image: imdb.com

The thing that stands out most to me is the absence of awe-inspiring technology.  As much as I like seeing our favorite spy make his way in and out of dangerous situations (and women) I am just as interested in seeing what new phone, gadgets and car he’ll be using.  Instead of making me wonder how they could make something so cool for Bond to use in his quest to fight bad guys, I ended up thinking “oh, I saw that phone on sale at Best Buy.”  For much of the film, I was disappointed but I guess it’s tough to impress audiences after Iron Man (2008).

Another problem I noticed was that the film was really devoid of those classic tongue-in-cheek quips.  Daniel Craig does a fine job in his second venture as the title character and, yes, I understand that this is a darker movie since Bond is seeking to avenge the death of his love, Vesper Lynd.  The comments don’t always have to be funny to be clever so, in this film, I found Bond to be dull and less likable.

I also found the plot to be a bit all over the place – not exactly complicated but a little disjointed in its presentation.  I’m not even going to attempt to explain it (either watch the movie or read about it on IMDb).

I did like the casting of Olga Kurylenko as Camille Montes.  Her character was like a sidekick to Bond and I really enjoyed that dynamic.  They were both wounded and revenge-seeking which led them to take risks that sane people would never take.

You can rent or buy Quantum of Solace as of today.  In the meantime, check out the trailer:

Post from: EveryJoe

The graphics are pretty incredible and I’m amazed by how well the game developers recreated Daniel Craig‘s face!  Anyway, here’s the deal (and the surprising part) – you don’t just get to play levels based on QoS but also the other Bond movie starring Craig, Casino Royale!   They were able to include the CR scenes by making them into a long flashback sequence which was pretty nice considering there was never a game for that movie! 

The gameplay is based largely on the technology and first-person controls from the Call of Duty 4 game but, thankfully, they’ve been adapted to suit Bond’s sleek style versus that of a military shooter.

Speaking of sleekness, there is a lot more stealthy goodness in this game, allowing Bond to engage in the gunfights we love him for without being a mass murderer (yeah, this is not Gears of War 2!).

Online gamers will be happy to know that Quantum of Solace has the same power and Party system as the Call of Duty 4 engine.  You’ll be able to earn credits that you can exchange for new weapons and gadgets.

Overall, this game is pretty awesome so, if you can’t buy it, at least rent it!

image: Amazon.com

Post from: EveryJoe