Quantum of Solace (PG-13, 2008)

common sense media says

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


parents & educators say
  • 35% say violence is an issue

What parents need to know

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").

Positive messages: Revenge, espionage and corporate greed are glamorized.
Positive 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.

More on Quantum of Solace

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • 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?

What's the story?

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?

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 themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Columbia Tristar
Director: Marc Forster
Cast: Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko
Genre: Action/Adventure
Run time: 106 minutes
Theatrical release: November 14, 2008
DVD release: March 24, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content
Watch our review

This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
 
 

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What parents & educators say

13
Based on 17 parent & educator reviews:
  • 35% say violence is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

xgame
parent of 3 and 9 year old
 
The whip hits good and dark.
THE START:Daniel Craig hits again and throws the shot of the detective James Bond,007.This movie goes dark again,you will frickin' love it. ____________________________________________________THE PLOT:After Vesper Lynd dies,007 goes on a mission to avenge her death.With help and company of Camille,an female bolivian agent,they will search those responsable of Vesper's death. ____________________________________________________THE CONTENT:THE BADS ___________________________________________________ MESSAGES:Revenge,murder,and espisionage are main themes in this movie. 2 OUT OF 5 ____________________________________________________ ROLE MODELS:Bond is a spy determined by revenge.Bond is also a tricky,murderiuos guy.Almost no role model is positive. 2 OUT OF 5 ____________________________________________________ VIOLENCE:Constant violence,full of shootings,deadly stunts, lots of murders,bloody fights and scenes,briefly shown scene of a women getting tortured,an knife fight,a brutal chase leading to a brutal fistfight,a explosive scene,a car chase and a violent intro scene. 5 OUT OF 5 __________________________________________________ SEX:Bond kisses two women,once in a sexual scene.Some cleavage. 3 OUT OF 5 ____________________________________________________ LANGUEGE:Some uses of h*ll,sh*t,b*stard,ect. 2 OUT OF 5 ____________________________________________________} CONSUMERISM:Aston Martin,ect. 2 OUT OF 5 ____________________________________________________ DRUGS:Some drugs and alchol. 3 OUT OF 5 ____________________________________________________ OVERALL:TWO THUMBS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!! OFF 12- IFFY 13 - 15 ON 16

CloudIsC00L723
teen, 15 years old
 
Terrible! Too violent, too complex, too much! Not as good as Casino Royale!

Spielberg00
teen, 14 years old
 
A very strong PG-13--just watch the first scene and you'll see.
My rating: PG-13 for frequent and intense violence/action, a few scenes of sexuality, and for some language.

Katie-Kakes
teen, 17 years old
 
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

Yeah.
teen, 14 years old
 
Check out my page for more great recommendations.
I'm not here to give a review because if it shows up on my page its a 5 star movie and so therefore you know what i think about it.

bslrpl
teen, 14 years old
 
Intense bond film for the modern age
A very action packed and violent bond movie. This one has the least sexual content of any bond movie ever made. Only one brief scene that has sex implied. There is quite a lot of violence with some blood in this movie. Infrequent language includes the usual PG-13 words: sh*t, da*n, a**, and h*ll. Good movie!

 
Ok but shorta boring
Not so bad but a little boring.

AbbeyRoadbeatles
kid, 12 years old
 
It's kinda boring, lacking the action, and talking way to much. If you want a bond flick that has Craig in it, go watch Casino Royale .In fact, I never saw the whole entire movie because I slept every time I saw Quantum of Solace

ConPC
kid, 11 years old
 
Good
This is a very clever film, though violent. From the first scene there is frequent, moderate action violence.

 
no tweens
I like Craig's acting no matter what the fans say the movie is perfect for teens, kinda violent but not too much. But ppl under 15 should have a talk with parents before they see this film


kid, 12 years old
 
psst
the 2000s of james bond 007 movie would be ok but the 1990s and under=under 5 - not for kids at those ages. age 5 - freaky nightmares. 6-14 - too scary. 15-18 - kinda iffy. over 19 - nothing wrong


teen, 14 years old
 
psst
the 2000s of james bond 007 movie would be ok but the 1990s and under=under 5 - not for kids at those ages. age 5 - freaky nightmares. 6-14 - too scary. 15-18 - kinda iffy. over 19 - nothing wrong


kid, 11 years old
 
psst
the 2000s of james bond 007 movie would be ok but the 1990s and under=under 5 - not for kids at those ages. age 5 - freaky nightmares. 6-14 - too scary. 15-18 - kinda iffy. over 19 - nothing wrong

 
Dark, violent movie is exciting and emotional
Quantum kicks ass. 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.

MRW2
kid, 8 years old
 
6+ will be fine
I like this movie

Mr.con
kid, 11 years old
 
Very good film but violent. Woman gets briefly tortured and there's one car chase. Also, there's other action violence. Bond and a woman make love. Language such as 's--t', 'b-----d', 'ass' and 'hell'. Bond and a man drink at a bar. 007 has an Aston Martin.

gold3
kid, 11 years old
 
Average show.

movies4
teen, 14 years old
 
Very good!
I really liked this movie, and I saw it when I was 11 and I didn't find it to be too violent, or scary and this is coming from someone who gets scared really easily. The sex: Bond and another girl began to make love, another girl kisses Bond. The language: Isn't that bad, just the normal words. I was a little confused at the beginning scene. The first scene is a car chase scene. What?! I would see the movie if I where you. Its better than the first Bond movie with Daneil Craig.

Prototype79043
teen, 16 years old
 
Better than Casino Royale

HALO13
teen, 14 years old
 
JAMES BOND ROCKS!!!
Well Im A big James Bond fan and if it is james bond you know i will love it Quantum of solace is a very good movie not as good as the old ones.

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