I don't want you to think of me as some sort of Bond purist; I think that in order for the franchise to continue running it does need to continually update and reinvent itself. If the style of the films remained the same from the original Connery ones through today, the producers wouldn't have been looking at the biggest opening box office weekend in the franchise's history with Quantum, which is exactly what they ended up with.
I just don't think that the handheld, close-up, jump cut style of action is a good one and it certainly represented a gross departure from the franchise which I don't think the producers did the right thing to accept. For the style of filming the action they used I think Forster and his crew did a good job; I just think it was the wrong choice.
But, back to the overarching plot. I'm intrigued. I like the idea of putting out there a brand new bad organization; the franchise stopped the SPECTRE stories years decades for a number of reasons (not wanting to get stale and possible lawsuits among them), but I think the big bad organization is a good enemy, and Quantum seems plenty scary. I wonder if, as quite possibly this film takes place before any of the others in the franchise save Casino Royale, Quantum evolves into SPECTRE. I think that would be truly fascinating.
Quite clearly we're in for another Bond film dealing with Quantum for the next go-round (potentially due out in 2011), and I can't wait to see what they do with it. Quantum definitely needs a truly evil man in charge, a Blofeld type. Perhaps it's Mr. White. I think that he'd actually make a great choice, that way Bond would end up kicking himself for letting White slip through his fingers at the beginning of this film. White definitely seems evil enough, and smart enough (notice that he didn't stand up at the opera).
Speaking of White, one of the moments I quite enjoyed in this film was the scene following the opening credits, where Bond drags the chair across the dank floor. It was, of course, shot to look just like Le Chiffre's dragging of the chair in the torture scene with Bond in Casino Royale. Well done! Great look into how Bond becomes who Bond is.
Article comments
1 - Ros UK
I am a huge Bond fan and have seen all JB films over the years. I particularly like Daniel Craig's take on the role, and I like what and where they are going with the franchise.
I think your article is very fair and I agree with most comments, but particularly your views on the hand held fast cut action scenes.It makes for hard watching, as I remember the first time I saw a Bourne movie I was totally confused. They are OK to a certain extent if you are prepared to see the film a few times, as I have, to see things you have missed!I read the weekly QOS production diary as it was being filmed for 6 months, and feel a little disappointed about how quickly each action scene seemed to zip by after all the trouble they went to filming them,(eg. 14 wrecked Astons!) I just wanted to see more. But it has got me returning to the cinema!! Clever marketing I suppose!!
The film definitely gets better the more you see it - the action, the dialogue,the music,the scenery, and of course Daniel Craig!