Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Movies are THE BEST...don't be fooled by packaging..., December 26, 2007
Seriously, don't be fooled. You get this "Super Cool" silver box and when you open it...all it is, is the 3 movies as if you bought them off the used rack shelf for $5 each. Seriously, it's a waste of time. Just buy them separately. This is so much to the point that each individually wrapped movie has tape on them where the security tag would usually go.
The movies are THE BEST...but don't be fooled by this packaging. And the bonus material is a COMPLETE let down. There is so much they could have done...instead we get a documentary of the writer. It's interesting but still, I would have loved to see more on the stunts, Damon's acting, etc.
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46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
package errors, December 19, 2007
This set is a silver box containing the individual releases of all 3 Bourne movies. The first thing I noticed was a new 2007 DVD of The Bourne Identity with the spine number 61103847. The package looks like the previous "Explosive Extended Edition," except this one's just called "Explosive Edition," and lists Feature Commentary by Doug Liman as an extra feature. I was looking forward to hearing the commentary, and when I plugged in the DVD, it wasn't there! Even though the disc itself says 2007 on it, it's exactly the same as the 2004 version. If you're not into commentaries, then this is a great set.
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41 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A smart, tense trilogy, November 14, 2007
The Bourne Trilogy
Jason Bourne's leap from paper pages to the silver screen is a rarity in Hollywood, one in which the resulting films are not only very good in their own right, but superior to their source material. Originally written by Robert Ludlum during the Cold War, The Bourne Identity has a terrific premise and a great lead character. Ludlum's writing, however, was less rock-solid and more often than not amateurish.
Kudos must be given, then, to director Doug Liman, who have making his mark with the indie films Swingers and Go, seemed an odd choice to bring Ludlum's prized assassin to the big screen. Liman and trilogy screenwriter Tony Gilroy wisely stripped away much of Ludlum's convoluted plotting, but kept the lean, mean essentials of what made The Bourne Identity a great read: action, locations, and Jason Bourne.
For those not familiar with either the film or the books, a man is found floating in the Mediterranean with bullet holes in him. He awake with selective amnesia; he can't remember his name or anything about himself, yet is fluent in multiple languages, and highly trained in a variety of lethal skills. He then sets off across Europe to try and find who he was, and just why he's so proficient at killing people.
Throughout the first film, Matt Damon grew into the role. Just as Limon was an unlikely candidate for directing an espionage film, Damon seemed an unlikely action hero. But he brought to the table the ability to actually act, and coupled with a solid script, gives Bourne an understated depth.
It helps that he's surrounded throughout the trilogy by an outstanding supporting cast, including Franke Potente, Brian Cox, Chris Cooper, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, David Straitharn, Albert Finney, and Clive Owen. Each is outstanding, with Joan Allen being particularly good.
Even as a trilogy, the movies work with each other exceedingly well. The Bourne Identity asks, "Who is Jason Bourne?" Supremacy asks, "Can Jason Bourne be forgiven for what he's done?" The Bourne Ultimatum concludes by asking, "Can Jason Bourne ever come home?"
Filled with terrific acting, smart writing, wonderful international locales, tense action and one of the best modern movie scores in recent years (courtesy of the brilliant John Powell), there's a lot to recommend with these films. They are, however, far from perfect.
The Bourne Identity, like many of Doug Liman's films, suffers from pacing issues, and just like Swingers or Mr And Mrs Smith, seriously drags as it enters its third act. With Supremacy and Ultimatum, director Paul Greengrass took the reigns, with Liman staying on as a producer. While Greengrass is more able to keep the story moving at a constant pace, his over use of handheld camera work, while appropriate for ratcheting up tension in some scenes, is overwhelming when coupled with quick editing during any of the action scenes. While the Bourne films feature some terrific fight choreography (some of the most creative ever put on film) and Damon throws himself into the physicality of the role like a champion, a lot of the seemingly improvised martial arts (an inspired mix of kali and krav maga) blast past at such speed and such excessive movement that it becomes disorienting rather than exciting. And those prone to motion sickness might want to pop a Dramamine before the car chase scenes.
Ultimately, these are all terrific films (with Supremacy being the best, Ultimatum the weakest), and a strong cinematic trilogy that seemingly came out of nowhere to become among the most successful espionage films ever. Credit must also be given to Bourne for sparking a rebirth and evolution in the spy genre, as the gritty intensity of the Bourne films is mimicked in the very good new James Bond film, Casino Royale, and even in Christopher Nolan's outstanding Batman Begins. Finally, the success of these films proves that action films need not be stupid, special effects extravaganzas in order to be accepted.
All in all, a trilogy very well done.
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