Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Full price if you are a Bond fanatic, however, it is a stellar matinee value otherwise.
Will I Own It On DVD: Yes. I own 'Casino Royale' and this film picks up right where that one ended, so it's a fine companion piece. 
1) The best James Bond movies make you hate your own life just a little bit. This is due to the fact that you don't operate on the level of Bond with his constant parade of fine cars, finer bedroom partners, unlimited monetary resources and killing instincts.
Therefore, the most entertaining entries to this series provide an excellent sense of escapism to a reality that you wish existed. 'Quantum of Solace' is a capable product, but this is a Bond world that does not appear to be nearly as much fun as numerous others.
2) 'Solace' is a consistently grim ride that finds Bond hunting down a well-funded, covert organization who killed his girlfriend from 'Royale.' He is understandly pissed off, however, an hour and fifty minutes without cracking a smile or enjoying much of anything outside of rampant killing leaves viewers out in the cold.
This personality also limits Bond's effectiveness as a Secret Agent in the film. In fact, he is a severely poor one for most of the running time because instead of interrogating potential informants, he simply kills them without extracting any useful information. 
3) Daniel Craig turns in another fine performance, and his Bond continues to be one who seems to relish running through walls and windows and people instead of around any immovable object.
Craig's ability to capture the dangerous, brute side of Bond has made him an interesting and necessary choice for the re-invention of the franchise. I just hope the next film gives him the ability to enjoy himself more than in 'Solace.'
4) The biggest problem I've had with 'Royale' and now 'Solace' is the villians, which have pretty fairly lame. This time, the "threat" is a pasty, eco-criminal (Mathieu Amalric) who is trying to help trample Bolivia to get to oil and water resources or something like that (it wasn't interesting enough to truly pay firm attention).
His climatic fight with Bond holds absolutely zero menace because Amalric barely looks like he can stand without tripping himself, and there's no way he would be a problem in hand-to-hand combat. I'm ready for a true badass in the next installment who carries some weight.
5) I was surprised by the number of parents who brought their young children into 'Solace.' As I mentioned, this entry is more violent than most and racks up a fairly impressive body count every step of the way.
There was some crying and at one point I heard a small boy ask with a quavering voice, "Is it over yet?" It wasn't, and this project was not meant for small children.
-BDS
Sounds like a "wait for dish" movie for Heff (as most are, lol).
Heff - Dammit Heff, you have to go to the theater one of these days. Ha. Otherwise, it will be fine on dish.
I had an early Thanksgiving with family, so this is going to my movie next weekend. I love the new Bond. I hear/read a lot of negative schnizz about him, but Casino Royale was the first Bond movie I enjoyed in decades and I saw it twice in the theater. Blonde Bond is A-OK with me. Thanks for the review.
They gotta bring back the Roger Moore villians. Those were the best.
I feel I owe it to Hollywood to ensure Daniel Craig's body is still in the physical shape required to play this role successfully in the next and third installment (that previously mentioned attention to detail) so I will be dragging myself to this and forcing myself not to turn away.
Yes, yes, I know...the sacrifices...
A.B. - That's lucky you already got to eat some turkey ahead of the madness. As for Bond, there was a ton of initial negativity before the first one even though I always liked Craig ("Layer Cake" is a cool movie if you havent' seen it). That being said, 'Solace' probably only needs to be seen once in the theater.
WhatIgot - Something along those lines, and some with a bit of menace would be much appreciated.
Bostonpobble - OK. But I feel compelled to warn you that he's not nearly as unclothed as in 'Royale,' so plan accordingly. Ha. Still, your attention to detail will serve you and others well I'm sure.
After seeing the pic of Daniel Craig in QHF I had determined that I would go and give this movie a shot. Now I hear you say he isn't in the altogether much so maybe I'll wait for DVD.
I've heard him in a lot of interviews lately and he seems to have a great sense of humour. He swears a LOT so most of the interviews contain a healthy amount of BEEPS.
This was a fun ride. I miss the cheeky Bond, but the brooding Bond is petty sexy too. There was more dimension to him in Casino Royale, in Qunatum, he's a man on a personal mission. I read something today that called M the ultimate Bond Girl. So true, though Dame Judy didn't rock the cleavage like she did in Casino Royale. Nice review!
Romany Angel - If you had to pick one, then I would go with Casino Royale. If you like that one, then you can go catch 'Solace' (at least that's my take on it). And I just read a Craig interview in Playboy (the best interviews in any magazine) and he seems like a fairly reasonable guy, which is something in a celebrity.
Linda - I agree about the more rounded Bond in 'Royale' and even though I understand why he was angry in 'Solace,' I didn't find it nearly as enjoyable. BUt that's OK sometimes, so I didn't hold it against him too much. I hadn't read that about Dench, however, I could see it in the attitude especially as she always calls Bond on his actions and I'm sure he respects it. Ha.
I'm not sure if I will see this since I am so far behind on the Bond flicks, but maybe catch it on On Demand or something. Yeah, I'm starting to sound like Heff. ;)
Meh, I'm sure there are other things at the theatre to watch.
Interesting take. There has to be something to this character seeing as it has been relevant for so long. More than just shagging and drinking. Remember when Craig was first announced as the next Bond and people were saying he was a lame duck? To his credit that no one seems to say that anymore.
Jlee - Ha. You both should hit the the theater & really all you need to see is 'Casino Royale' to be ready for 'Solace.' That's not too hard, but maybe you're still in vacation mode, eh?
Miss Ash - Surely the #1 movie in the world can't be that bad . . . Ha. Depends on the your tastes I suppose, and while there are certainly other films out there, this is one of the best right now. I still plan to see 'Role Models' too.
Getoffmylawn - You have to give it to the series/character for longevity. That is not an easy feat at all, and it's semi-astounding that Bond has survived and is actually more popular now. I'm not sure exactly why this is, but Craig has certainly overcome the early doubters and this franchise owes a big deal of gratitude to him.
I've never understood parents who take young children to adult themed films.
I almost went to see this on Sunday, but opted to take my kids to get pizza and ice cream instead.