The Bourne Ultimatum

Great movie. Just get that out of the way first.

I downloaded a hi-def encode of this movie last week in anticipation of getting the HD-DVD soon, which isn't something I normally do for movies I know I'm going to purchase, but I couldn't wait to watch it again since seeing it in the theatre.

Anyway, I loaded it up to watch with my sister last night, and I just love how it picks up practically exactly where the second left off. There are some great action sequences, and the Waterloo scene is brilliant: Bourne guiding this poor guy who has no clue what's going on past some tough, super-secret agents. He's taking guys out left right and centre without the other knowing what's going on at all. He doesn't let them know he's there until the time is right, just in time to make them crap themselves. The whole scene plays out almost comically, as you know, at this point in the trilogy that Bourne cannot be stopped, and there is nothing he cannot do. Does that take away from the movie?

I don't believe they focus on his abilities so much time around: everybody has accepted them and they don't treat it like a big deal as they have before. He does some real fancy stuff just to re-affirm to us how awesome he is, but that initial sense of wonder is gone. The movie is made well enough that you don't need it though.

This entry in the series is just Bourne finding out who he is, and because of that, it feels much simpler and shorter. You kind of get the sense that he could have easily done this at any time, but just didn't have the motivation to do so until recently. The first movie, he was going crazy trying to find out, then the second he's come to acceptance that he doesn't really need to know (and was very much revenge driven) and now he's just curious.

And the whole movie seems to rely on other people's reaction to Bourne: "holy crap he's in my office! holy crap, he's looking at me from a distance!" (which is just classic), and "holy crap, we can't catch this guy!"

And what's the deal with Bourne having a previous relationship with Julia Stiles (I don't recall her name in the movie)? It could make sense but I just feel as though it was tacked in to make a couple of more scenes in an attempt to make the movie a complete two hours. And (spoilers) when she finds out at the very, very end that his body was never found, the look on her face punctuated with Moby's Extreme Ways...well, that was just too funny.

So I guess what I'm saying is this movie does not stand up to the others in terms of plot, or character development, or non-cheesiness. But it was still completely awesome, with great action, great chases, great music and of course Matt Damon acting invincible.