007 reasons to see "Quantum of Solace"

001 -- It's short. The James Bond franchise has always tested my patience. "Casino Royale" ran 144 minutes. Pierce Brosnan's last outing, "Die Another Day," punished us for 133 minutes. And the older movies always felt like they went on forever -- remember "Thunderball's" underwater ballet, er, battle scene? But "QOS" never wears out its welcome in 106 brisk minutes, making it Bond's breeziest adventure yet.

002 -- The opera scene. Dann Gire didn't care for it, but I was almost giddy over a bravura sequence halfway through the film in which Bond eavesdrops on a nefarious meeting conducted via Bluetooth during a performance of "Tosca." A short chase scene is punctuated by shots from a gigantic, industrial-looking production of the Puccini opera, with the music building to a rousing crescendo. I can't remember a scene quite like this in any Bond film; the closest thing I can compare it to is the conclusion of the otherwise underwhelming "Godfather Part III."

003 -- Judi Dench. The Dame's tenure as M began in 1995's "GoldenEye," and her role amounted to little more than a cameo appearance in each of the Brosnan pictures. In "QOS," she's practically playing Chloe to Bond's Jack Bauer. The two share a few scenes together, but spend much of the film in "24" mode, relaying information via cell phone. Director Marc Forster and his writers obviously don't want to let an actress of Dench's talents go to waste in a silly action movie, and so they don't. Well done.

004 -- Olga Kurylenko. The Bond Girl in "QOS" is a vengeful Bolivian beauty played by a Ukrainian model who looks like Sophie Marceau by way of Catherine Zeta-Jones. And guess what? She's a pretty darn good actress. (Of course, when you inherit a legacy that includes Denise Richards as Christmas Jones it's not that hard to look competent.)

005 -- The thrilling conclusion. The fiery finale is set in what the script describes as an eco-hotel powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and it's a real triumph of set design. This glass monolith among the sands of Bolivia provides a unique backdrop for the film's better-than-average gunplay.

006 -- The trailers. I know, that sounds like a knock on the movie, but trust me, it's not. "QOS" is playing with a bunch of exciting trailers depending on where you see it; most theaters will show you the spot for J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek," which looks light-years removed from our notions of what a "Trek" movie would and should be. It's a shocker. But even better than that is the new trailer for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which I'm jazzed for despite the tepid reception from test audiences. You might also see the new "Watchmen" trailer or the first spot for Vin Diesel and Paul Walker's return to the racing franchise, "Fast & Furious," which I must admit has a great tagline: "New model. Original parts."

007 -- Daniel Craig, of course. This guy is the best James Bond by a country mile, even if the first 20 minutes of "QOS" play a little bit like "The Bourne Stupidity." Craig's the only actor to play the role who actually seems dangerous. Now, with two unconventional 007 films under his belt, maybe it's time to see if he can be suave and playful in the way Sean Connery was. I'm ready for another one; 2010, perhaps?