Blu-Ray Review:
Quantum of Solace
By Jason Gillard
*Screen shots are not from the Blu-Ray source.
Movie
When Quantum of Solace landed in theaters the reviews were not as positive as Casino Royale. A quick look at Rottentomatoes.com shows it settling with a 65% rating compared to 94% for Casino Royale. Having seen QOS twice in the theaters and watching it at home as well, I don't think it deserves the backlash it got. Considering this is the first true sequel in Bond history I think some people may have gone into the film without having seen the first film. I would think that would leave them utterly confused, because this is a movie that you really have to see the first one, in order to understand the small details and what's going on in the film. The plot for this movie starts out with Bond delivering Mr White to an Mi6 safe house to question him. When he gets there it turns out to be a trap. From there Bond is on a mission to uncover the secret organization that Mr White works for. Driven by Vespa's betrayal Bond is brutal taking out anyone who stands in his way. During his investigation he meets Dominic Greene an environmentalist and part of Mr White's criminal organization. He follows Mr Greene to Bolivia and ends up teaming up with an agent named Camille. She has her own reasons to seek revenge against Greene and that organization. I personally thought this was a great Bond movie. Bond is brutal and relentless tracking these people and it makes for a fun ride. I loved the Aston Martin car chase at the beginning. I grew up watching Pierce Bronson and thought that nobody was going to make me forget him, but sorry to say Pierce, Daniel Craig is the new Bond and then some.
9 out of 10
Video
QOS comes with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio in 1080p. This is a gorgeous looking film. Many of the locations that they filmed in have such beautiful colour and this transfer represents them faithfully. Colours bleed off the screen making you wish you were in Panama. Oceans sparkle like diamonds and everything looks so beautiful. Black levels are well done as well. I also think they were looking for a more gritty texture in some scenes to symbolize Bond's angst. So in desert scenes there is grain but I think it may be done on purpose. Detail is also insanely good. Individual grains of sand in the dessert scenes are definitely visible. Shards of glass and the blood on Bond's face all show up with startling clarity. This is a reference level transfer and it also looks better than I remember it in the theaters.
10 out of 10
Audio
Just as the video is spectacular so is the sound. We are treated to a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. This film is so full of sound that it may be one of the best I have heard. From the opening car chase the sound reaches out and grabs hold of your heart making you feel every beat and every piece of twisting metal. Dialogue also comes across nice and clear and seems to be well mixed in. Surround channels are full with gunshots and other ambient noises. This track is aggressive making you feel every bit of what is going on. The LFE channel is full of life as well, adding extra power to all the explosions in the film. They have done a great job here making one hell of a track.
10 out of 10
Extras
Here is what you get in the way of extras:
- Bond on Location
- Start of Shooting
- On Location
- The Music
- Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase
- Director Marc Forster
- Crew Files
- Another Way to Die Music Video with Jack White and Alicia Keys
- Theatrical Trailers
After praising the audio and the video I wish I could say the same about the extras. I can say that there definitely will be a double dip in the future on this one. "Bond on Location" was the best of the bunch which details all the locations this film shot on. It's not very long but interesting to watch. The others are all quite short and seem to uses some of the same clips in other features. I was disappointed with what was included, and I am sure they will do a better job on the next edition of this film.
5 out of 10
Overall
If you're a Bond fan, you don't need me to tell you to buy this film because you were probably already going to. If you have the first film this is the continuation and you need this one as well. It's got awesome video and amazing sound and it comes with a high recommendation from me.
9 out of 10
Quantum of Solace Blu-ray is available now from Amazon.com