|
|
Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
" A very good continuation of a good story, that is everything a spy movie should be; perhaps even more." --from the review
------------- Sidebar :: ------------- No sidebar comments for this review. Yet... ----------------- Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted! ------------------
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Bourne Supremacy
Click pictures to order either disc. A Techtite ReviewAs Always, a review of The Film and The DVD (extras)! The Film: I have to admit that I really liked The Borne Identity (the first film), though I don't think I remember any major need for a sequel. Thankfully, someone thought otherwise, and the result is The Borne Supremacy; one of the most pleasant surprises in all of summer 2004. This is one of those films that is everything it needs to be, yet brilliantly leaves you wanting more, with just the slightest door ajar for a sequel. The first film left Bourne (Matt Damon) trying to discover his past life after suffering amnesia. He discovered he was conditioned to be a thoughtless secret assassin, only to go rogue and inevitably quit his "job," and try to live happily ever after with a girlfriend near some secluded beach. His old associates need to tie up a few loose ends on their own, however, and stupidly think; what better person to frame for their little plan, than the AWOL assassin Jason Bourne? As you would probably expect: this was one big mistake! The resulting story is everything a sequel should be. One, it is a continuation of the story, delving further into the background behind Bourne's brief life as a brainwashed assassin, and his reckoning --and potential revenge-- for those responsible. Two, it brings back familiar faces from Bourne Identity, like the deceptive Nicky (Julia Stiles), enhancing the "sequel" factor. Three: it doesn't try to be anything more, which is a good thing, because no portion of this film drags. Much like Bourne's prior occupation; the story comes in, does what it needs to, and leaves, with the viewer only wanting more...in a good way. It also provides a good "spy triangle." One of these triangle points is Bourne, of course, while another is all those responsible for what he was (and, perhaps, still is?). The third point is the "actual" CIA, due to Bourne being framed for the murder of two of their best agents. In truth, the agents were actually getting too close to Bourne's former bosses, with Bourne thousands of miles away on a beach at the time. Will Bourne, and the CIA, unmask their common enemy in time? What makes this thriller so interesting, however, is how it proves one serious detail about the flaw of recent James Bond films: it's the suspense. Maybe it's that we simply don't believe that James Bond will ever get killed, I don't know, but it's clear to me now that one does not need the latest Doomsday Weapon of Mass Destruction to sell a spy story. This is a film about Bourne, who simply wanted his regular life back, being abused once again by those who took that life from him. Yet given what we see of these shady folk who Bourne must deal with, the suspense is there, because we know what they're capable of. This is a spy story with no death rays, nor a single martini shaken and not stirred. Yet it still achieves the best spy thrills I've seen in years. Why is that? Maybe it's the congenial lead star. Matt Damon is not your typically dapper British MI6 agent, and in fact, doesn't play a secret agent at all. Yet within his performance is the believability that he could've had a troubled, forgotten past, and all he wants is a normal life now. What makes his performance so intriguing is the fact that his character's background is so secretive. At one point, he has a sniper rifle aimed at a CIA headquarters across the street, aimed at the lead agent for the hunt to bring back Bourne (Joan Allen). Will he fire, and if he does not, would he have? This is one of many questions that, unanswered, only make the thrills even more effective. The end result is an amusing cross between your typical Bond flick, and "The Fugitive." What if "fugitive" Dr. Richard Kimble had all the training of a secret agent? That's the sort of fun at work here. Sure, there are a few scenes you'll read about in many a message board, complaining about some of the "realistic," jerky, MTV-style chase scenes where the camera is jiggling all over the place. Yet these scenes cannot remove the tension, or the fun, from such scenes, let alone the film. This was a pleasant surprise for the summer 2004 film season. I'm glad I saw it.
The DVD: It's safe to say that the PSP version of this movie has no extras at all. I say this not as sarcasm, though as information to those pleased at the many PSP discs lately that include bonus features regardless of the miniature UMD's size. Jumping ahead: the following extras are for the DVD only. Then again; they are the same extras for both the widescreen and full screen DVDs, so that's something. The first extra is of course the deleted scene roster. I usually summarize the deleted scenes in full but at the moment, I can't remember a single one from this disc, and I guess that in itself is as good of a review of any, as to how and why they were deleted to begin with. The more interesting extras include a "Crash Cam" featurette, showcasing one of the more elaborate car chase stunt scenes. Similar featurettes include behind the scenes looks at the fight training, the casting, a typical photo shoot, the pyrotechnical sequences, and an additional action photography featurette. Rounding out the featurette video is an "anatomy of a scene" while filming the explosive bridge chase sequence, and a travelogue titled "On the Move With Jason Bourne," the lead character of the film. Overall, this is a great batch of extras for a very finely crafted film. No surprise then, that the DVD is even offered with audio tracks in French and Spanish (as well as English of course), and subtitles in those languages as well. This may not be the best time to say that there is no audio commentary track, which would be "pushing it" when trying to find a gripe about this movie. In a film this good, extras are just icing on the cake. Buy it on DVD or even PSP; it's still more than worth buying.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Burnout
Near
Miss
Small
Crater
Large
Crater
Deep
Impact
