Collegiate Times

High-octane action, jaw-dropping chase scenes and even a sentimental side to James Bond make "Quantum of Solace" a smashing good time.

Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in the 22nd film of the series and the most successful in the opening weekend box office numbers, grossing more than $70 million.

This film picks up a bit from the last Bond movie in 2006, "Casino Royale." Consumed by revenge to find his love Vesper's killer, Bond relentlessly pursues him while trying to stop a deceiving environmentalist from stealing a country's water supply.

The opening scene gives a heart-racing start. Bond is chased around Italy in a sexy Aston Martin DBS, which sadly is destroyed by the end of the chase; however, with cameras all over the place and a constant barrage of new scenery every second, some members of the audience looked as though they were going to get sick and almost everyone looked as if they had a headache by the end of the series.

That scene wasn't just a part of a motion picture; it was part of a motion-sickness picture.

The movie was fast paced all the way, through -- almost too fast. It was difficult to enjoy the film and understand the entire plot, because in a flash there was a new person added to the mix and you were wondering what happened in the last scene and preceding minutes.

Craig is a knockout as Bond. He brings back the rugged charm he delivered in "Casino Royale." Though less suave than Pierce Brosnan as Bond, Craig carries a sense of compassion throughout the film even though he is perceived as a man with hardly any emotion.

He tries to dispute this fact but fails when Judi Dench's character, "M," says to Bond that she thinks he is motivated by revenge. Bond replies, "I am motivated by my duty." Clearly that is not the case, as you can see Bond in his emotional struggle of losing the person closest to him.

Speaking of "M," Dench plays her brilliantly as her character is brought more to life in this film. More than just Bond's boss in "Quantum," she has developed an emotional connection to him, and when her life is threatened, she has a difficult time keeping Bond in check when he wants to find the person who was out to kill her.

From the viewer's perspective, it is an interesting way to watch a wannabe mother-son dysfunctional relationship. Her trust for Bond is shaky in this one, but it shines through by the end.

When it comes to Bond girls, I don't think anyone has matched up to Halle Berry in 2002's "Die Another Day." A Bond girl needs some flare, a feisty personality with some fire in her actions. What is delivered is a girl with a sob story who is a constant damsel in distress. The Bond films seem to love to always use a small-name actress. Sometimes it's a hit, but in this film, with Olga Kurylenko, it's a huge miss.

The biggest downfall to the film for me was the lack of the usual gadgets that make everyone say, "I want that," or the constant hot cars that keep up with Bond's taste in style, speed and technology.

He trots along in a busted-up VW bug at one point with the Bond girl -- seriously? The love story aspect to the movie took the avid Bond fan for a spin, and not in the best way.

Hearing conversations afterward, the "sappiness" to the movie was not a plus. Some fans are just out for the hard action and intricate plots to save the world. For a chick watching it, however, the love story could have been refreshing.

Personally, I would have been more entertained with hot cars, more Bond in a tux and gadgets he pulls out of nowhere.

Overall, "Quantum" is a great addition to the Bond series. It was very well directed and written. The cinematography was on point, and the locations were entertaining to watch, but the risks taken with the storyline could be its only downfall.