Barnes & Noble

The significant crossover between Bond fans and home theater enthusiasts has always ensured a ready audience for premium 007 video releases, from the early rise of VHS Hi-Fi and Laserdiscs to DVDs and now Blu-rays. Casino Royale became the first Blu-ray must-have in 2007, and the year's bestselling title in the format. Thus, the Quantum of Solace Blu-ray (the first of a 22-film series), has a lot to live up to -- not only is it the sequel to what is widely acclaimed as one of the best-ever Bond adventures, it also has to deliver the goods as a Blu-ray home entertainment experience. With regard to the former, Quantum successfully completes Casino's story with plentiful style and a more kinetic pace. It's terrific fun, if not as fresh. And like the Casino Blu-ray before it, the Quantum Blu-ray is an absolute must. Visually and aurally dazzling, with several set pieces that will put any maxed-out home entertainment system through its paces, Quantum makes the most of its license to thrill. Director Marc Foster and cinematographer Roberto Schaefer -- who collaborated on Finding Neverland, Monsters Ball, The Kite Runner, and other films -- take care to distinguish the film's varied locations in terms of palettes and grain levels. This becomes more apparent upon repeat viewings, thanks not just to the filmmakers' work but that of the transfer team. It's truly a showcase disc. Greg Fagan

All Movie Guide

A devastating betrayal sends James Bond from Australia to Italy and South America on a mission of vengeance that pits the suave super-spy against a powerful businessman with diabolical intentions. Betrayed by Vesper, 007 (Daniel Craig) suppresses the urge to make his latest mission personal as he teams with M (Judi Dench) to interrogate Mr. White (Jesper Christensen). It soon becomes apparent that the organization behind the blackmailing of Vesper is more powerful than Bond and M had previously anticipated, and after discovering forensic evidence that links an MI6 traitor to a bank in Haiti, Bond immediately sets out to gather more intelligence.

Once in Haiti, a case of mistaken identity leads Bond into the company of the ravishing Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a dangerous beauty with her own vendetta. It's Camille who leads Bond to a ruthless businessman named Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), who is soon revealed to be the mastermind of a powerful but clandestine organization. Greene is conspiring to corner the market on one of the world's most precious natural resources, and in order to make that happen he has forged a deal with an exiled general named Medrano (Joaquin Cosio). By enlisting the aid of his many associates and using his vast resources to force contacts within the CIA and the British government into bending to his will, Greene plans to overthrow the current regime of a Latin American country and hand control over to General Medrano in exchange for a parcel of land that appears barren on the surface, but actually houses a natural resource that will make Greene the most powerful man on the planet. But Bond's mission to uncover the culprit who blackmailed Vesper and prevent Dominic Greene from exerting his will on the entire world won't be easy, because now everyone from the CIA to the terrorists and even M are out to get him. Jason Buchanan

Product Details

• UPC: 883904135081
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: A
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Español, Français, Portugais
• Subtitles: Español, Cantonese, Portugais, Korean
• Time: 1:47:00
• Sales Rank: 7,389

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