Quantum of Solace

First, I just have to say that I debated whether or not to even write a review on this one.
You see, I went to the theatre this evening to see the New [Full] Star Trek Trailer, more-so than the actual Bond movie. You do not even know how ticked I was, after the trailers ended, and Star Trek was not even shown! Not only that, a trailer for Will Smith's new movie [7 Pounds] was shown twice! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
So, I am not sure that my mind was in the right mind-set for a review, so I'll just try to make this one short & sweet. :-)

Genre - Action Adventure
Year Released - 2008
Running Time - 106 minutes
Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of violence and some sexual content) *No more than any other Bond movie though
Directed by Marc Forster (who also directed Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction, and The Kite Runner)
Written by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade (all three of who also wrote Casino Royale. Neal & Robert also wrote Die Another Day and The World Is Not Enough)
Cast Includes:
Daniel Craig (returning as James Bond)
Judi Dench (returning as M)
Mathieu Amalric (who is also in Munich and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which I haven't seen yet, though it is my Netflix Queue)
Olga Kurylenko (who is also in Hitman & Max Payne)
Gemma Arterton (who is also in RocknRolla, and is also going to be in 2010's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time)
Giancarlo Giannini (returning as Mathis, from Casino Royale)

Rating: 3 Skulls

Plot Summary:
Picking up an hour after the events of 2006's Casino Royale, this James Bond adventure finds 007 tracking a traitor who's infiltrated Britain's MI6.
The trail leads to Dominic Greene, the charismatic head of a world environmental group. Behind this seemingly legitimate facade, Greene runs Quantum, a powerful terrorist organization whose plot to overthrow a Bolivian dictator masks an even more sinister plan.

Review:
When I first heard that Quantum of Solace [*the title is taken from one of Ian Fleming's short stories. From For Your Eyes Only, I believe. Just the title was taken - no elements of the actual story were used in the film.] Anyway, when I first heard that this movie was going to be a direct sequel to Casino Royale, I was not too thrilled, as I didn't particularly enjoy that one. [My suspension of disbelief can only last for so long.]

Well, I can say that I did enjoy Quantum of Solace more than I did Casino Royale. Though, like most Bond films, there are plenty of moments where you just have to roll your eyes and pretend like that scene didn't just happen. :-)

I have to say though, for 22 movies now, the series is still going strong, and the stunts (even though a lot of times beyond belief) are still as exhilarating as ever!

Also, for those of you who are into film scores, you may find it interesting to note that for the first time in Bond history, a duet took place for the opening credit song - Another Way to Die - Recorded by Jack White (of The White Stripes) and Alicia Keyes.
[I just thought that was interesting]

Well, here's the trailer, for those interested:


Jason