The 22nd James Bond extravaganza, Quantum Of Solace, was a film that left me split down the middle. On the positive side it has a wonderful European thriller vibe courtesy of director Marc Forster who gives it a gritty, edgy look, some brilliant unconventional editing techniques and a refined, minimalist approach to the visual storytelling. On the other hand, the action is truly abominable. OK, not so much the action itself, but the way in which it's edited is so fast that it's impossible to understand what the hell's going on without multiple viewings or the help of a pause button. If there's one thing I want to enjoy in a Bond movie it's the massive stunts done with real cars, planes, bikes and boats. In Quantum's case I know there's something going on but I have absolutely no idea what it is.
It's so frustrating that every time I build up the enthusiasm to watch it again, I'm put off by the atrocious chase sequences that Quantum is front loaded with. Every time I try, I get 15 minutes in and inevitably get pissed off by the epilepsy inducing set-pieces.
Not always being such a smart chap, my friend and fellow blogger Count Geekula provided me with the answer. It was so obvious that I had to slap myself, Geekula was right. The only way to watch Quantum is to skip the action, to fast forward past the unwatchable Italian car chase, the roof top fights, the incomprehensible aerial dogfight and the disasterous finale....and just watch the dialogue stuff and the drama. Genius!
It works so much better at an hour and fifteen minutes! One can appreciate the lovely girlies (Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton), the character development of Bond from the vengeance minded lover of Casino Royale to the dutiful, cold blooded killer that we all know and love and the experimental film making techniques that director Forster uses to flavor this adventure. The Opera sequence is stunning in its own right showing Bond infiltrate and escape the villains lair with an abstract flair that's almost extinct in studio blockbusters. Of course the central plot is extremely weak (stealing water in Bolivia , eh?) and Mathieu Amalric is perhaps the weakest Bond Villain in existence, but it gets by on Daniel Craig's sheer screen presence and dry, abrasive wit.
With Road To Perdition's Sam Mendes on board to direct the next installment I feel positive that the mistakes of Quantum won't be replicated. But it's still unfortunate that the only way to watch a Bond movie is with the help of a remote control device.
1 comment:
Heh. Glad to be of service.
Personally I find the remote control also comes in handy when Olga is on screen. for hitting pause and having a good long leer.
Perhaps this is a new concept to blog about: specific ways to watch individual films to make them better e.g. fast forwarding, doing the ironing, the sound down, drunk...
Poor Quantum. So many good things let down by a so-so basic plot (thematically and characterwise it's good and quite rich), badly shot and edited action, and a weak and annoying villain. Here's hoping Sam Mendes gets things back on track with number 23.
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