching QOS to SF. I think the action in QOS is better than SF and I find SF to be all style and no substance.

[@stuwallace5862]

Afraid I totally disagree with the commentary - Bond is hurting and this is a healing movie, surprised such self proclaimed fans can be so critical

[@MinuchRuscitto]

😱😱 Another film review.

[@Gamingnstuff131]

The mess with the script was much the same with Tomorrow Never Dies. It was hurried into production as well to capitalize on its successor without a proper script although the script here was definitely better. It seems to be a pattern of the second movies, except From Russia With Love. You can say they’re the terrible twos. Would probably be a great video discussion. Discussing how the second movies each actor does are usually rushed and flawed. The one for Tomorrow felt more in tune for a video game while Quantum felt more like a proper movie script, albeit not as great as Casino or Skyfall. The production was about as troubled as Tomorrow only they managed to pull through this one versus how with Tomorrow they kept having issue after issue problem after problem fight after fight. Considering what happened behind the scenes of this one, it turned out alright and it was wise making it shorter versus how they stretchd out Tomorrow unnecessarily considering it’s weaker second half. The half that leads to it being known as the big action scene Bond movie.

[@RighteousBrother]

You dont think it makes sense that Bond gets Vespas ex boyfriend?? He HAD to. You cant have an enemy spy running around like that causing trouble, and in this movie he's still up to his old tricks by the looks of it. Bond is not the sort of person that is going to let that lie. That's the whole point of the movie!

[@thechaosvibration1181]

As flawed as this film is I thought some of the choppiness worked for Craig. As though the camera bring all over place, an sloppy, being a metaphor for his emotions, and chaotic turmoil. All over the place... And in spite of fairness, wasn't all of Craig's tenure essentially reactive the the movie market?

[@xmoroseguyx]

Yet he gave Moonraker 2 ?

[@markstanton63]

Actually, the underground lake in the desert is perfectly feasible

[@curiouscase0075]

About 20 mins but will have to continue watching another day (expect more comments). Just wanted to add this: your overall assessment so far (that it's shoddily written) is accurate but the analysis is inaccurate. The reason why Mathis doesn't work is not due to Quantum's script - it's due to the shaky foundation set in CR. Mathis should never have been considered a traitor. Here, they are trying to right that wrong and make him as sympathetic as possible. But that wouldn't be an issue had Bond trusted him completely in CR as he does in the novel, or at the very least, let him off after he realised it was Vesper that betrayed him. As for the scriptwriters: Purvis and Wade turned in a draft which was tossed out in favour of an idea put forward by Michael Wilson. The only elements from Purvis and Wade is the Tosca sequence, which ironically is the scene most fans, irrespective of their overall feelings for the film, rate highly. Haggis came in and turned in a draft based on Wilson's idea. He had to leave because of the writer's strike and Forster and Craig ended up writing the script, with Josh Zetumar (Sp?) doctoring it. So blame for the far leftist undercurrents, trashy dialogue, muddled plot and mediocre characterisation falls on Craig, Haggis and Forster - the former two also responsible for some of the worst elements in CR, too.

[@aaronwalderslade]

Why would a super spy parachute into a big hole, surely he would find a less perilous landing spot.

[@Nickypoo700]

I actually like the frantic editing in the Pre-titles. It works for the chase. However, the frantic editing in the rest of the film is unforgivable. The scene that has the worst editing is the elavator fight. Even when you go frame by frame in that scene, there's no sense of space.

[@davemcq4798]

Thanks again Joe and Scott, another great review!!! Like highly crafted surgeons, cutting away through the sinue. Looking forward to you both doing reviews of Skyfall and Spectre in the future, keep up the great work and thanks to you both

[@tropicalcatdetective]

They've done far more interesting motion graphics work elsewhere but I actually quite like the look of MK12's opening title sequence for this film, (though I also prefer Daniel Kleinman's work for the franchise more.) I just wish the MK12 visuals were accompanied by a better and more enjoyable song.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

MK12's title sequence look like something partially completed for a TV show.

[@jasonpratt5126]

"Another Way to Die" certainly works better in Dave Arnold's score rather than in that weird atonal mess from the credit sequence (where the producers hired people famous for playing guitar and piano, and barely let them do anything on their instruments.) I get what the song itself is going for, however.

[@eabcool]

when this came out i was on a Bond forum and so many people were saying it was the best since From Russia With Love. I ranked it #17 out of 22 at the time. I never felt there was anything terribly wrong with it like comedy or silliiness, just felt a bit short. I've always looked at it as Casino Royale 1.5 . It has gone up in my eyes i'd say. I think this might be Arnold's best score. There are some small scenes in the movie i really like, such as when Bond is having one drink after another on the plane. Honestly i'd rather watch it more than many others. As far as Mathis and the dumpster, i think the point is they were both spies and that's kind of what happens. And as far as Purvis and Wade and Casino Royale, they had an actual novel to work with on that one, and at this point their record is very spotty i'd say.

[@nicknewman7848]

Good points there... on the score and the writers. The only problem i have with the plane scene (apart from the product placement) is that Bond is supposed to be drunk but looks absolutely perfect in his suit and tie. Who keeps their tie on on a transatlantic flight, or their suit jacket for that matter? I guess it's credit to his tailors. The suit is beautiful

[@eabcool]

@@nicknewman7848 true, although Daniel did a pretty good job with his expression looking drunk

[@codym6376]

I thought throwing Mathis in the garbage was Bond over reacting to Vespers betrayal. He now views people as distant tools and of no value so he doesn’t get hurt again. At this point he hasn’t found any solace yet or come to terms with her actions and loss.

[@thedarkknightman6150]

This is my #1 denial Craig movie Next to CR both movies especially this one feels like Miami vice. The style The heat and the action.

[@Beingjamesbond]

Heat! That’s a great word for it!

[@joeyjerry1586]

My biggest problem with the movie, aside from the obnoxious editing ruining what could have been amazing action, is the runtime. This movie is too short. If you cut the opening and ending credits, it’s at maximim 95 minutes. It’s not able to develop Bond’s revenge story and the villain’s plan, which on paper is interesting: a secret organization wanting to take control of a country’s water supply sounds cool but it’s not developed enough. Bond’s revenge story also feels thrown under the bus.

[@elijahselbicky3639]

This movie was all over the place. I didn’t think it was bad. I think they wanted to continue to covert the secret organization Bond was fighting to uncover. Plus Q Branch wasn’t around and Bond is acting on his wits.

[@alfredvalrie5541]

I liked this film when it came out more than Casino Royale. But it just hasn’t held up. Plus it’s super violent for no reason. It’s almost like a super expensive b movie.

[@Gamingnstuff131]

You could call this one “Waterfinger”