“Quantum of Solace” has been playing to critics in the U.K. and most of them are reviewing the film in an incredibly positive manner. Much like the very-solid, “Casino Royale,” it looks like this new wave of Bond is continuing in its quality mode of smart, action and entertainment. Even snobs like us thoroughly enjoyed, ‘Royale,’ so this is good to hear. Directed by more-emotional director Marc Forster, it looks like ‘Solace’s revenge story hasn’t the lost flair or touch of the previous Bond-reboot.
The London Times gave the film four out of five stars and said the film is a “bruising thriller that leaves you feeling both drained and exhilarated. The daredevil leaps and tumbles through glass roofs are just as sensational as the splintering high-speed pyrotechnics, but it’s the amount of heartache and punishment that Craig’s new Bond absorbs that makes him look so right for our times.”
The Daily Telegraph has some issues. “The expository dialogue scenes can be dull, and cram in so many machinations and double-crossings that it’s easy to lose track of who’s duping whom. And yet, several times – just when you’re tempted to consult your watch – the movie suddenly surprises.”
The Guardian is thoroughly impressed. “The movie ladles out the adrenalin in a string of deafening episodes: car chases, plane wrecks, motor boat collisions. If it’s got an engine, and runs on fuel, and can crash into another similarly powered vehicle, with Bond at the wheel, and preferably with a delicious female companion in the passenger seat – well, it goes in the movie.”
The BBC is down with the film’s economy: “Clocking in at one and three-quarter hours, it’s a good half hour shorter than 007’s previous outing. And its reduced running time results in a leaner, tauter experience.”
American critics are enjoying it as well. Or at least, Variety’s Anne Thompson has seen it and writes, “Sure, it’s glitzy and glam and jammed with heart-stopping violent action. But it’s also arty and elegant and beautiful.”
That pretty much wins us over. Sign us up for our screening, please. Remember when the title was announced and everyone went ‘meh’? Sounds like we won’t be hearing any of that any longer.
