I'm not sure if it's the best of the franchise (it's right up there with Supremacy), but it is definitely the best action movie of the year to this point. Once again, Matt Damon is excellent playing against type as the ass-kicking action hero, and the movie is a nonstop adrenaline rush. It's basically one big chase scene after another, with the story detailed between the chases. The plot element is as intriguing as can be, as it also ends up being the most damning attack against the CIA since Syriana. The action never fails to disappoint, once again superb under terrific cinematography and editing.

Grade: A- (#10 on my 2007 list to this point)

wow, as good as the first two were, this is easily the best of the franchise and the best spy thriller in years. right now, it just jumped ahead of zodiac as my favorite movie of the year.

A+

The best of the series, and that's saying something since I loved the first two.

A-

What a fucking idiot.

He's right about the negative portrayal of the CIA. That is the one part of the movie that pissed the hell out of me.

A

8.0/10

Trying to get ideas to write my thoughts on it. I think I'll have it soon.

[quote="andaroo"]Fair enough DK,

What would you have liked to see?[/quote]

Meh, I don't know.

Just thought we might get more back story that would go in unexpected directions.

Barely remembering Identity or Supremacy going into Ultimatum, maybe I shouldn't have expected that, though. Now having gotten a quick refresher on the first two (did some plot summary digging), I do think Ultimatum is a stronger piece when stacked up against its predecessors.

One thing that particularly confused me was the scene with Nicky and Jason in the coffee shop, where she says something along the lines of, "It was hard, for me... with you," when Jason asks her why she's decided to help him. I, once again, thought I'd forgotten a plot point in Supremacy that Ultimatum chose to gloss over rather clumsily. When, in fact (as was recently brought to my attention), that was not true; my first reaction -- that it was a subtle nod to a past relationship -- was true. I even forgot the hair dyeing scene in Identity that Ultimatum mirrors!

I'm blaming my stupidity on a bad memory, is pretty much what I'm trying to say.

All in all, I have to give the film more credit than I initially did.

Why won't my quote thing work? Gr.

You have "Disable BBCode" checked.

My feeling on this film are rather odd. In a way they did the best job the possibly could, and yet its a film that lacks in certain area's.

In essence this film missed Marie. It missed her as a grounding point for Bourne. Without her I lost some of the empathy I felt for the Bourne character. Her death in Supremecy altou a sad moment gave that film the extra jolt needed to make a a truly excellent peice of cinema. But by the time Ultimatum comes around that residue of revenge and anger has worn thin. Bourne is only out for one man, himself and it can be difficult to dial in fully with him.

That said with what it has Ultimatum is a very enjoyable ride. It hits the ground running and never lets up. I know in essence its four action set-peices strung together with short interludes, but with action is good I don't perticularly mind. The wild rooftop chase and one on one battle in Tangiers being the main highlight.

On a side note I didn't think alluding to a past romance of sorts between Nikki and Bourne was a great indea since there was never any indication of this in the first two films.

The ending was very deftly handled though, providing closure while allowing for a possible continuation a few years down the line. If Bourne has his heart back by then I'll be watching, and even if that isn't so Greengrass and his psychotic camera will be a big lure as well.

B+

Wow, what a great action movie. I did not mind the shakey cam for the most part, especially since he decided to back it up a little during the hand to hand fight scenes so you could actually see what was going on. Definitely the best Bourne film and just one of the best straight up action movies in general.

The car chases were brilliant, especially in their brutality, the hand to hand combat was excellently shot and choreographed, and the slick super spy stuff was cool/funny. There were real genuine moments of pure tense too! The scene that comes to mind is when that "asset" is chasing down Julia Styles. It's such a tense scene, with Bourne trying to get to her, because you know from previous Bourne installments that they are NOT afraid to kill off characters. I was genuinely afraid for her life!!

Currently 2nd best movie of the year... but who knows, maybe it will grow even more over time.

****

I loved that they used the same musical themes and cues throughout the series. As someone said, the Bourne films wouldn't be the Bourne films without Extreme Ways by Moby capping off the ending and helping segway into the credits. DK, I think you're right on the money that The Bourne Ultimatum is a film that's much easier to appreciate if you have a strong recollection of the first two films. I waited on seeing it so I could rewatch those, and they're all but essential viewing beforehand in my opinion. Andaroo nailed it when he said that The Bourne Ultimatum works so well because it ties up the loose ends of the series rather than introducing too many new plot elements like the Spider-Man and Pirates threequels. Also, it rises far, far above the first two when it comes to the action, which is really something to behold. I wasn't a huge fan of the first two films seeing them only once years apart, but when one views the three films back-to-back, they really are one of the most durable trilogies to ever hit the blockbuster scene.

Um, yeah, actually, I was really confused about Bourne and Nicky's relationship in the third movie. She just seemed...impartial...to him in the first two movies, so I'm not sure I ever grasped their connection in this movie fully. Is there some unexplained backstory between them?

I think there has to be an unexplained backstory as didn't she say in #3, you don't remember me or us.

Also, still great with third viewing.

To be fair, Nicky has a much bigger role in the second film versus the first as well. As an integral part of Treadstone she must have had more to do with him, something that might be explained if they ever move forward with a fourth film. And honestly, given how they've been adding on to age old franchises, I have little doubt that a fourth Bourne film will be made at some point down the line. Every single ending in the franchise could have been the cut off point, and when you have the one trilogy that builds upon each other it's hard to not get greedy.)

I already know this is going to be a franchise I'll watch from start to finish on multiple occasions over the course of my life.

I'm actually surprised more hasn't been made about the Nicky/Jason revelation in the film.



It appears that way, yes. And I'll once again have to give andaroo some credit in that I think this was a pretty ingenious way to tie up a loose end, the Nicky/Jason relationship:

Jason Bourne: Why are you helping me?
Nicky Parsons: It was difficult... for me... with you. You... really don't remember, do you?
Jason Bourne: No.

That's all we get. And it's ambiguous: she's obviously referring to a history. Romantic? Probably, but not necessarily. There's a lot in that line, and if you're going with the romance angle, there's another dimension to the look he gives Nicky through the door in the hair-dyeing scene: does Nicky remind him of Marie? or does Nicky remind him of... Nicky?

It clears up a somewhat-dangling plotline without dwelling on something (a romantic backstory) that the writers obviously didn't want to -- and didn't need to -- dwell on.

I found it funny that the film sorta ended with Nicky... I mean, it may have been the most effective way to reveal the final plot points without hitting us over the head, but it really does make me curious as to what her deal is. She's the only actor besides Damon who had a role in all three films outside of flashbacks, no?

No, but the others were kind of those nameless FBI agents who always did the boss' work.

i just came from watching the bourne ultimatum...i have enjoyed this movie more than i did enjoy sleeping in the second part.

i give it a strong C+.

that is all.

B+

Action scenes are brilliant, the film is extremely well-made, but there's something I just don't love about this series. I've never really felt for it. The confrontation at the end... It was kind of revealing what I already knew. Stiles... felt like Marie part 2, though I guess that was the point? I still wish they'd set her up more in movies 1 and 2.

One thing, how did Damon get into Straithairn's office? I almost chuckled at that part, it's like Greengrass decided to go with "Fuck it, let's just say he got in. He's Bourne. He can do anything" Apparantley all you need to do to break into a very important CIA office is distract the boss working there for a couple minutes while you like, just walk in. Or teleport. I don't know.

Another thing, while I suspect this is just a decision of the director and series overall, how exactly did Bourne lose his memory? Did they brainwash him or something? I wasn't incredibly bothered by this, but Bourne isn't a sci-fi series. It's incredibly bent on reality. And there wasn't a hint of explanation. I'd like to think even Bourne would want to know how they did it.

But again, the action, chase, fight scenes are enough to watch the film. Allen and Straithairn are superb, of course, Damon runs away with the movie though. Great great work from him. It's a movie I appreciate more for the technicals and filmmaking than its actual material.

I saw it again tonight. Some of my criticisms remain the same (This is not Allen and Strathairn's best work, shaky cam), but I enjoyed the film much better this time around. Unlike before, I also thought the ending was well done (I got goosebumps, so it must have). They should end the series here though. Just like with Rush Hour 3, I think they would be pushing their luck if they made a 4th one. I still think it's the weakest of the series though.

C+ Before

B Now

What a ride! Excellent action, very well-choreographed and -shot. I though Damon was bland, but that's his character and he's done that through the entire series so far, so I'm not complaining really. Honestly I don't have any real complaints about the movie at all. I only give it a A- simply because it failed to really wow me, but there were really no faults at all with the movie. That's the same grade I gave Supremecy, which had a much more resounding emotional theme then anything Ultimatum mustered. The action in Ultimatum was better, though, and Greengrass kept his shaky cam more at bay, so the action was more cohesive.

A-

Saw it today and this bugs me to no end. I want to know how and why.

But I did enjoy the film more than its predecessors. In some instances it did feel like more of the same - but it was engaging and the acting scenes were good. The shaky cam bugged me in the Tunisia scenes but the man on man battle between Bourne and Chett more than made up for it. That was superb.

I also liked the scenes with Nicky. She barely says a word but the looks they give each other are more than enough. Im sure we'll learn more about their "relationship" in a sequel - but I thought I caught a blurry glimpse of her in the corridor in Bourns flash back of the time he was brainwashed (the last flashback).

Grade: A to A-

I was thinking this too. I actually just assumed what you thought Greengrass was thinking, "Eh, they've proven him able enough in the first two and a half movies, fuck it, I'll buy it." Because...I mean if they showed him breaking in and everything, I don't think it would have made the irony of the phone call as entertaining.

He lost it after getting shot and falling overboard from the target's yacht in the first movie, so probably somewhere between the stress, trauma and just plain falling into the ocean on a stormy night...whoosh, no memory.