The Bourne Series

I felt out of the loop with the Bourne trilogy and all of the people who just love them. I saw the first film when it first came out on dvd and I thought it was just "ok" nothing more and nothing less. I remember that I tried to watch the 2nd film a couple of times on cable and I just couldn't get into it. I just couldn't get why people loved them so much.

So, after seeing The Bourne Ultimatum get so many rave reviews and get on so many peoples top ten lists, I became curious in checking them out. I wondered if I really was missing out on things and because of this I got all 3 films and decided to see them all over the course of 2 days. I can now happily jump on the bandwagon who love these films.

The Bourne Identity is a solid film. Despite some genre cliches, it is still a very solid film. I have no major complaints and didn't think it was perfect but still great. I was interested in seeing how the 2nd film would measure up since people seem to say that its the worst of the trilogy and I was embraced for the worst. Instead, I found it to be just as great as the first film. No complaints from me at all and I liked how it now only continued the story from the first film but also added some backstory to the overall story from the 1st and now 2nd film. it seemed as if it created a mythology to everything and I was pleased to see it take that form.

Now this brings me to the 3rd film which I just loved,loved,loved.

The Bourne Ultimatum is one of the best action films in recent memory without a doubt. My friend Dan told me that it was basically a 2 hour chase film and he hit the nail on the head with that phrase. I am amazed that Greengrass was able to create such a non stop action film without the action ever getting old or annoying and without ignoring the film, and series, story and characters. It really is a great accomplishment, in my opinion, in not only the directing but also the writing behind the film. It is also very cool to see Damon fully flesh out a character through 3 films and finally with the 3rd film create a character that will be remembered for years to come.

I also loved how the overall story arch that began with the 1st film becomes a full circle but is given enough breathing space where ti could continue on through other films. After saying all of this...I also LOVED the way the 3rd film connects back to the 2nd film and in a way makes the 2nd film even better. It might be a gimmick but it is a brilliantly executed gimmick that had me smiling and wanting to revisit the 2nd film immediately.

In short and simple words...the Bourne Trilogy is awesome.

The Bourne Identity (2002, Doug Liman) - ***1/2
The Bourne Supremacy (2004, Paul Greengrass) - ***1/2
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007, Paul Greengrass) - ****