DVD
REVIEW:
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
12/08/07
FILM REVIEW: Let me catch my
breath. This movie is non-stop action from beginning to end.
As cliché as that sounds this time it is not cliché. Don’t
blink and hold on to your seat for some good ol’ fashioned
action, suspense, and thrills. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is
taking no prisoners and he’s determined to uncover the truth
about his identity. Talk about building up to a climax in a
movie series, this roller coaster saved the best for last.
What a ride!
The story picks up near the end of the second one, The
Bourne Supremacy, where Jason is limping around Moscow
trying to escape the authorities, and of course he does. He
later finds an article that seems to have a lot of
information about him so he pursues that reporter to then
pursue the reporter’s source. The CIA, however, was doing
the exact same thing. The CIA and Jason stumble upon each
other and so continues the hunt. But it won’t stop Jason
from obtaining that which he wants more than anything: his
memory and the secrets about his life.
“This is Jason Bourne, the toughest target that you have
ever tracked.” Indeed he is and Matt Damon IS Jason Bourne
as much as Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones, Arnold
Schwarzenegger IS the Terminator, and Johnny Depp IS Jack
Sparrow, sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow. He masters the role
and leaves nothing to envy from any other of the blockbuster
actions stars, past or present. He has made the character so
real that even though some of the action in the film pushes
the envelope on realism, he keeps Jason well grounded. You
will want to be there fighting right beside him. Joan Allen
is back as Pamela Landy and she gave a solid performance
demonstrating how she can play with the big boys. Julia
Stiles is also back as Nicky Parsons and brings an
unexpected twist to the story. The new wave of
agent/assassin Bourne hunters, like Edgar Ramirez, were just
as professionally cold-blooded as the ones from the first
two pictures.
If you consider the storyline of this movie by itself, there
really isn’t much there. It does need to remain in context
with the full story which would include the other two
releases. There is actually a very interesting chronological
tie between the second movie and this one that I don’t think
I’ve ever seen done before. The Bourne series is like a
fireworks show and The Bourne Ultimatum is the grand finale.
It doesn’t say a whole lot, but there sure are a lot of
fireworks. This movie is one of those cases where the action
outweighs and outdoes the story. It is fast, constant and
mature. It is difficult to look away. Even in the “slow”
scenes when there was actual dialogue, I was still tense and
anxious. Priscilla held her need to go to the restroom for a
good hour until the movie ended so as not to miss anything.
The icing on this cake are all the fascinating locations
where the story develops. James Bond ain’t got nothing on
Jason Bourne when it comes to world travel . . . except
maybe a bit more frequent flyer miles.
Director Paul Greengrass has added this noteworthy piece to
his resume which includes The Bourne Supremacy and United
93. I for one am glad they brought him back to do Ultimatum.
He definitely outdid himself on this project and I await his
next one because his talent is real. Action fans, this one
is for you, but I recommend viewing the first two to be
better prepared although it is not a requirement. Viva Jason
Bourne!
Film Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
VIDEO:
Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround - English Spanish French
Subtitles - English, Spanish,
French
BONUS FEATURES:
This DVD has one of the best
special features I ever see. It is not only fill out
material, the deleted scenes all had potential to be added
to the movie. It shows difficulties the crew had while
filming in all those exotic locations through the world, and
they instructive in all the techniques used for the director
to get the appropriate shot . Also, the different training
the cast have to go through to make this movie one of the
best action movies of 2007.
Deleted Scenes: these feature have almost 14minutes of
scenes, a total of 8, that did not make it to the movie. In
my there are three scenes that could have make it to the
movie. The other ones although they have potential, they
were well removed. The only problem I saw with this feature
is that it does not have a menu of the different scenes, so
you have to play them all.
Deleted Scenes: These feature have
almost 14minutes of scenes, a total of 8, that did not make
it to the movie. In my there are three scenes that could
have make it to the movie. The other ones although they have
potential, they were well removed. The only problem I saw
with this feature is that it does not have a menu of the
different scenes, so you have to play them all.
Man on the Move: Jason
Bourne: In this five-part making-of, tour the world
with Matt Damon, director Paul Greengrass, producer Patrick
Crowley and producer Frank Marshall, as they give us an
in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at everything from Matt
Damon’s rooftop chase in Tangier and shooting in fully
functioning Waterloo Station, to Damon’s jump from a moving
train in Berlin. They talk about all the problems they had
while filming in these beautiful locations and the different
techniques used to get the shots to look as real as
possible. Also they talked about the different cultural
experiences the crew had while filming in this exotic
places. The different locations are Berlin (6:00)
(replacement for Moscow), Madrid (4:01), Paris(3:36), London
(4:10), and Tangier (5:20). Approximately 20 minutes long
New York Chase: Follow second unit director
Dan Bradley as he choreographs the chase sequences, and
watch the chase through car-mounted cameras. This is
complementary of the Driving school feature. Also it shows
the problems they had while filming this scene (10:40).
Planning the Punches: Watch as
actors Matt Damon and Joey Ansah go through fight training
with fight choreographer Jeff Imada. Where they discussed
the different styles of martial arts used and how they came
out with the chorography and what special effects were used
while filming this scene (5:00).
Rooftop Pursuit: Follow Matt
Damon and crew as the Bourne team sets up a cable camera to
follow him jumping across rooftops in Tangier, also it shows
the different techniques, stunts, the special effects, and
complications the crew had while filming this difficult
sequence (5:35).
Driving School: Second unit
director Dan Bradley and Matt Damon explain the preparation
needed for the New York car chase (3:20).
Feature Commentary with Director Paul
Greengrass and Actor Matt Damon.
RATING BREAK DOWN:
| FILM REVIEW |
 |
|
VIDEO |
 |
|
AUDIO |
|
| BONUS
FEATURES |
|
Submit Your Movie Review
MORE MOVIE REVIEWS
>>>
