While not the worst of the twenty-two James Bond movies, Quantum of Solace may have the “special” distinction for being the least interesting. Despite a couple semi-exciting action scenes and another good performance from Daniel Craig as Bond, this movie leaves absolutely zero impression. When Casino Royale ended, I was ecstatic at where this series could go. When this ended, I didn’t even care what the next movie would bring. There have been lackluster Bond movies over the years, but never in the history of the series has there been such a decline in quality from the first film to the next. Imagine if Christopher Nolan had fucked up The Dark Knight? That’s exactly what director Marc Forster does here. What a shame.

It’s almost a bit unfair that Quantum of Solace had to come after Casino Royale because while Casino Royale worked in almost every possible way, with a startling debut performance from Craig as Bond, insanely innovative and exciting action pieces, a magnificent Bond girl, a terrifying and original villain, and a love story that brought new dimensions to the character of James Bond, Quantum of Solace offers almost nothing to get excited about. In this one, Bond is purely vengeful with inner rage at the loss of his loved one and will stop at nothing to kill those who wrong him. That’s about all I could understand about the plot, which is basically incoherent. I don’t understand very many of the Bond plots, but this one is particularly difficult to follow.

Marc Forster, who’s directed such fine films as Finding Neverland and Stranger Than Fiction, feels very uncomfortable with the material here, so out of place that one would think the head production assistant took as director on day three. The worst sin done here is that even the action scenes, so clearly shot in the last one, are edited way too fast and frenetic to get involved in. Moments here and there work, like when Bond and henchman fall through a roof made of glass and tumble down wood boards, or when Bond continues to fight the ultimate baddie as rooms continue to explode directly behind him. An opening car chase and a ridiculously incomprehensible boat chase don’t fare as well. The two Bond girls are blander than Denise Richards in The World is Not Enough, if that were possible, and the villain in this is so wimpy that we’d believe it if Judi Dench (playing Bond’s boss M) fought the guy to the death with a drop-kick and a good firm strangling.

Dench is by far the best thing about this new installment, as the scenes with her are the only ones that really sparkle with life. When Dench is on-screen, we’re involved. Her scenes with Craig are interesting enough. Craig himself does what he can, but he clearly seems a bit bored on screen, hoping for a better script to suit his talents. Clearly the fall doesn’t lie with him, because he proved in Casino Royale what he is capable of as James Bond. But here, he’s one-note from beginning to end. Brooding, brooding, and more brooding. Enough! Smile for Christ’s sake!

As a movie, Quantum of Solace is fine, I guess, mediocre at best, but as a James Bond movie, it’s a major disappointment to the fans who have supported this franchise for almost fifty years. While I admire the new direction the producers have taken with the series, making the character of Bond more pertinent to today’s world, and making the films more gritty and realistic a la the Jason Bourne trilogy, most of the magic of Bond himself has been lost in the process. Gone is the opening gun barrel shot, the cheesy one-liners, Miss Moneypenny, Q and the gadgets, the sense of fun. Even the line “My name is Bond, James Bond” is nowhere to be found in this one. And that’s a wee bit sad.

See Quantum of Solace if you must. It’s not a terrible movie. I’m being hard on it because I’m a major fan of the series, and I just really didn’t take much from this new installment. Even the worst Bond movies have at least one major action scene that is amusing or exciting, but even that’s not here. In the James Bond canon I would put it toward the bottom, along with those sad silly “gems” like Diamonds are Forever, A View to A Kill, and The Living Daylights. Quantum of Solace feels like nothing more than a forgettable bridge between the first and third Bond adventures starring Craig. Here’s hoping the next one will recoup some of what made Casino Royale so great. Let’s start with a compelling story, shall we?