The James Bond franchise has been going strong for nearly five decades, but many things have changed: different actors have played Bond, new gadgets have been introduced, and 007 has maneuvered through snow, sea, and space. But we stick with him because he’s Bond, and he’s cool.

Quantum of Solace, the 22nd entry in the series, is heavily influenced by the Jason Bourne films, with less of a focus on espionage and wordplay and more attention on queasy fight scenes. Bond is not Bourne, and these elements help make Quantum appear uninspired.

Picking up where Casino Royale left off, 007 (Daniel Craig) is shaken (even stirred) by the death of his ex-flame, Vesper Lynd. He learns that Quantum is the name of the criminal organization she betrayed, and he tries to track down one of the group’s leaders, Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric). Greene, who looks like a cross between a frog and a weasel, plans to access the nation’s water supply by restoring a Bolivian dictator to power.

Along the way, Bond meets up with Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko), who is on a revenge mission of her own. She was unsuccessful in seducing Greene to get to the dictator, and she realizes that Bond can help her, even though she initially distrusts him (she tries to shoot him in her car, a fine how-do-you-do indeed).

But Bond’s emotions get the better of him during his mission. He kills many of the accomplices connected to Quantum members rather than interrogate them for information. This infuriates M (Judi Dench), who sees 007 as unhinged, out-of-control, and unable to continue the mission properly. Thus, Bond is forced to act largely without agency assistance.

Like its immediate predecessor, Quantum of Solace is a “serious” affair, built not on fancy gadgets and innuendo, but on a grounded, realistic nature. While Casino Royale still felt like a Bond film, this one does not. I’m not suggesting that 007 films should be pigeonholed a certain way, but this movie lacks interesting characters, a memorable plot, and spectacular action.

The film does contain many needless action sequences, but most of these are shot in the aforementioned Bourne style. Even those films wore the look a little thin with their two-second shots and shaky visuals, and that feeling doesn’t translate well here. Director Marc Forster (Stranger than Fiction, Monster’s Ball) constructs too many of these apoplectic sequences together without giving enough lip service to the characters and story.

One scene has some of that familiar Bond magic. While watching a performance of the opera Tosca, members of Quantum communicate through devices that were placed in gift bags. Bond steals a piece, has a little chat with the crew, then photographs them from a distance as they stand up and leave the performance. It’s a sly, shrewd move that reminds us why 007 is a great agent.

Despite some of the stylistic changes, Craig is still solid as 007. The character is largely motivated by revenge, but Craig keeps a steely resolve and lets the anger fume inside. It’s not a showy performance, but he continues to make the role his own.

Forster did not want to portray the Greene character as grotesque, even though Amalric requested to do so. The director’s reasoning is that Greene would be much more effective as a plain-looking symbol of society’s hidden evils. It’s good that Forster shared this tidbit, because it would be tough to pick up from Amalric’s performance. There’s no indication of the character’s menace or ruthlessness, and he comes across like a lackey for another, bigger threat.

As Camille, Kurylenko rests on the lower echelon of Bond girls. She never gets too romantic with 007, and she doesn’t need to. Considering that her character is also on a revenge mission, we don’t really see any fire in her performance. Kurylenko seems like a second-rate Penelope Cruz, and you get the feeling that Cruz would have brought some passion to the role. The best supporting performance comes from another lady: Gemma Arterton as MI6 agent Strawberry Fields. She’s composed, yet feisty, and it’s a shame her part is so small.

Quantum of Solace is rare in the Bond universe in that it is a direct follow-up to another film in the series. Maybe this is why the film never picks up energy; perhaps there’s only so much story to tell with these circumstances that the film runs out of fumes (despite having the shortest running-time in the series). Just like its title, Quantum of Solace is a little interesting, but mostly pointless.