Blu-ray Review: Quantum of Solace

Daniel Craig’s second outing as 007 picks up almost immediately after the close of Casino Royale, with a bitter James Bond seeking revenge on those who killed his girlfriend, Vesper Lynd. The action is frequent and kinetic and the editing dizzying, as James goes rogue (again) and locks horns with creepy, bug-eyed villain Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), who has designs on the South American water supply. The Blu-ray presentation looks exceptional, even in the dark and mostly static scenes, and the DTS-HD mix enhances the fun, particularly during an airplane chase. All the featurettes are in high-definition as well, but with the exception of the 25-minute “Bond on Location” piece, they’re all fairly routine, electronic press kit-type material. There’s also a music video and several dozen “Crew Files”—short subjects made for the Web featuring personal experiences of crew members on the set.

Shelf Talk: Bond is always boffo at the box office, and that usually translates to high demand at retail. Craig has established himself as one of the best Bonds of the last generation, and his solid looks and the revenge for Vesper subplot will make this appealing even for couples (after, of course, early adopting males). However, there’s no exclusive content on the Blu-ray disc.