22

I finally got to watch Quantum of Solace (aka Bond 22), for which I had to prepare myself so that I thought of nothing but Bond before going to the movie house. For the duration of the movie, my eyes were glued to the screen: it was so action-packed that I was afraid of missing a sequence if I so much as blinked.
My thoughts:
Daniel Craig carried the Relentless-Avenging-Angel Bond very well, especially in the intro chase sequence and the consequent dome-hanging sequence (way cool!). I was quite a bit ticked-off with M (talk about unsupportive work mother), for not standing up to the Prime Minister and for not trusting Bond enough. (OK, so trust is not quite the rage in their line of work, but still, he's her best agent!) I felt sorry for Mathis (though I thought he was a villain that last time). Olga Kurylenko's character matched Bond's, in that both of them had scores to settle, and I was glad Bond didn't have to go through it alone. At least both got closure. I liked the way that the story unfolded, though I would have liked to see Bond vent his anger on Vesper's Ex (read: trash the jerk guy into a pulp). Bond's character development from the start to the end of the film was great, and the events of Casino Royale and 22 kind of explains why Bond is, well, Bond. And the hanging mystery of the Word-wide Evil Organization (in which the villain du jour, Dominic Greene is a member of) makes for an interesting sequel starter.
I liked Casino Royale's intro better, with the cards-and-shadow concept. This one's intro ("Another Way to Die" by Jack White and Alicia Keys) was great half-way through: I liked the sands-and-woman's-contour idea, but didn't like it when the sequence reverted to the usual dancing-women's-shadow concept common in most Bond films.)
Bond Girls usually have ... interesting names (e.g. Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Kissy Suzuki, etc) but I was caught off-guard when I learned from IMDB that Agent Fields' first name was Strawberry! (Hahaha Strawberry Fields! Oh, the jokes I could make on her name...) And for the record, I was upset that she had to go...
Was Dominic Greene villain enough? I say taking control of a country's water supply (among other evil things) is just plain devious. But did he make it to my top 5 Bond villains? Hmmm, I haven't decided yet...
And I just have to say this: MI6's computer monitor was way beyond cool! I want one! (And I will accept a doorless Aston Martin.)
Overall, all elements are accounted for: evil villains, fast cars, beautiful and tough Bond girls, cool gadgets, hot man in a tuxedo, fantastic scenery, action and more action. I like Casino Royale better, but Bond 22 still rocks! (And I am looking forward to a new sequel!)