Long before its release, the British press had been calling "Quantum of Solace" the cursed Bond movie.

It's not hard to see why. One of the film's stages was destroyed in a fire, a $265,000 car was driven into a lake, a stuntman crashed during the filming of a chase scene, and star Daniel Craig lost a fingerprint when his hand was caught in a door.

But the true curse plaguing the newest addition to the Bond franchise is a poorly written script, yielding a bland, charmless action extravaganza that mistakes nonstop violence for genuine excitement.

The movie follows an international revenge plot with the secret agent working to stop a country's water supply from falling into the hands of members of a criminal organization known as "Quantum."

And even though it makes for a pleasing thriller, a Bond movie shouldn't feel so generic.

At well under two hours, it is the shortest Bond film to date. As a result, it is paced as a frantic and breathless dash to the finale, letting the remarkable action sequences speak for themselves with very little dialogue in between.

Whereas the film as a whole is underwhelming, these individual, ably filmed action scenes are gripping and spellbinding, momentarily compensating for the lack of an original plot.

It is a case of too little and too much at the same time. The screenwriters have crammed and shoved as many explosions, gunshots and hand fights into the script as humanly possible, but these sequences do not have room to organically become a part of the story.

And this comes after one of the best entries in the Bond series, "Casino Royale," a film that forced the producers to take huge risks.

It was a risk to cast a blue-eyed blond as Bond. It was a risk to start the film in black and white. It was a risk to have a 20-minute poker-game scene in the longest film of the series.

But those gambles paid off. The film became an instant classic. It redefined Bond without losing the essence of the character along the way.

Similar wagers were placed this time around, but with varying degrees of success.

It was a risk to hire Marc Forster as director. The closest he's gotten to directing an action film was "Monster's Ball" and "Finding Neverland."

His direction certainly doesn't lack style. He creates one of the most visually stimulating films to date with top-notch production values.

Another interesting move is that this film takes place literally seconds after its predecessor. "Quantum of Solace" is the first true sequel of the Bond franchise. It begins with a sleekly shot car chase against sweeping landscapes of Italy.

Using whiplash editing and shaky camera work, Forster creates a sense of tension and high energy, but then the chase gets tedious and drags on for a few minutes too long.

A good theme song can almost guarantee a good Bond film, but the Jack White/Alicia Keyes duet is merely adequate. It's a sizzling tune but it doesn't match the tone or mood of the film.

Craig, however, is a magnetic presence, and although he has limited lines, his face seems to say it all. He is expressive and ruthless. While he lacks the sophistication of the Bonds of yesteryear, he humanizes the character.

It is also a noisy film, jumping hectically between destinations without savoring the gorgeous and exotic locales or making time for character development.

By the end, you're exhausted rather than exhilarated.

Perhaps most curiously, the film is a timely commentary on environmentalism and the exploitation of natural resources by the world's corporations. It is a powerful message, and it is communicated well.

But you can't help but think this is all a giant step backward for the Bond franchise, because while it is entertaining, it is also quickly forgettable.

Maybe it's because the franchise has been around 46 years. Maybe 22 films is just one too many. Maybe it's because there are fresher action heroes.

Then again, maybe the movie was just cursed.