Above Average Joe Blogs

When Spectre first came out, I left the theatre on an adrenaline high, nonsensically declaring that it was my favourite of the series. A globe-trotting, fantastical, action extravaganza, with the return of uber-villain, played by the actor I'd been wanting to be in a Bond film for years (my perfect trifecta for a Bond film would be Christopher Nolan directing, Michael Fassbender as Bond, and Christoph Waltz as the baddie). However, having now watched the series week after week, much like the title song, the writing really is on the wall in terms of the muddled nature of the film.  Perhaps part of the excitement can be put down to the runaway success that Skyfall was, coupled with the fact that they kept on director Sam Mendes to helm this follow up. Add to that the anticipation of getting the big bad evil organisation Spectre back on screen, with the legal woes that had keep it locked away solved. I was interested to see how the team would be able to bring Spectre, and presumably i...

Whilst the critical backlash against Quantum of Solace has increased exponentially over a time, the filmmakers still recognised at the time that they would need to make a significant impact with the next film in the series to regain the loyalty of the audience. Even though the finished product, Skyfall, is one of the best in the canon simply through craftsmanship alone, it was also aided by cultural serendipity at the time of its release, where it was able to harness the series' 50th anniversary and the London 2012 Olympics, with the film having a greater proportion of scenes taking place in the UK than the norm. Upon release, it became the highest grossing film in the UK at the time, raking in $103.2 million (not bettered by its sequel, Spectre at $95.2 million, but a fair bit behind the current title holder The Force Awakens at $123.2 million).  But as said, the success of the film cannot simply be laid at the feet of the zeitgeist at the time. Instead, the missteps of Quantum of...

Perhaps Quantum of Solace was always destined not to live up to expectations, coming off the back of the barnstorming, franchise revitalising Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace is often marked out as the worst in the series. Bad Bond girl, bad villain, too violent, not fun, and weird title song and weird title - this blog isn't going to change your mind if you think this already, but hopefully I can shift you from thinking it is the worst film ever (I mean really, you should just go and watch Diamonds are Forever for something worse).  Quantum of Solace is a first for the series, a true, proper sequel. Normally the series' instalments can be watched in roughly any order, with little reference in one film or what took place before it. Not with Quantum of Solace with it picking up the action presumably minutes after Bond lays claim to Mr White at the end of Casino Royale. The film follows Bond on a bloody path of revenge against the shadowy organisation behind Mr White, Quantum, re...