Quantum of Solace
Blu-ray
Directed by Marc Forester
Starring Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 24, 2009

The James Bond series could very well go on forever. Even after 20 films, it is possible to reinvigorate the series, as the films starring Daniel Craig have proven. Honestly, I have never been a big fan of Bond and hearing that the series was going to be rebooted with Craig didn’t seem to be anything worth getting excited over. Well, I was wrong, and happy to admit it.

Though it may be sacrilegious to say so, doing away with the cheesy gadgets, the overly suggestive character names, and even the one-liners have saved this series, and it’s obvious the new Bond will not be anything like the old ones. A scene in Casino Royale really established the mentality of the new series in relation to the old, as a bartender asks Bond if he wants his martini shaken or stirred, he snaps back “Do I look like I give a damn!?” The new bond is darker, more realistic (not that that is a stretch), and much more intense.

Quantum of Solace continues this new spirit with style. As an emotionally tortured Bond continues his quest for vengeance, details emerge about a mysterious and far-reaching shadow organization. The movie not only brings closure to many elements of Casino Royale, but establishes a strong foundation for the sequels that will obviously be made.

Just as the reboot surprised me when it comes to Bond films, the Blu-Ray release of Quantum of Solace surprised me when it comes to high definition. I’ve seen many movies that were absolutely perfect for high definition, but nothing has ever popped off the screen quite like this one. From the opening sequence, which cuts between establishing shots of the Italian coastline and a dramatic car chase, this disc has by far the best picture quality I have seen on a Blu-Ray disc to date. Truly, this is what high-definition should look like.

The disc comes with an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track as well as Spanish, French, and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital audio tracks. Subtitles include Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin.

Though none of the special features use advanced Blu-Ray profiles, that doesn’t take away from the overall presentation of things. In fact, recent experience has shown me some of the “advanced” Blu-Ray features are more gimmicky than anything else. The bonus features for Quantum of Solace are mostly short featurettes on various aspects of the film, including the music, shooting locations, Craig, Olga Kurylenko’s stunt work, and director Marc Forester. The music video for “Another Way to Die” and trailers are also included. One nice bonus is to have the special features in high definition, which is not as common as you might think. Even though the bonus features are plentiful and look great, they are all pretty short or probably not something you watch more than once.

Overall though, you can ignore the bonus features. The movie is great, and if you want a movie to show off your high-def TV, Quantum of Solace does the best job I’ve ever seen. Besides, haven’t you always wanted a movie for the Q section of your collection?

Final Score:
Movie: A
Picture Quality: A+
Sound Quality: A
Bonus Features: B+