Posts Tagged ‘James Bond’

James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace – Fastfastfastfast.

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

The New Bond continues. But it is not the same. After being robbed of his love, beat and broken, Jamens Bond, played by Daniel Craig, rushes onward. He aims for vengeance. Not in a bloody rage way, but in highly controlled, incredibly fast-paced way. The first twenty minutes or so were dazzling to say the least. I sat a bit too close to the screen in one of Europe’s largest cinemas (the Colosseum in Oslo), and I was almost overwhelmed. Although there will be a few pauses now and then and the whole movie gets a bit slower afterwards, the second New Bond is still different – and much faster – when compared to the first New Bond. I found this to be good, because it shows that the director has not closed the file on this successful movie series. In the first New Bond, which you really should see before watching this one, the character is introduced and his more or less complex personality is developed. In this, second New Bond, the character that has been established is let loose, or, put differently, he sets himself free.
The cast is good enough, Daniel Craig ultra-icy, the two women that he deals with more than attractive, the villain evil in a very french way. The design is excellent, firstly, because it is omnipresent but subdued, and secondly, because it is all about grit. Or sand, to be more precise, because this Bond is desert-themed in many ways. As always, you should really take care to be there on time to see the full opening credits – watching them made me happy.
Be prepared to deal with a very fast-cut, high-action movie. I really liked this Bond. It was maybe a bit less good than the first New Bond, but then I had little to no expectations when I went to see that one and pretty high expectations for this one…
IMDb entry | Trailer

James Bond: Casino Royale – Rough Boy Bond.

Wednesday, November 29th, 2006

As I wrote more than a year ago, I want gritty not super. From this perspective, the new Bond has a lot to offer. Although I first thought bah, he does not look like James Bond, I, as many others too, with time got interested in the new character. How can this man be James Bond? He is neither slick nor charming. He looks more like a battered warrior in a suit. And that is what he is. From the usual spectacular opening to the citations we all know: Bond has been reinvented. He now has a history and is thus becoming more than just a mask worn by a changing array of gentlemen that seduce pretty ladies. He seduces, but he also falls in love. He kills, but it is clear that killing is a messy business. For those who like the gritty and who have a certain liking to the genre, this movie is a must go. For all others, this movie might be a welcome change or not – at least it is not boring, as were the last two or three movies, all of them more marketing and special effects vehicles than anything else (not that we are safe from marketing in the new Bond, there are labels everywhere – quite annoying indeed).
IMDb entry | Trailer