Quantum of Solace (2008)

The latest James Bond movie has arrived to theaters, just under two years after the release of its predecessor, Casino Royale. For the uninformed, Casino Royale marked a reimagining of the entire Bond franchise with a new direction and a new actor playing Bond. The Bond in Casino Royale, played by British actor Daniel Craig of Layer Cake fame, is a much grittier character than seen in previous recent movies where the character was played by Pierce Brosnan.

Casino Royale was based off the Ian Fleming novel of the same name, and tells the origins of James Bond. In the span of the movie, Bond becomes a 007 agent in the British Secret Service, MI6, and falls in love with Vesper Lynd, who later betrays him in taking money Bond won at a casino game and transferring it a mysterious organization. The movie ends with Bond finding a man, Mr. White, who is part of this organization and detaining him.

And that’s exactly where this Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, picks up. Bond escapes from a car chase and he opens the trunk of the car to reveal the same Mr. White from Casino Royale. The movie continues plot lines from the first movie, including whether Vesper was really in love with Bond and saved his life or if she was cruel and heartless believes, and the mystery of the organization Mr. White was involved in. New plot lines are also introduced such as a nefarious scheme by a so-called environmentalist named Dominic Greene, played by French actor Mathieu Amalric. I won’t reveal what happens in Quantum of Solace in this review; I’ll let you experience the movie for yourself.

That’s exactly how I would describe viewing Quantum of Solace; as an experience. The movie grabs your attention with a fast paced car chase and never slows down with a constant slew of action. Director Marc Forster handles the action well, but there is so much of it that plot and character development is given considerably less screen time than it deserves. Whereas Casino Royale was made excellent by its well crafted dialogue, plot, and characters, and the perfect execution of action scenes when necessary, Quantum of Solace is bogged down by the action.

While I think more time should have been given to develop the story, I can never say that was too much action. Every action scene is intriguing and handled very well by Forster. There is also quite a variety of action scenes including a car chase, a foot chase, a boat chase, and a plane chase. Excessive? Slightly, but it definitely makes the film exciting, although sometimes it seems to verge on too unbelievable.

Away from the action, the little plot and character development is done very well. Craig’s Bond continues to impress with the interactions in the movie. Bond’s relationship with Vesper is continued from Casino Royale and resolved very well. Bond’s interactions with characters are almost always genuine and very well done. As far as the plot development, the threat from Greene is developed well and resolved well, and the veil on the mysterious organization, discovered to be known as Quantum, is pulled back slightly – just enough to set up for another sequel.

Quantum of Solace also impresses with the acting in the movie. Craig brilliantly plays all aspects of James Bond – his suaveness and his ability as a secret agent. Amalric plays a new type of Bond villain in a two-faced character with no special talent or gimmick and does it very well. Rising Ukranian actress Olga Kurylenko stars as the major Bond girl and does well with her part, dazzling with both looks and acting. Gemma Arterton stars as another Bond girl with the *fantastic* name of Strawberry Fields and is very beautiful in her limited screen time. Other acting standouts include Judi Dench as M and Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis, both characters that return from Casino Royale.

To conclude, it’s fair to say that Quantum of Solace is one of the best Bond films created. However, it falls short of its predecessor Casino Royale due to the lack of enough plot and character development and the use of too much action. Because of this, I award Quantum of Solace a very solid 8.4/10.

8.4/10

Batman (1989)

Alright, alright, so I lied about my first review being of either Batman Begins or the Dark Knight, but I’m at least sticking with the Batman theme. Instead of first reviewing the Christopher Nolan directed Batman films, I decided I’d instead review the four prior Batman movies (sorry Burt Ward and Adam West, I’m not including your amazing “Batman: The Movie” here). The first two of the four Batman movies were directed by the visionary Tim Burton, who managed to add his own spin to the Batman lore with a gothic vision of Gotham City and the Joker parading around museums listening to… Prince.

Now, I know how that may sound, but Burton somehow makes it work. In fact, pretty much the whole movies just “works.” It’s really not an amazing movie, but it never really sets out to be one. From Batman’s introduction (“I want you to tell your friends about me”) to the final confrontation between Batman and the Joker, it’s clear that Burton set out to make a unique, entertaining take on the Batman character.

Despite taking a few liberties with the Batman characters like naming the Joker and having him be the killer of Bruce Wayne’s parents, Burton really does produce an entertaining take on Batman. Batman’s introduction is perfect and mysterious, showing Batman slowly gliding down with his cape completely spread like a bat in flight and punishing a couple thieves in Gotham City. The idea of a six foot bat flying around Gotham is considered ludicrous to the people of Gotham but the truth is eventually revealed when Batman is spotted by the police and later the public. This enigmatic take on the character is lifted from the comics and works exceptionally well. Another aspect of the take on this Batman that works well is the batsuit, which looks heavy and protective yet plausible. In addition, the cape and cowl are very well constructed, even making someone like Michael Keaton look intimidating. The other part that makes the movie work so well is the Joker. From the first appearance as the normal Jack Napier to the deranged psychopath calling himself the Joker, the character is portrayed very well. The iconic purple suit, white skin, and red smile are ever present, and the Joker is as crazy as ever – constantly cracking jokes as he murders people.

The reason these two characters work well are the actors portraying them. Michael Keaton, despite being in pretty much every way the worst fit possible for the Bruce Wayne/Batman character, does a wonderful job. He manages to pull off the intimidation of Batman and the suaveness of Bruce Wayne surprisingly well (except when tries to reveal his identity in a certain scene). Jack Nicholson does a fine job as the crazy murderous Joker, pulling off some brilliant quotable lines of dialogue including “Where does he get those wonderful toys?” and “Ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” Rounding out the cast is Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale, the love interest of Bruce Wayne as well as a photographer working on the Batman case. She plays the part well, but is simply outclassed by both Keaton and Nicholson. Robert Wuhl plays Knox and does a great job, shining in the little screen time he has. Michael Gough does a fine job as Wayne’s butler and father figure Alfred, but he also receives little screen time. Pat Hingle and Billy Dee Williams play Commissioner Jim Gordon and Harvey dent respectively, and neither role feels like anything more than an extended cameo, a departure from their major roles in the comics.

It’s hard to find any real problems with Batman. I think my biggest issues with the film are the characterizations of certain characters. In the movie, Batman seems to have no issue with killing criminals, a radical departure from the comics Batman, whose number one rule is to never kill. Although Nicholson is great as the Joker, at times it just feels like he’s playing himself (which ultimately happens too often in the Batman franchise.) I also resent the treatment of Gordon’s character in this movie. It’s nothing to do with Pat Hingle, it’s simply the way he’s portrayed. I’ve always seen Gordon as the character that Batman trusts and looks to for help, which is entirely absent in the movie. Lando (Billy Dee Williams) plays Harvey Dent in the movie, who is eventually scarred and becomes the villainous Two-Face in the comics, but his character is barely present. It just feels like wasted potential when they could’ve had him play a bigger part in order to introduce Two-Face as a villain. Ultimately, it’s probably a good thing he didn’t have a big part, with Tommy Lee Jones taking over the role in Batman Forever. Besides the problems with characterization I have, I think some things in the movie are just too ridiculous. Granted, it’s a movie about a guy that dresses up as a bat, but I think that a hand buzzer turning a man into a charred corpse is rather bizarre. And on a last note, while I found the scenes featuring Prince’s music funny, they’re almost too corny. I mean, Prince in a Batman movie? Really?

All in all, Batman carries a few flaws but the good overshadows the bad. With solid performances from Keaton and Nicholson and a fun, entertaining take on the character, “Batman” directed by Tim Burton, earns a solid 8.0/10.

8.0/10

Welcome to my blog!

Hello world, and welcome to my blog!

In this blog, you will find movie reviews and game reviews. My movie reviews will cover both new theatrical releases and new releases on home video, including both Blu-Ray and DVD (although the reviews will always be of the former unless it's not available on Blu-Ray). I'll cover different aspects of the films as any competent reviewer would do, including the plot, acting, and whatever else I deem necessary. I will use a 10 point rating scale that will include increments of .1 (so for example, a movie could receive a 9.7/10). This will span all my reviews, both games and movies.

Well, I'm not sure there's much else to say other than I hope you visit every now and then to see what I think about movies you may or may not like. Also, feel free to leave comments that include your thoughts about a reviewed movie or how you feel about my review.

Once again, welcome to my blog. Enjoy your stay. :)

P.S. Expect my first review to be of either Batman Begins (Blu-Ray) or The Dark Knight. It should be up (hopefully) within a few days.