I was lucky enough to be taken to see the latest adventure of Ian Fleming’s most famous character, James Bond, yesterday. Quantum of Solace is a tight, well directed, 106 minutes of action and adventure.

So why am I disappointed?

It has nothing to do with the reviews I had read before knowing I was going to be seeing the movie. Those early interviews said nothing to dissuade me from seeing the movie, with their worst criticisms being the serial nature of the story ( a need for the viewer to have seen that previous installment to get the full effect ), and the fact that it is, by 3 minutes, apparently, the shortest Bond movie ever.

No, what I find slightly objectionable about the movie is the Woo-like pace, and extreme in-the-face style of action sequences, reminding me of the Bourne series, done so well by Matt Damon. (and why should it not, much of that production team was poached for this film!)

You see, I am one of those sticky people who actually read the original novels that Mr. Fleming penned. I took offense when The Spy Who Loved Me was set in a totally different domain (the novel had the entire story set in a Canadian motel, not in the Mediterranean, mostly in Greece), and I was not pleased each time Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli et al, would change key parts of the stories.

But, in the end, that is how movies work.

So, what gives me trouble, is not the venues, the pace, or the speed of action, as some have decried. What bothers me is the basic change of temperament of the Bond character. Craig’s Bond has no humor or wit, and seldom shows the intellect that Mr. Fleming had in mind with his stories. Of course it is good to see a Bond who can ‘kick-butt-and-take-names’ when needed, but Fleming’s character did that far less frequently, by working his intellect instead of his muscles (this is why Connery remains the best bond, you knew he could kick butt, he just used his head to save energy, and get the desired results with less muss and fuss – typical of a Brit). Also, Craig’s Bond spends more time looking disheveled than dapper, making the character veer that much further from the Fleming mold.

Because this was to be a younger Bond, I forgave the changes of the previous film, thinking that this one would be a return to type. It didn’t happen. Also, as an aside, Craig is younger than Pierce Brosnan, which is ostensibly why Brosnan was passed on for the role 2 movies ago, but, to my eyes, Craig looks every bit as aged as Brosnan; he hasn’t got the look of a man in his mid-thirties, which is what the producer desires, but a much more seasoned agent, almost ready for replacement in another outing. Not good, in my opinion.

After all these changes, some will say that I am wrong, citing the monumental opening for the movie, which will undoubtedly lead to the largest figures ever for the franchise. Two things are at work here: inflation of the dollar, and the poor state of the economy. More people than ever need to escape for 106 minutes from their own lives, with a familiar character, not completely unrecognized.

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Sorry, Peg, I didn’t hear you. I was thinking of killing myself.Al Bundy