I recently saw trailers for a couple of the remaining movies of 2008 that I am really looking forward to. “The X-Files: I Want to Believe,” due out later this month, and the James Bond film “Quantum of Solace.”
To be honest, even after viewing the X-Files trailer, I could not get much of a sense of what the movie was about, other than that Mulder and Scully are back in action. Maybe that was deliberate, to make people go see the film? Or maybe it is just in keeping with the tendency of the show to be mysterious and complex in unveiling its plotlines.
I’ll see it, simply because I loved the show (in its earlier years, at least) and because I have been rediscovering it on DVD after not having seen it in years. But I do not have the feeling it will be a guaranteed runaway hit. That just does not seem to be the buzz out there.
In fact, I have not really heard a lot of buzz about the film’s quality at all. Since it is premiering in less than a month, someone surely must have seen it by now.
My feeling is that, best-case scenario, it will be a surprise success to the extent that it’s better than the first film and not an unmitigated disaster. But I also think it will not put so much as a dent (no pun intended) in “The Dark Knight.” It will probably have a couple of respectable weeks and quietly fold.
With the Bond film, my anticipation is a lot higher, even though if you think about it, the trailer really does not tell you all that much, other than that Bond seems to be on the outs with M and the Secret Service. Now, you’d think that the renegade 007 thing is getting a little tired by now, given that we’ve seen it in at least three previous Bond films that I can think of, to different extents.
But if there is anything that “Casino Royale” taught us, it’s that what’s old can be new and exciting again, and I think this one will be just as big a success. As has been mentioned in early reviews from people who have seen “The Dark Knight,” I think this also is a case where the producers know what they have here now and are taking care to maintain the quality of their relaunched franchise. Nobody wants to see another “Die Another Day.”
Judging by the editing of the trailer, the movie seems to have the same look, feel and energy of “Royale,” and there is clearly an effort to maintain continuity both in terms of style and plot elements. It’s just nice to have Felix Leiter played by the same actor again for the second movie in a row, which I do not think has ever happened before. (David Hedison played Leiter twice, but his two movies were 16 years apart and so different in style and mood as to make it seem almost like he was playing two different characters.)
The key, of course, is Daniel Craig’s performance, and I am sure he will not disappoint, so that in itself is practically a guarantee the film will be great. This can only help cement the growing likelihood that he will come to be regarded as the best Bond of all time.