Story franchises have been around for a long time. When a character strikes a chord with the audience story tellers may feel a compulsion to keep the character going for one novel or film after another. Some books go on for many years and become beloved favorites. In the world of film such longevity in a franchise is rare. Sure there are horror flicks that manage to producer a dozen installments but it is far more typical for a series to diminish after a few years. There is one franchise in movies that has broken all sorts of records from the number of decades it has spanned to combined gross box office. That series is concerned with one man, Bond, James Bond. He is without a doubt the most famous and well known spy in the world and has held that title since the Ian Fleming first created him for his series of novels and short stories. While this began is road to constantly saving the world Bond moved from popular literary hero to movie icon in 1962 with ‘Dr. No’. Over the next forty six years there have been twenty two films form EON Productions, the keeper of the Bond canon and there is no sign of this trend stopping any time soon. The films had a humble start with the first one coming in with a budget of $1.2 million to the latest flick costing $220 million. It turned out to be a fantastic investment for the producers since to date the cumulative box office is well over eleven billion dollars. Too bad we can’t add a Bond flick to our 401lk. The latest in this long and illustrious line of movies is now available on DVD and Blu-ray and are certain to be part of many home collections. ‘Quantum of Solace’ is one of the biggest and flashiest of the franchise and like all the Bond movies that have preceded it sure to bring many hours of good old fashion fun.

It is only natural for a series of films that has persisted for this long to divide the fan base. I have been in heated debates over which is the best Bond movie and which actor best represented Bond as a character. In most cases the sides are drawn clearly on lines based on the person’s generation. For us baby boomers there is one true James Bond, Sean Connery and the definitive movie is either ‘From Russia with Love’ or ‘Goldfinger’. Bond is now well known for his incredible spy gadgets but the early movies were closer to the novels and omitted such devices. Currently the Bond persona is still in flux moving from a man of subtle effectiveness to a full blown action hero. Many of us old school types feel that this is completely altering the image of Bond but since he has been around for half a decade you have to expect and perhaps even accept changes in the personality of this master spy. This film is the second time as Bond for Daniel Craig. He is much more of a combination of a sensitive man and action hero than any previous Bond. There are a few fundamental rules for playing Bond that no actor would ever break. Bond is the epitome of cool. He is never flustered no matter how imminent death may seem. He is knowledgeable in a vast variety of topics and is smooth with all the beautiful women that are inevitably around.

The story here was written by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Haggis had a lot of experience in dramatic and action oriented television series but broke into feature films with panache authoring the scripts for three films by legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood; ‘Flags of our Fathers’, ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ ‘and Million Dollar Baby’. He also took home the Oscar for his screenplay for ‘Crash’. Haggis entered the world of Bond with the previous installment ‘Casino Royale’. Purvis has several Bond scripts to his name including co-authorship of ‘Casino Royal’, ‘Die Another Day’ and ‘The World is not Enough’. Wade also worked on ‘Day’ and ‘Enough’. This is a talented group of writers with the talent to take Bond into a new millennium. Admittedly this is not one of the great Bond stories around. In many ways it is a direct sequel to ‘Casino Royale’ and picks up just minutes after the conclusion of that movie. One of the largest changes made to the mythos of Bond here is breaking the bond of undisputed trust between this ultimate secret agent and his superior M (Judi Dench). She is concerned that the loss of the true love of his life, Vesper has clouded Bond’s focus and placed him on a quest for revenge. Here is a man trained and licensed to kill with a large chip on his shoulder and a personal agenda. This is a deviation from the cold and emotionally detached Bond we all grew up with. While this is consistent with the new trend towards emotionally aware heroes it is not the James Bond we have come to expect.

Taking up the direction chores for this film was Marc Forster. This may be his first Bond movie but he is an accomplished director with films such as ‘Monster’s Ball’ and ‘Finding Neverland’ on his resume. He treats this film as one would a straight action flick. The pacing is break neck throughout the film. The action rarely lets up giving the audience a roller coaster ride that can match any film of the genre. Although this is Bond more in touch with his emotions there is not that much in the way of character development provided. Forster gives amble opportunity for stunt men to ply their crafts here. With a franchise like this every film has to be bigger than the one before and this succeeds in this regard. Craig is the first blonde Bond and makes an honest attempt to fill the shoes of those that have come before him. He has the steely eye stair down pat and holds himself in a Bond like fashion. Craig is capable and is a fine actor although there is not enough here to truly showcase his abilities. Most of his time is spent running, in a car or motorcycle chase or beating up a bad guy or two. I have seen this actor in deeper dramatic faire and he would have been a rising star without his involvement in this star making franchise.

The Bond films have been a mainstay in the MGM/UA catalog for years and lately they have been releasing older titles on Blu-ray. This movie starts out with several ways to add it to your collection; DVD, two disc DVD or Blu-ray. In all cases the film is beautifully mastered with the best possible audio and video. The second disc in the special edition and the Blu-ray are crammed full of extras to keep the fun going. While it is snot the best Bond movie it is a worth while action flick.