The REEL Addict 

By: Souf Jalili

With two weeks pending release, expectations for the latest James Bond film, QUANTUM OF SOLANCE, are sky high. Recently though, the film has garnered some major controversy following the filmmaker’s decision to eliminate Bond’s trademark line, “The name’s Bond, James Bond” – a move seen by many as a betrayal of the franchise. What’s more, early reviews complain that the film has deviated far from the 007 tradition and is little more than a high octane, generic action flick, completely devoid of not only the usual Bond trademarks such as location glamour, witty quips and flirtations, but even plot and characterization.

So how important and justified are these complaints? Well for starters, the exclusion of the line is part of the reinvention of the famous super-spy. CASINO ROYALE was a much-needed and incredibly successful reboot of the franchise that gave us a new Bond who could give all the Jason Bournes and Jack Bauers a serious run for their money. He is raw and emotionally complex, facing a real learning curve. He does not deliver smirked one liners, he does not womanize, and he certainly does not rely on Q’s high-tech and implausible gadgets. In short, Daniel Craig’s Bond is by far the closest interpretation of the source material – the anonymous blunt instrument wielded by a Government Department that Ian Fleming had envisioned. Campy humour and lines like “Bond, James Bond” don’t exactly fit in with the new gritty, raw and cold Bond. It can be argued that the line tied the franchise together and was a unifying factor among all the Bonds, but the Bond formula is quite flexible and elements such as the line can always be brought back into the future especially as Craig’s Bond develops and becomes more confident at his job.

Coming back to other complaints about the greater tonal departure from Bond tradition, it should be noted that it was imperative to rescue the franchise. CASINO ROYALE featured the usual blend of exotic locales, fast cars, spectacular action, beautiful women and other Bond hallmarks, but what made it so successful was the realistic feel and a deviation from the campy tone and high stakes, end-of-the-world stuff that marred the past few films.

That being said, though certain omissions are acceptable, there are only so many classic Bond elements and hallmarks than you can remove until your hero becomes just a well-dressed, good-looking British spy and a Bond film becomes just another generic action film. There have been reports that the new film does not feature the famous opening gun barrel-sequence, and that the iconic James Bond theme does not kick off until the very end of the film. These exclusions are a cause for concern because though it’s okay to give us a new Bond who can keep up with Jason Bourne, you know there is trouble when a Bond film starts to actually be more like the last two Bourne films than the last 21 Bond films. That can be as bad as when you try to force in too many Bond elements into a film, case in point the abysmal DIE ANOTHER DAY.

Hopefully, since QUANTUM SOLANCE is the first out-and-out Bond sequel picking up directly after CASINO ROYALE and it features a tormented and very angry Bond out for revenge, the minimum dialogue and the complete departure from Bond tradition will fit in with the movie and be somewhat justifiable. Nevertheless, what the makers really need to do for future films is to maintain a balance between the action and characterization whilst retaining certain indispensable aspects and Bond mannerisms to differentiate the film from countless other action films and to avoid disappointing Bond aficionados.

What do you guys think about these exclusions and the general direction of the franchise?