While perfectly fine as a non-stop action movie, Quantum lacks the craftsmanship and character development of its predecessor, which was honed by the direction of Martin Campbell. Marc Forster, having never directed such an action film before, was an odd choice to helm the follow-up, and his style is largely a poor knock-off of Campbell’s direction. Funnily enough, in one of the special features on the DVD, Forster explains that his approach is to just “throw everything on the screen,” which explains the lack of deleted scenes – and the senseless barrage of action in the movie.

Nevertheless, if you go in expecting a more standard James Bond action flick rather than something as well done as Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace is entertaining enough. To complement the film, the DVD has plenty of special features – but most are as shallow as the movie itself.

In addition to the theatrical trailers and the Alicia Keyes music video, the second disc comes with six featurettes that focus on various aspects of the filmmaking. The featurettes include a 24-minute “Bond on Location” documentary and others that focus on the start of shooting, the locations, Olga Kurylenko and the boat chase, director Marc Foster and the music. While there are some nuggets of interesting facts to be found here, especially in the “on location” piece, the featurettes feel primarily promotional in nature versus informative. Several are spliced with an interview with Daniel Craig that was clearly intended to sell the pick to audiences.

As referenced earlier, the interview with Marc Forster references how he liked a lot of things that were pretty much universally panned by credits, like the improper ratio of action to story and Forster’s approach to presenting. I always get a kick out of hearing directors get all excited about things that really aren’t that exceptional.

Of course, you could just skip all of these featurettes and go right onto the Crew Files, which contain 45 minutes of interviews with various members of the crew and cast. Those previously mentioned featurettes pull most of their content from these interviews, and presented in a raw, more direct format, feel more insightful and less promotional. Frankly, MGM wasted their money making nice-looking featurettes when they could have just given us these interviews and be done with it.

Quantum of Solace isn’t a terrible movie, but compared to Casino Royale, it pales in comparison. Since the screenwriters didn’t change from one film to the next, the blame deservedly falls on Forster’s shoulders. As far as the DVD goes, the bonus features aren’t very good and should not factor into your decision to buy.

As I’ve said before, I’m no box office expert and won’t pretend to be, but here are what some other websites are saying:

• $60 million – National Post
• $55 million – Cinematical
• $60 million – SlashFilm
• $53 million – Rope of Silicon
• $76 million – Motion Select
• $65.3 million – Box Office Prophets

Frankly, while Motion Select may be the least reputable site on the list (no offense meant, but I just did a Google search and went down the list), I have to think that a $70+ million opening is in the works for Quantum of Solace. If Madagascar 2 can make $60+ million last weekend, aimed at a younger demographic, why can’t the new James Bond blow that number out of the water?

While Quantum of Solace isn’t getting amazing reviews, it isn’t getting bad ones, and I have to give this film some comparison to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Fans were hesitant about the renewed Batman franchise, found out it was good, and then gave broad approval to its sequel earlier this year. Of course, this latest Bond flick isn’t receiving those stellar reviews, doesn’t feature a tragic and Oscar-worthy performance, so on and so forth, but Casino Royale has its similarities to Batman Begins: it took an established, struggling franchise in an entirely new and darker direction; it opened quite well, but made its real gains on word-of-mouth; it also set itself up for something bigger and better.

More than likely, the box office analysts are right, but I won’t be shocked if they are woefully underprojecting here. Only six more hours until my midnight showing at the Cinerama…

But the new James Bond movie trailer is here (that’s Quantum of Solace to the lay person… wait, or is it the other way around?), and my fears are confirmed. Quantum of Solace is a comedy, or at least the closest thing to a comedy since the original Peter Sellars Casino Royal back in the 1960’s, or at very least Roger Moore’s Moonraker. I mean, what the hell is going on here. How, after just one film, could they change the formula so much? Marc Foster, who has directed such films as Finding Neverland and Stranger than Fiction surely doesn’t have a clue as to how to direct a Bond flick, especially a 21st century Bond. I mean, did anyone see The Kite Runner? It wasn’t exactly movie good.

I’m terrified by the below James Bond movie trailer, at the amount of jokes Daniel Craig cracks. The scene where he runs into a door and falls backwards is just blasphemy. Walking in on Judi Dench naked? What the hell? And the Bond girl… is actually a man.

Of course, I’m joking. The new Quantum of Solace movie trailer looks awesome. It has the same serious tone, has some great action sequences and all around maintains the look and feel of Casino Royale. I am so excited for this one.

OK, in reality, Daniel Craig only sliced off the tip of one of his fingers, according to Daily Mail, but it is the second injury inflicted to the Bond star while filming Quantum of Solace. The production is beginning (if it hasn’t already) to look like a cursed one, as there have been several accidents, injuries and crazy mayors that have disrupted shooting.

An exterior set was heavily damaged after a fire broke out at the studio; a stuntman drove an Aston Martin into a lake; another stuntman suffered head injuries after slamming head first into another vehicle; and Craig had to get eight stitches to the face a few weeks ago.

Is this the wrath of Amy Winehouse?