 | Subscribe |
| Well I Liked it My Tuppence worth on Quantum of Solace 02/11/08 |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I just saw Quantum of Solace, and it was brilliant, not rubbish like all the so called film experts are trying to tell you.
Here are some criticisms that have been levelled against the film. Observant readers will notice I have added my own responses to these comments. Reviewer: "The theme song is terrible for lots of different reasons" Me: "Yes, yes it is. It's the second worse one, but it's nowhere near as bad as the worst one. I noticed that David Arnold had borrowed more from You Know My Name for the score than he did from Another Way to Die (which might as well be an anagram of 'Die Another Day' for all I care. Maybe it is. It isn't though, so don't bother checking). I loved the score for Casino Royale, and I felt that the QoS score was a great development of the Casino Royale Score, gradually building up to being the traditional Bond-theme based score we all know and love, and am sure we can look forward to in the next film." Reviewer: "The action is too bourne-ish, you can't see what's going on, and it's not believable" Me: "Yes, you're right. To an extent. There are times when the action too fast paced and the cuts are too rapid - the moment the picture comes into focus and you think you're about to work out what you're looking at, the film cuts to another shot of something moving fast or exploding. But that isn't all the time - there are some fantastic and exciting action sequences, and some really great Bond moments." Reviewer: "The film lacks the witty dialogue we have come to associate with Bond" Me: "No it doesn't - what are you talking about? There are some amazing lines in this film. Nothing on a par with: Villain: 'I am Mr Kill', Bond: 'There's a name to die for', thank goodness, but some really well thought out lines that not only get a laugh but also continue to establish Bond's persona." Reviewer: "The plot was too hard to follow and didn't make any sense" Me: "What? Sorry, what? There are few bond films in which I have been able to follow the plot on the first watching. Whether this has been due to lapses of attention due to boredom at times or simply because I am an ignorant simpleton I don't know. Casino Royale has been heralded as one of the best bond films by many film critics. I have seen it a lot (in fact I just finished watching it for the fifth time a few minutes ago). I am still not entirely sure I completely understand the plot - who actually is Mathis, did he betray Bond? At what point did Vesper begin her betrayal? I think I know all the answers now, but it has taken several goes to be sure (except for why Vesper is lying in the road - I don't think I will ever understand the motivation behind this - a talented risk calculator like Le Chiffre must have been aware of the odds against this serving any purpose). Having heard such respected and intelligent film reviewers as Mark Kermode and Andrew Collins complaining that the plot of QoS made no sense, was impossible to follow and in fact was more or less absent, I went into the cinema with some trepidation, and a determination to pay strict attention to what was going on. For the duration of the film, I waited expectantly for the plot to take a confusing turn, but it did not oblige - for once I completely understood what was going on, who was who, and why they were doing what they did all the way through the film. Me! I never know what's going on in films. I am always the one saying 'who's that' and getting the goodies mixed up with the baddies. The plot was excellent; brilliantly conceived, well written and wonderfully executed." Reviewer: "There's so much product placement" Me: "Probably. I rarely notice stuff like that." Reviewer: "There are so many bond related adverts" Me: "There sure are. And they're woeful. There were two on in the cinema before the film, which takes a lot of the magic out of it. I am annoyed about it." Reviewer: "It's not right for a Bond film plot to follow on directly from the previous film" Me: "Maybe not, but a lot of Fleming's stories followed on from each other, apparently. Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace could almost be seen as a two part series. It's very clear at the end of QoS that that particular plot is now finished with, and Bond is ready to move on to a new story. It's also fairly clear at the end of Casino Royale that the story is not yet complete. So I don't have any problem with the follow on." Reviewer: "" Me: "How come you didn't say anything about the stupid Minority Report rip-off computer screens they had at MI5? I suppose it's no more outlandish than some of the ideas from the older films, but early on in the film while I was ready to be annoyed, they annoyed me." Reviewer "" Me: "You didn't say anything about M. I'm not sure about Dame Dench - I think they should move on. She's alright in this one but she should stop saying 'Basstad'. If I want to hear the English language being abused, I'll talk to my children. (Or I would if I had any)." Having heard so many negative things about the film, I arrived at the cinema prepared to be disappointed, and hoping the film would not be as bad as Die Another Day. Perhaps on a par with The World is Not Enough? I was worried that the commercialists at Sony were pissing Bond up the wall, and taking away the traditional elements of our hero. I was irritated for the first ten minutes, determined to be angry with the film. However it won me over extremely quickly. The excellent dialogue, great one liners and exciting plot had me hooked, and I didn't get bored once for the duration of the film. Both of the Daniel Craig Bond films have developed the concept of Bond to a new and excellent level. There is now genuine emotion in the films, the jokes are more subtle and much cleverer, and Bond is not just a set of character traits - he's a person. There are some lovely gentle and respectful nods to some of the other Bond films in QoS, as there were in Casino Royale, and they make a mockery of the fumbling and clumsy attempts to do the same in Die Another Day. The makers of the new Bond films clearly love Bond, and in my opinion are doing a great job of developing the franchise in a very positive way. In conclusion, Quantum of Solace is definitely one of my top 3 bond films. Don't listen to the negative reviews, go and see it. Remember everyone said Daniel Craig would be no good and that You Know my Name was a rubbish bond theme, which demonstrates that most people don't know what they are talking about.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The opinions expressed on Hobo-Bonobo.co.uk are not those of anyone, particularly not the people to whom they have been accredited.
The content of the site is intended to be humourous, and is not intended to offend anyone.