âÄúQuantum of SolaceâÄù Directed by: Marc Forster Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Olga Kurylenko Rated: PG-13 Showing at: Area theaters When âÄúCasino Royale âÄú was released two years ago it was lauded as one of the best reboots in film history as the filmmakers returned Bond to his former glory with one deft stroke. In years past, Bond films, due to Pierce BrosnanâÄôs prissiness, unfulfilling plotlines and a lot of ridiculous gadgetry, had turned into farces tinged with thinly plotted action involving cars that turn invisible, cars controlled by cell phones, etc. But while âÄúCasino RoyaleâÄù managed to subvert the Brosnan-era absurdities with a great story and charged action sequences, âÄúQuantum of SolaceâÄù seems to have unintentionally overcompensated with a lot of overblown stunt work. The result is a lifeless story highlighted by a few lackluster action sequences. The movie, which picks up immediately after âÄúCasino RoyaleâÄù ended, finds Bond on the warpath, seeking out the clandestine organization behind the death of his one true love. His search leads to Dominic Greene, a corrupt businessman with a clever environmentalist front and no visible scars. While the script, unbelievably written by the same people as its predecessor, lacks any real emotional content, it does shine on occasion. In the moments where Vesper Lynd , the aforementioned one true love, is alluded to, we gain insight into BondâÄôs mindset. Our hero clearly has remorse and wants some sort of closure, if not direct vengeance, but keeps falling short. ItâÄôs regrettable that the writers didnâÄôt further explore this facet of BondâÄôs psyche; after all, itâÄôs his driving force. The other compelling nuance is BondâÄôs relationship with M, who becomes a kind of maternal figure as the film progresses, fretting over his willingness to kill everyone he sees. ItâÄôs surprising that a film partly written by Paul Haggis (âÄúCrash,âÄù âÄúMillion Dollar BabyâÄù) and directed by Marc Forster (âÄúFinding Neverland,âÄù âÄúMonsterâÄôs BallâÄù) could be so devoid of emotion. Sure, 007 is supposed to appear stoic and cover up his feelings by shooting the bad guys, but the façade never even partially cracks. He never has a period of Bogart-esque lament and the brief attempts at emotional exposition usually fall short of anything that would humanize Bond. Despite the scriptâÄôs hindrances, Daniel Craig maintains his perfect grasp on the Bond character. This truly is a feat in a movie that offers our hero little dialogue or reasonable time to emote. Craig manages to milk the cool out of almost every situation, wooing not one, but two Bond girls and killing a slew of villains in new and interesting ways, all the while maintaining the badass temperament that Brosnan couldnâÄôt pull off since âÄúGoldenEye.” And while Craig doesnâÄôt have much time or room to emote, he does so at least adequately, and the only shortcomings in the performance are wholly attributable to the script. With its subtle faults, âÄúQuantum of SolaceâÄù is a somewhat disappointing endeavor. ItâÄôs still worth seeing, functioning as a decent Bond movie with a few fantastic scenes and CraigâÄôs consistently enjoyable performance, but it never lives up to the excellence of âÄúCasino Royale.âÄù (3.5 out of 5 stars)