James Bond turns a little nasty

双击或划选，即可查看单词的详细解释，并收录生词进生词本
 

HOWEVER many critical reviews people read, they will still watch the latest Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.

That’s the magic of the Bond franchise. Despite being given poor reviews by UK film critics, the film brought in a record-breaking $8 million the day it opened in British cinemas. It seems we all want to see if Daniel Craig really is as good a Bond as he appeared in the last Bond movie, Casino Royale.

But I’m sad to echo the UK critics, and report that Quantum is not a great Bond movie. It begins where Casino Royale ends. Bond, recently betrayed by the woman he loved, Vesper Lynd, angrily sets out to find the secret criminal organization that ordered her treachery.

Bond’s emotional development in the movie is fairly gripping. But the actual Bond plot – the bit where he tracks down an evil villain and kills him – is a mess.

The baddie, Dominic Greene, played by French actor Mathieu Almaric, is a phony environmentalist. Bond is chasing him because he is a member of Quantum, the organization behind Vesper’s death.
But as Greene is not the boss of the organization, you wonder why Bond doesn’t aim higher.

Greene also rarely looks deadly; he is a Bond villain more likely to carry a half-eaten apple than a gun.

Another serious problem with the film is that it is poorly directed. The producers hired Mark Forster, a director new to shooting action movies, and it shows. The action sequences are so fast-paced and highly edited they often fail to make visual sense.

Haunting betrayal
Craig’s fearless performance as Bond is the only thing that makes the film worth watching. In Casino Royale and Quantum, he’s turned Bond into a believable human character. He’s shown him hurt physically. And in Quantum, for the first time in a Bond movie, we see him hurt emotionally.
Though she is not in the movie, Vesper Lynd’s betrayal haunts Bond throughout the film. Her treachery has left him in a cold rage, which he expresses in brutal violence against his enemies.
At times, this violence borders on the psychotic. With his wintry blue eyes, Craig looks truly dangerous in these scenes. He is closer to a cold, ruthless assassin than any previous Bond.
But it’s almost as if Bond’s bad mood throughout Quantum has infected everything else. The film is stony-faced and humorless. There is little of the glamour, despite several exotic locations. Even the Bond girls are side-lined in the movie. It means less fun, something that has been at the heart of all past Bonds.

Lets hope 007’s in a better mood in the next film, and its makers learn from Quantum’s mistakes.

Quantum of Solace synopsis
THE film continues the adventures of James Bond from Casino Royale. It picks up literally days after the previous film left off. Bond, after being betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, is fighting the urge to make his latest mission personal. He meets Dominic Greene, a ruthless businessman and major force within the mysterious criminal organization known only as “Quantum”. Bond discovers that Greene, is conspiring to take total control of one of the world’s most important natural resources. And is making a deal with the exiled General Medrano. Greene promises to give Medrano control of Bolivia in exchange for a barren piece of land. However, it is the main source of the South American water supply. In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth.

AGENCIES
Wanting ‘Bond’ but getting ‘Bourne’
21st Century talked with two people who attended the premiere of Quantum of Solace, organized by www.ipart.cn:
I felt extremely excited when I sat watching the premiere for the film to start. I had been looking forward to it all year. However, disappointingly the film turned out to be more of a “Bourne” rather than a “Bond” film. It has lost all trace of the classic “Bond” films that used to appeal to audiences of all ages: a silly but simple plot and a grand scene involving tanks and helicopters or weapons in outer space. Instead, it focuses on close up fighting and killing scenes which were common in the “Bourne” series. It seems more violet than imaginative.
I was very much frustrated by the beginning of the film, since in the past, Bond films have been very creative and involved the heroine. This time the film begins abruptly. It is not one for the romantics. The start sets the tone of the film, which features a Bond who lacks the humor and wisdom of his predecessors. James Bond becomes a courageous warrior rather than a resourceful spy. He even lacks a bit of intelligence when he mistakenly kills his companions. I also saw no gadgets or high-tech cars and guns. Without these I began to fall asleep. When I woke up, I didn’t feel I had missed much.

(Interviews by Xu Weiwei)

生词：
baddie 坏人
bolt 螺钉
deceit 欺骗
dodge 躲避
franchise 系列
fray 使磨损
heart-wrenching 撕心裂肺的
manipulate 操纵
ovation 大喝采
phony 假冒的
predecessor 前任
psychotic 精神病的
quantum 量子
scuff 磨损
side-line 靠边站
solace 平息
stitch 针脚
stony 无情的
treachery 背叛
wintry 冷淡的

BONUS
Expressions
gripping adj.
引起人注意的；吸引人的
The play was so gripping, the audience couldn’t take its eyes off the stage.
这出戏演得如此扣人心弦，观众都目不转睛的看着舞台。

at one’s disposal
由某人任意支配
My parents say the money is at my disposal.
我父母说这笔钱由我自由支配使用。

21世纪英文报系报纸订阅>>