Cinema Hype

I have already made fun of the title, and rightly so, but I refuse to mock the trailer for the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace:

What I really, really love (as, obviously, do the trailer editors) is that long shot of Daniel Craig appearing over the horizon: he’s walking, he’s walking, he’s looking good in that suit, and oh wow that’s a big gun, just as (Dame) Judi Dench starts talking about friends, enemies, and revenge. I love a pretty trailer, and if that’s not pretty (in a bloodlusty, masculine way), I don’t know what is.

I think what intrigues me the most about Quantum of Solace thus far (I mean, besides Craig in that suit) is that it’s an immediate continuation of Casino Royale, but it’s entirely original—a departure from the original Ian Fleming canon emerging from the very roots of that canon. (As a side note, this reminds me of people who write companion novels to Pride and Prejudice, or Gone With the Wind; what moxy, to add on to Fleming!) The continuation of the Vesper Lynd story gives us a couple of interesting insights into the possible future of the Bond series, or at least the ways in which the present installments are falling in line with current movie trends. For example, continuity is in: this Bond remembers what happened in the last movie, and reacts accordingly. Audiences are increasingly keen to hear the whole, coherent story, and that’s what writer Paul Haggis is apparently trying to provide, even making a whole movie out of the fallout from the first installment. When was the last time cause and effect took on such starring roles in the overall Bond franchise?

On a similar note, we have a Bond girl—or at least her memory—sticking around for awhile. Vesper, the original Bond Girl, may be dead, but I think we’re supposed to believe poor young James really loved her. Somehow this translates to him licking some other chick’s back (?!), but the novelty of non-disposable women is nice while it lasts.

And finally, are we supposed to infer that Bond is going to lose this particular venture? Apparently there’s some kind of terrorist plot to feed our hunger for thrilling heroics, but the trailer’s emphasis is on Bond as a rogue agent, eluding MI-6—and it’s not like we don’t know what happens there. James Bond may be the world’s best spy, but is it possible that M is the world’s best spy-wrangler?

Where all of this fits into the timeline of the rest of the Bond movies isn’t clear, but for now, it doesn’t matter: just bring on the Solace.