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Quantum of Solace

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Craig's 2nd Bond grittier, angrier than his first.

Themes in this movie include:   dating/crushes, loss, revenge
updated 11.23.09

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 14–16

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Revenge, espionage and corporate greed are glamorized.
  • Role models:

    James Bond is largely motivated by a thirst for revenge and seems to have little regard for human life. He does save the life of a character he barely knows, however, because he senses she's in danger. Felix Leiter disregards a directive he feels is immoral. Several characters belong to a global crime syndicate involving multinational corporations and billionaires who can act like mercenaries and destabilize countries. A female foil to Bond is out for vengeance.
  • Violence:

    From the movie's first scene, there's a nearly endless stream of action and violence. There are fiery explosions; bloody hand-to-hand battles using knives, guns, pipes, and other weapons; shootouts; disturbing scenes of a tortured woman and a dying character; and lots of death-defying stunts.
  • Sex:

    Bond passionately kisses two different women throughout the course of the film. In one scene he gets into bed shirtless and kisses a woman whose bare shoulders and back are visible. They've obviously just made love (off camera).
  • Language:

    Infrequent: "s--t," "bastard," "bloody," "ass."
  • Consumerism:

    Several cars: Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Ford, Volkswagen, and more.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Bond characteristically drinks cocktails, wine, and beer at bars, in a plane, and at parties; other characters drink and smoke cigarettes/cigars.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Quantum of Solace was written by Sandie Angulo Chen

Parents need to know that the second James Bond adventure starring Daniel Craig is, like 2006's Casino Royale, full of non-stop action sequences and has a darker, grittier tone than earlier Bond films. Unlike his predecessors, who barely broke a sweat while sipping their precious martinis, Craig's 007 bleeds real blood and gets into dirty, bare-knuckle, hand-to-hand fights. The violence includes knife fights, gun fights, fist fights, and fire fights. A liked character dies, a woman is tortured (off camera) in a particularly cruel manner, and dozens of characters die in explosions or shootouts. There are a couple of passionate kisses and one scene that obviously takes place after Bond and a woman have had sex (her bare shoulders and back are shown, and he's shirtless). Product placements are mostly cars, like Bond's signature Aston Martin, and language is relatively minimal ("s--t." and "bastard").

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about what makes James Bond "cool."
  • Is it his remoteness? His amazing physical prowess?
  • Does the movie use alcohol and cigarettes to support or take away from Bond's appeal?
  • How are different women portrayed?
  • What makes James Bond so appealing (and enduring) in general?
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More on Quantum of Solace

What’s the Story?

In Daniel Craig's second outing as James Bond, the brilliant British spy's mission is extremely personal. Picking up right where Casino Royale ended, QUANTUM OF SOLACE finds Bond determined to capture those responsible for the death of his beloved Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). The search leads him to billionaire Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric, so memorable in Munich), a member of an international crime syndicate that has the money and power to destabilize economies, depose uncooperative dictators, and install corrupt ones -- all for a steep price. With the help of Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a beautiful Bolivian Secret Service agent, and CIA counterpart Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), Bond follows Greene around the world to uncover more about the mysterious "Quantum" group and ultimately avenge Vesper's murder.

Is It Any Good?

Craig continues to prove that his brooding, physical, broken take on Bond works wonders, even though he lacks a bit of the dashing sophistication so obvious in effortless predecessor Pierce Brosnan. This Bond bleeds real blood, shows off a body full of scars, and feels deeply about Vesper's death. That doesn't mean he won't casually jump into bed with red-headed MI6 beauty Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton). But Craig's 007 isn't so much an unattached ladykiller as he is a tortured man willing to kill without much of a second thought. Some of his best scenes are opposite Kurylenko, whose Camille is also looking to settle a personal score with the Bolivian general negotiating with Greene. They're both angry and searching for the kind of closure that only a gun can bring.

Like all decent films in the 007 canon, Quantum of Solace has a heavy dose of explosive action, several humorous one-liners, and lots of horsepower -- although sadly, the signature Aston Martin gets trashed in the first car chase. There's even a cheesy opening credit sequence featuring Jack White and Alicia Keys' entry in the Bond flick theme song playlist, "Another Way to Die." But stock Bond elements aside, Craig's James seethes in a way that none of the earlier Bonds did, and after a while, it's actually a downer. Let's hope the next installment tones down the fury just a tad. Some of us prefer our Bonds the opposite of a martini -- stirred but not shaken.

Movie Details

Studio: Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Director: Marc Forster
Run time: 106 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/14/2008, DVD release: 3/24/2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative role models

    Some parents will let 10 year old watch it.

    tHIS MOVIE HAS THRILING ACTION ANS SCENES WHERE BOND SLIDES OVER THE ROOF OF A CAR.

  2. I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative role models

    Some parents will let 10 year old watch it.

    tHIS MOVIE HAS THRILING ACTION ANS SCENES WHERE BOND SLIDES OVER THE ROOF OF A CAR.

  3. I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Excessive consumerism
    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    okay for tweens

    just like most bond movies there is a lot of violence, but that is to be excpected in soy movies, slightly boring but cool anyway. brilliant

  4. I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 5.0

    great bond movie

    great movie lots of killing worth watching 12 and over

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 2.0

    just as bad as the others, nothing knew, mild violence, mild ---ual content, not as bad as the bond books them selves. but WARNING this movie is PPPFFFFTTTT compared to the other bonds(goldeneye, thunderball, goldfinger, live and let die, casino rayale, etc.)

  6. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 3.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message

    This isn't as good as Casino Royale, but it's still worth the ticket price. The violence is about the same intensity as CR, and there's a brief scene were Bond implies that he's about to have sex with a Bond girl. He still has his vodka martini, but He dosen't call it "shaken not stirred". My concern with this film is that it might represent the message of revenge being good, which might be questinable to some parents. This isn't for kids under 13. 13 is iffy. 14 and up should be OK.

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Utah
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 2.0

    Quantum of Solace falls short a few times.

    After seeing the great Casino Royale I thought this 2nd outing would be better but i actually thought it falled flat a lot of times. if you liked the Casino Royale movie than you'll probably be disapointed.

  8. Kid Reviewer Age 9
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 5.0

    THE BEST!!!

    OMG,This was like,THE BEST 007 MOVIE I HAD SEEN IN MY LIFE!!! So get your car keys and BUY THIS MOVIE!!!

  9. Adult Reviewer
    I rate this title pause for age 13 and give it 4.0

    Dark, violent movie is exciting and emotional

    Quantum kicks a--. It's not as good as Casino Royale but is by no means a let down. Peppered with frantic action and impressive stuntwork it nonetheless manages to fit in an interesting plot into its sleek 1hr 40min running time. Whilst it may not match Casino Royale for emotional depth it certainly beats it for pacing - I wasn't bored for a second. Camille is a weaker Bond girl compared with Vesper but she is servicable and Dominic Greene is a fittingly despicable villain. It's a brooding movie filled with dark touches and Craig's ruthless, physical performance which cements him as possibly the finest actor to play the role. But Bondians put your fears aside; this isn't Bond as we once knew, but he still packs in more than a few one liners, dry martinis and even manages to bag his signature gunbarrel sequence (you'll have to wait for it though!). Having to live up to such high expectations after the brilliant Casino Royale was unfair but QOS confounds expectations; it's better than it has any right to be.

  10. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0

    Pretty Good

    This wasn't as good as Casino Royale, but Daniel Craig is the best bond by far!

  11. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 1.0

    Rip Off, Go See Casino Royale

    This was a horrible james bond movie. Casino Royale was way better, this was just hard to follow. I defenitley do not recommend this movie.

  12. I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 1.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    rubbish!

    this film is the s*****t bond ever. somone being raped is not suitable for young kids! if i could i would put a no star rating!

  13. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 4.0

    Don't be so self-righteous, you nay-sayers!

    This movie was very, very good - a throwback to the tone of the early Sean Connery bond movies. Those people that post things about inappropriateness for their kids need to take a different approach in how they talk/relate to their kids. It's essentially a cartoon without the animation, and always has been in this series.

  14. I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 2.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Negative message

    One horrible, horrible movie

    let's start off by saying that i am a huge james bond fan, i've seen mostly all of them and i enjoyed most of them (dalton's bond and some brosnan movies sucked), and i loved casino royale, but this movie was a huge disappointment. the acting was decent, but it was crappily done, the editing was absolutly horrible,(i dont mind quick cuts, but this was just unwatchable),and the cinematography sucked even more. i had high hopes for this movie (from the director of stranger than fiction), but when i saw the movie, all of my hope was gone, maybe he should go back to directing romantic comedies.

  15. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Utah
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    Better than expected

    I have never been a big Bond fan, but this movie was well done and enjoyable. The length was perfect and the action and story was engaging nearly the entire time. Surprisingly little sexuality for a Bond film, not that there wasn't any, just less than normal. Most teens will enjoy this film, just know your teen.

  16. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 2.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    A Big Disappointment!

    Although it doesn't derserve the bashing by critics it is getting at the moment, it was a huge let down compairing it to other Bond films especially Casino Royale.

  17. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 1.0

    I guess a bare vagina isn't nudity any more.

    I don't know how they missed, but this movie has vulgar nudity. The girl who is being raped bares a naked vagina. If you didn't see it, you missed it. Trust me, it's there, it just has no hair. Those weren't thighs! Not for my kids- or my husband.

  18. Adult Reviewer
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Ok but shorta boring

    Not so bad but a little boring.

  19. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    Bond is Back, and Some!

    After Casino Royale, I had to agree the Daniel Craig is one of the best 007s ever, but after QoS, I now think that he is the BEST 007ever! He is everythign a 007 should be, Fit, Charming, British and most Important of all, he is what Ian Flemming was in his spy days, a stone cold Killer! The Badies, The Cars, The Ladies, The Guns, The Chasing, The Location, EVERYTHING was here. I do have1, and it is only 1 criticism about this movie. Its the fact that the film goes up its own ass with it Hydrogen Powered cars and environmental Gobs**t. This is a spy film! What kind of spy film has hydrogen powered SUVs, comon! Bu other than that, Good job and good film

  20. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language

    Bond is Back, and Some!

    After Casino Royale, I had to agree the Daniel Craig is one of the best 007s ever, but after QoS, I now think that he is the BEST 007ever! He is everythign a 007 should be, Fit, Charming, British and most Important of all, he is what Ian Flemming was in his spy days, a stone cold Killer! The Badies, The Cars, The Ladies, The Guns, The Chasing, The Location, EVERYTHING was here. I do have1, and it is only 1 criticism about this movie. Its the fact that the film goes up its own ass with it Hydrogen Powered cars and environmental Gobs**t. This is a spy film! What kind of spy film has hydrogen powered SUVs, comon! Bu other than that, Good job and good film

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