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Today, 23 November 2009

Yesterday, 22 November 2009

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Amazing, but true: Bond does battle with an improbable villain with a healthy streak of megalomania, gets into numerous fights while wearing a tuxedo or suit, tumbles into bed with gorgeous women, and saves the planet from certain destruction just moments before the credits drift onto screen, theme music seeing out the latest instalment. Standard 007 plot devices? Check. Another cracking edition to cinema's longest running franchise? Unfortunately not.

After the spectacular return to form that Daniel Craig brought to James Bond in 'Casino Royale', the build-up to the awkwardly titled 'Quantum Of Solace' has been full of hype and promise, the new-look agent set to deliver another dose of square-jawed yet surprisingly sensitive service to Her Majesty. The jaw's certainly square; sensitive, however, has become broody, introverted sociopath, and with a foppish villain and a plot absurd even by Bond standards, it's a disappointing second turn for 007's latest incarnation.

Ridiculous stories come as standard for Bond, but in the past they've been self-consciously so: exotically named evildoers intent on taking over the world with high-tech weapons and murderous sidekicks. No sign of Blofeld or Scaramanga, Oddjob or Jaws here; instead it's Dominic Greene, more accountant than super villain, backed by a man who appears to be a hairdresser's assistant. And the plot of 'Quantam Of Solace'? Topple the world’s governments? Control the planet's oil supplies? Hold the planet hostage to a giant satellite-mounted laser? Er, no; it's to secretly take ownership of Bolivia's water supplies. Even Mike Myers wouldn't have tried to stretch that one out.

Superfluous plots have been patched up before in Bond movies, and even holding a poor and rather unimportant South American country to hostage could have been glossed over with a slicker story; instead, there's a vague association of dastardly characters who don't end up doing very much at all, a slightly camp CIA agent who's quite happy to see Bond erased, and regular vignettes of grim and thirsty looking Bolivians. The pared-down, post-Brosnan Bond doesn't do laughs or light-hearted moments, it would appear.

He does do gritty fight scenes, though, one of the film's few redeeming features; the casual sex with impossibly good-looking women count is quite possibly an all-time low for 007, and such is the paucity of gadgets that Q no longer gets a look-in — one branded mobile phone and a rather flash touch screen in M's office, and that's about it. No Rolexes with built-in lasers, no combination machinegun/sunglasses, no jet-propelled Gucci loafers. If the emotion's gone minimalist, it seems, then so has the gadgetry.

It had needed to by 'Casino Royale', certainly, Bond having become a caricature of Fleming's creation, a pastiche of outrageous stunts, clichéd dialogue and very little substance. But if the last movie brought Bond back into line, and gave us a more authentic 007, then 'Quantum' has taken it all too far. If Bond's blinded by revenge this time out, then the producers have been intent on further reducing the scope of the world's definitive secret agent. And that's not what James Bond is about: we want delusional but menacing villains, beautiful women, a plot we can buy into (however ludicrous), and a 007 who still has a little fun.

And that, above all, is what 'Quantum Of Solace' is missing — a little fun.

Rated: Quantum Of Solace | Familiar? Yes. But Daniel Craig's revenge-driven 007 thrills like never before.