Rotten Tomato Freshness Meter:

Critics – 64%

Audience – 62%

What You Should Know:

This film does not feature a lot of gadgets or villains bent on world domination/destruction. The  two central characters of the film, James Bond and Camille Montes (played by Olga Kurylenko) do not have a love story. This film, like Casino Royale, does feature violence that is realistic and might be upsetting to some. The film does feature amazing action sequences, fight scenes and car/boat/airplane chases. It is not, in any way, a boring movie to watch.

Why You Should Reconsider:

The majority of complaints critics seem to have about the film is that it:

1)    Does not have a convoluted enough plot.

2)    Goes from action sequence to action sequence without enough storytelling in between. 

3)    Does not have enough action, the pace is too slow.

This is what I can gather from the reviewers at Rotten Tomatoes who generally think this is a terrible Bond film.

So to address each point in turn.

1)    The plot of this film is much more straightforward than the previous film. It is not, however, a simple plot. Bond continues to follow the bread crumbs, all over the world, concerning a group known only as Quantum.

2)    This criticism is absurd. It is a bond film and there is a good deal of action in the movie. This film features action sequences that are, largely, believable/plausible.  This is a movie about a man in pain, emotional pain, and how he is attempting to not deal with it. It is also about a spy. This is why we do not have long scenes where Bond talks about his feelings.

3)    This film is streamlined in a wonderful way. It is very much of the newer style action films that have come about in the 00’s. Fast-paced and without a lot of fluff.

I would argue that this is one of the best Bond films ever made. Since Daniel Craig has taken over the role they have made two very important changes to the world of Bond.

1)    They have attempted to ground this character and his world in some form of recognizable reality.

2)    They have done away with the gadgets.

I support both of these changes wholeheartedly which is why I enjoy the new films. I think  Quantum of Solace  was given such harsh treatment by critics because it does not adhere to a typical Bond movie formula. Yes, there are evildoers who are part of global conspiracy. Yes, Bond is out to stop them. Yes, there are beautiful women in the movie.

But.

This films picks up where the previous ended. James Bond has just lost the love of his life after finding out she betrayed him. He is still new to the spy world. Therefore this film is more about him coming to terms with the loss and betrayal, while attempting to follow the leads concerning this global consortium of bad guys.

I find this to be a very rewarding Bond film and easily the most enjoyable to watch repeatedly. The filmmakers made this film more like The Transporter or a Bourne movie and I think it works.

Misconceptions?:

I think people expect James Bond to hop into bed with the attractive women who star in these films. The fact that the central female character of this movie has no romantic involvement must have been strange and off-putting for some viewers. Couple that with realistic villains who want practical and obtainable things and this film feels very different from previous Bond films.

This film also does not feature staple of Bond films like long, drawn-out card games, elaborate dungeons or Bond being held captive and tortured.