Former 007 Roger Moore Calls Quantum Of Solace A Long, Disjointed Commercial

Roger Moore as James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me
(Image credit: EON Productions)

Roger Moore apparently didn’t like the most-recent James Bond thriller, Quantum of Solace. Join the club, sir.

India Ross of Varsity sits down with the former 007 for a relatively candid interview where Moore opens up about the decades-spanning franchise that helped make him famous. While Moore says he’s fond of Daniel Craig’s current interpretation of the spy with a license to kill, he calls Marc Forster’s 2008 effort “a long, disjointed commercial.”

Well, yeah. The film’s boasting a 64% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t really fresh at all. The only thing more incomprehensible than the choppy action sequences is the convoluted plot.

Speaking of incomprehensible, Moore breaks off a funny line about his immediate Bond predecessor, Sean Connery. “Sean is a great actor,” he says. “It’s a pity I can’t understand what he’s saying.”

But at least we can say that the relative stumble that was Solace has led to a creative reboot. American Beauty and Road to Perdition helmer Sam Mendes is on board. Craig’s back in action, and he’s facing off against Oscar winner Javier Bardem as a Bond villain (which may or may not be iconic Bond villain Blofeld, according to various rumors). There is talk on the Web that Mendes might want to pursue Oscars with a more-talkative, less-action-heavy take on the James Bond formula. And while that (bizarre) rumor might give me pause, that director and that cast makes me believe such a Bond sequel could be extremely engaging.

I wonder if Sir Roger Moore agrees.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.