This one's on the series altogether, since we watched them in a relatively short stretch. Well, not as quickly after each other as Zach would have liked, but when work keeps me busy and bouncing around all hours, it's hard to find the time and energy to watch a movie some nights. Still, we did (eventually!) get them all watched, so here they are: The Bourne Movies.
So, yes, another series of movies that you'd have to have been living under a rock for the past few years to not know the plot. But, for those fellow troglodytes, here's the summary: The three movies center around Jason Bourne, an amnesiac picked up off the coast of Marseilles with bullet wounds in his back and a fancy bank ID chip in his hip. Bourne doesn't remember who he is, so heads to the bank for a lead. This sets him on a road trip across Europe evading people trying to kill him while he tries to find his answers. These answers turn out to be top-secret government secrets, like his training as a government-sponsored assassin (no, that's not a spoiler - the next two movies advertise that fact very well). He spends the next two movies trying to avoid the government, avoid the assassins, find some answers and find some peace. By the end of the third movie, he has found much of what he was looking for, as well as cleaned house of corrupt CIA staff.
GREAT CASTING!! Matt Damon is one of my favorite actors of his generation. He makes the character very believable, which is always nice to see from someone who could simply coast by on a pretty face. I'm a huge Brian Cox fan, and he was perfect for the role in the first two movies. I just love his voice - it's so perfect for that "I'm quiet and unassuming, but with the power to erase your existence, so don't mess with me" sort of character. The supporting cast is very strong in each movie, and got even better as the series progressed. After the success of the first, they were able to attract some big names for the other two movies, so I was well pleased. And I mean big names in the talented way, not in the box-office-draw sort of way. Albert Finney is a great actor, but you don't think of him as a blockbuster draw like, say, Tom Cruise. Same with David Strathairn and Scott Glenn. I've been finding I appreciate good character actors more and more, so I liked seeing the cast here.
The story is a good suspense adventure, broken into 3 parts. Not a mystery, really, but good adventures that do ask you to think at least a little. I did figure out the twist in the second movie before it was explained, but it wasn't so formulaic that I figured it out as the movie started. And even though you know the answer to Bourne's searches in the first movie, it's still a good ride watching him uncover them himself. Not total escapism like the Bond series, but still good adventures for a Saturday afternoon.
GREAT SCENERY! They filmed all over Europe and elsewhere, and it's beautiful! Yeah, that's really all I have to say about that. Is pretty :)
Biggest drawback: the filming. The camera crew were definitely of the school of thought which believes jerky filming adds to the intensity of an action scene. Yes, to a limited degree, that's true, particularly with car chases and running through crowd scenes. However, it was a bit heavy-handed here, particularly in the second two movies. I remember Mom fussing about that way back when she and Anne saw Supremacy in the theater. It really bothers her because she's got bad eyes to begin with, and it's simply hard to follow on a big movie screen. It bothered me because it deprived the viewer of some awesome fight choreography. It particularly irked me in the 3rd movie, because the fight scene in the Morocco apartment had some great moves - the opponent threw in some capoeira, and Bourne used some sash weapon moves (well, he used a towel, but that doesn't sound as impressive). And you couldn't really see any of it because the camera was bouncing around so badly! I ended up watching the extra on the DVD about the fight choreography, just to watch the moves, since you could see the fights from a steady camera! I know some movies use that as a cover up - Batman, for example, can't move so well in his costume, so the camera jerks around more to cover up any mistakes in the fighting. Here, the characters were in street clothes, so there was no such excuse. I'm sure you think I'm harping on this, but after years watching kung fu movies with Dad and several years training karate on my own, I like seeing the fights in a movie.
Overall: 5 of 5. No major faults, other than the jerky camera work. No actors that irritated me in their parts (no irritating parts either), plenty of good acting talent in the cast, great scenery, a fun suspenseful action series. Definitely shelf-worthy.
GREAT CASTING!! Matt Damon is one of my favorite actors of his generation. He makes the character very believable, which is always nice to see from someone who could simply coast by on a pretty face. I'm a huge Brian Cox fan, and he was perfect for the role in the first two movies. I just love his voice - it's so perfect for that "I'm quiet and unassuming, but with the power to erase your existence, so don't mess with me" sort of character. The supporting cast is very strong in each movie, and got even better as the series progressed. After the success of the first, they were able to attract some big names for the other two movies, so I was well pleased. And I mean big names in the talented way, not in the box-office-draw sort of way. Albert Finney is a great actor, but you don't think of him as a blockbuster draw like, say, Tom Cruise. Same with David Strathairn and Scott Glenn. I've been finding I appreciate good character actors more and more, so I liked seeing the cast here.
The story is a good suspense adventure, broken into 3 parts. Not a mystery, really, but good adventures that do ask you to think at least a little. I did figure out the twist in the second movie before it was explained, but it wasn't so formulaic that I figured it out as the movie started. And even though you know the answer to Bourne's searches in the first movie, it's still a good ride watching him uncover them himself. Not total escapism like the Bond series, but still good adventures for a Saturday afternoon.
GREAT SCENERY! They filmed all over Europe and elsewhere, and it's beautiful! Yeah, that's really all I have to say about that. Is pretty :)
Biggest drawback: the filming. The camera crew were definitely of the school of thought which believes jerky filming adds to the intensity of an action scene. Yes, to a limited degree, that's true, particularly with car chases and running through crowd scenes. However, it was a bit heavy-handed here, particularly in the second two movies. I remember Mom fussing about that way back when she and Anne saw Supremacy in the theater. It really bothers her because she's got bad eyes to begin with, and it's simply hard to follow on a big movie screen. It bothered me because it deprived the viewer of some awesome fight choreography. It particularly irked me in the 3rd movie, because the fight scene in the Morocco apartment had some great moves - the opponent threw in some capoeira, and Bourne used some sash weapon moves (well, he used a towel, but that doesn't sound as impressive). And you couldn't really see any of it because the camera was bouncing around so badly! I ended up watching the extra on the DVD about the fight choreography, just to watch the moves, since you could see the fights from a steady camera! I know some movies use that as a cover up - Batman, for example, can't move so well in his costume, so the camera jerks around more to cover up any mistakes in the fighting. Here, the characters were in street clothes, so there was no such excuse. I'm sure you think I'm harping on this, but after years watching kung fu movies with Dad and several years training karate on my own, I like seeing the fights in a movie.
Overall: 5 of 5. No major faults, other than the jerky camera work. No actors that irritated me in their parts (no irritating parts either), plenty of good acting talent in the cast, great scenery, a fun suspenseful action series. Definitely shelf-worthy.
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