As we said in our full Blu-ray review of 007: Quantum of Solace, the film is considerably more action-packed than Casino Royale, a fact that may not resonate as well with some viewers, but one that upholds a longstanding tradition for action sequels. Like it or not, tradition is tradition, and we’re not ones to argue (too loudly). Yet another tradition is quite welcome with 007: Quantum of Solace — D-BOX absolutely owning the vehicle-chase motion scene. One of the things D-BOX engineers have always done well is vehicle scenes, particularly when said vehicle is an automobile. Well lo and behold, what should Quantum of Solace open with but an intense car chase through a curvy highway and urban streets, the perfect setting for a D-BOX engineer to show his (or her) skills.
Before viewers can even catch their bearings, the movie quickly transitions into another chase/fight scene through rooftops and scaffolding, a sequence that’s tiring enough from a visual sense without even delving into Motion Code support from the folks at D-BOX. In all seriousness, between the impact of punches and kicks and the viewing chair literally rocking and rolling to coincide with camera movements, I was flat-out exhausted. I don’t know how Daniel Craig does it in Quantum of Solace; simply experiencing the on-screen movement and action while sitting on my rear end got my blood pumping. Who needs a gym when you’ve got D-BOX system and Quantum of Solace?
As any Bond film worth its weight in shaken martinis, Quantum of Solace includes several other vehicle and chase scenes, all of which are generally short-lived. But by far the best use of D-BOX Motion Code comes when Bond and his beauty find themselves in a cargo plane being chased (and fired upon) by fighter jets. Earlier scenes in the film show how D-BOX code can provide an impact based on on-screen action or camera movements, but this single sequence actually manages to combine both sensations.
Not only do the chair movements coincide to the plane’s gyrations, but the rumble effect itself changes based on whether the camera view is an interior or exterior, and even whether the viewpoint is in the rickety old plane that Bond flies or the WWII-era fighters. The impact of gunfire also provides unique sensations, and as crates fall from the front to the back of the plane while Bond elevates, the rumbling in a D-BOX chair is incredibly immersive and meshes perfectly with the shimmies of the plane while it elevates.
Ironically, while the plane then falls from the air, so too do the D-BOX sensations fall off through the end of the film. The Motion Code is still present, but the explosions in the climactic final scene aren’t as nuanced as they could be, nor do they have the same level of intricacy of the airplane scene. Even so, the airplane scene – though not as subtle as that in The Mummy – more than makes up for the final scenes, and it sets the benchmark for airplane Motion provided by D-BOX. I have already used the scene twice to showcase D-BOX Motion Code to visitors, and in both cases it drew out smiles. What more can you ask for, really?
- Score: 9.0
— Jonas Allen