Let me start off by saying I didn’t grow up a James Bond fan, even a casual one.  The first 007 film I saw in the theatres was The World Is Not Enough.  To refresh your memory, that was the one featuring Denise Richards as nuclear scientist Dr. Christmas Jones.  Nuff said.

Casino Royale didn’t turn me into a Bond fanboy, but like most people I thought it was the most enjoyable 007 movie in a long time.  So I walked into Quantum of Solace as a casual fan with an open mind.  I had a short list of expectations based on my ‘knowledge’ of what a 007 movie is supposed to be; here’s how Quantum stacked up:

Opening Action Sequence: As much as I hate seeing an Aston Martin get the business, the opening gets major PROPS from me.  The tone was set; this was the first Bond film that’s a true ‘sequel’.

Crazy Credits/Theme Song: I was aware that Jack White and Alicia Keys were doing the theme song.  As I write this, I can’t remember much about it.  To be fair though, the ‘James Bond’ overture is the only piece of music I associate with these characters.  EHHH….

Bond Girl: The little Russian hottie (playing a Latina?) didn’t have any overtly sexual scenes with Bond (surprisingly).  I think Eva Green was a much better Bond girl, but Olga Kurylenko is exotic enough looks wise to get PROPS.

Bond Villain: The environmentalist as arch nemesis was a nice modern touch.  And I’ve been a fan of Mathieu Amalric going back to Munich.  PROPS.

Style: Confession time – the Daniel Craig version of 007 is a character I’ve borrowed from in developing my personal style.  Clothes by Tom Ford, bringing back the Aston Martin (as I mentioned earlier), still rocking the Omega watch?  Oh yeah, major PROPS here.

Were some of the action sequences a little too Jason Bourne-ish?  Yeah, but to be fair Bourne is the king of the modern action heroes, so what do you expect?  Did the story get a little convulted at times?  Sure, but this is a Bond movie.  Am I being a little too nice because I didn’t have to pay for my ticket?  Perhaps…

Bottom line, if you enjoyed Casino Royale, I can’t imagine how you would hate Quantum.  It’s a more standard Bond movie, but hey, if you’re paying to go see it, isn’t that what you’re expecting?