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| BUY The Bourne Trilogy - Completed Series by AMAZON |
Note: Since combining all 3 movies into one review will take me over the character limit, there are two options you can take. 1) you can read this shorter overview of the box set as a whole. Or 2) you can read the reviews for the individual flipper releases that are much more detailed in terms of movie, video, audio, and extras ratings.
Movie - 4.5
The Bourne franchise is a very entertaining and gritty entry that re-infuses a lot of what was missing in the spy/thriller genre. It has just the right mix of conspiracy, politics, action, drama, romance, and a personal enough narrative to keep audiences empathizing for one Jason Bourne. In Identity, we're introduced to Bourne and given a mystery to solve; who is he, how did he come to end up where he is, and where will he go from there to find out the rest? In Supremacy, he's established something of an Identity, but still has a long way to go. In the process of finding himself he loses something very dear to him and seeks vengeance as a result. However, in his pursuit he discovers more of his past and realizes that it's a very dark one. And through this discovery he decides to redeem himself as well as go after the persons he feels are responsible for this constant cycle of killing. And finally, Ultimatum is the culmination of it all where the pieces come together: Bourne finds out who he really is, discovers the system of conditioning behind this government conspiracy, tracks it down to the origin, and comes to terms with himself for who he is and what he's become at that point. This series of films is successful thanks in huge part to the acting talents of Matt Damon, whom I've personally doubted, but have since been a fan of after seeing The Departed. Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass also do excellent jobs in directing their respective films. As an overarching storyline, the narrative has a very good flow of progression and is recommended that when you watch these films you try to do so within a short or consecutive amount of time to get the full effect of the plot.
Video - 4.5
As with the films themselves from a writing standpoint, the video also has a certain level of progression. Identity, while still very good, is probably the worst of the three. Colors, black levels, and contrast all look excellent, but the overall image tends to suffer from various amounts of noise and occasional instances of artifacting and debris. The little specks aren't as prevalent as some older catalog titles, but for a BD presentation on such a great film, it can be distracting at times. Subsequently, Supremacy gets better and looks much richer in terms of everything else, minus the debris. Image detail is notably much sharper and tends to reveal some of the finer qualities within the picture. The only slight inconsistencies one might point out as detractors, though, are some noisier scenes in the dark and possibly some excessive bits of color saturation during the shots in India. But on the flip side, Ultimatum looks as pristine as can be. All of the aforementioned video elements are stunning, and much of the photography is preserved to perfection resulting in a reference level picture. A nice theatrical layer of film grain is present through all three films, but in my opinion, really accentuates the gritty nature of the franchise best via Ultimatum's video transfer. Just know that what you're getting is a good representation of progression, not just in story, but also video-wise.
Audio - 5.0
While the video has to improve throughout each movie, the audio, on the other hand, is excellent from the start. Again, Identity appears as the weakest of the bunch, but only so slightly. And it's not even a question of the transfer, but a result of the overall sound design in general. Each film has a particularly great sense of musical immersion thanks to John Powell's enthralling score. The whirring effect in Identity and the pounding drums throughout Supremacy and Ultimatum are sure to get viewers into the films' plots and make for some adventurous movie-watching. Sound effects are also very well-handled. Background chatter, city noise, car engines, feet shuffling, water drops, flying paper, and all sorts of commotion fill the sound scape enveloping the viewer within the world of Jason Bourne. And that's just without all the action sequences. Punches, kicks, whacks, thuds, crunches, gunshots, crashing vehicles, shattering glass, and heavy breathing dominate when they should, but never overwhelm. Dialogue, a more integral piece to the films, is also spot-on and suffers no dropout or distortion from the center channel. But in terms of directionality and separation, all three films exert these elements extremely well through the front and side speakers, and even more so in the second and third installments. LFEs aren't a very big part of the overall sound design, but really make their mark when the occasional explosion and car chase wreck occurs. However, bass is especially prominent in the music and does a great job keeping things balanced. These movies (aside from maybe Identity) are easily reference material.
Extras - 4.5
Each film comes with the usual kind of goodies: director's commentary, making-of featurettes, and a very informative background on Robert Ludlum, his writing career, and the sad fact that he passed away before the first film ever came out. But with that said, what interviews there are of him are a joy to watch. His demeanor is very friendly, and just from watching him, you get this sense that he really liked what he did as a writer and probably would've loved these films a lot had he ever gotten a chance to see them. But the coolest feature, I feel, is the inclusion of U-Control. Throughout each movie, U-Control allows the viewer to "control" this feature of looking up and accessing these dossier-type profiles on the characters, events, and other elements of the film. It's like being a spy with some omniscient supercomputer that lets you learn all kinds of trivia about the franchise as a whole. I personally think it's a very cool gimmick and very befitting of the Bourne series.
Overall - 4.5
If you've already seen and know the Bourne films, then there's probably not much else to be said. Universal did a splendid job transferring these movies from HD-DVD to BD. Not that I have experience in the former, but technical specs alone should speak for themselves. A higher bit rate, DTS-HD MA track, and U-Control feature for each title should me more than enough to satisfy fans of the franchise. But on the downside, this box set can be pretty expensive. So unless you're lucky enough to get Best Buy Rewards Zone gift cards during a sale on the box or are willing to partake in some potentially defective flipper discs, you can also order the UK box set (region free) from Amazon UK for about $30 shipped. I personally can't stand their age ratings on the covers, though. But if aesthetics aren't a problem, go for it. In any case, The Bourne Trilogy is an excellent effort in film-making with either reference or near-reference quality for every film and comes highly recommended to fans of the spy/thriller genre.
Get ready for non-stop action, edge-of-your-seat suspense and spectacular chase sequences with everyone’s favorite assassin in The Bourne Trilogy! Matt Damon is Jason Bourne, an elite government agent determined to outwit and outmaneuver anyone who stands in the way of his finding out the secrets of his mysterious past. Follow his explosive, action-packed adventures in three blockbuster films from one of the most popular series of all time: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Loaded with hours of bonus features, The Bourne Trilogy is the complete Bourne experience for movie fans everywhere!
Product Details
* Brand: Universal Studios
* Released on: 2010-06-22
* Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
* Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
* Number of discs: 3
* Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
* Original language: English
* Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
* Dubbed in: French, Spanish
* Dimensions: .65 pounds
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Bourne Identity
Freely adapted from Robert Ludlum's 1980 bestseller, The Bourne Identity starts fast and never slows down. The twisting plot revs up in Zurich, where amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), with no memory of his name, profession, or recent activities, recruits a penniless German traveler (Run Lola Run's Franka Potente) to assist in solving the puzzle of his missing identity. While his CIA superior (Chris Cooper) dispatches assassins to kill Bourne and thus cover up his failed mission, Bourne exercises his lethal training to leave a trail of bodies from Switzerland to Paris. Director Doug Liman (Go) infuses Ludlum's intricate plotting with a maverick's eye for character detail, matching breathtaking action with the humorous, thrill-seeking chemistry of Damon and Potente. Previously made as a 1988 TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain, The Bourne Identity benefits from the sharp talent of rising stars, offering intelligent, crowd-pleasing excitement from start to finish. --Jeff Shannon
The Bourne Supremacy
Good enough to suggest long-term franchise potential, The Bourne Supremacy is a thriller fans will appreciate for its well-crafted suspense, and for its triumph of competence over logic (or lack thereof). Picking up where The Bourne Identity left off, the action begins when CIA assassin and partial amnesiac Jason Bourne (a role reprised with efficient intensity by Matt Damon) is framed for a murder in Berlin, setting off a chain reaction of pursuits involving CIA handlers (led by Joan Allen and the duplicitous Brian Cox, with Julia Stiles returning from the previous film) and a shadowy Russian oil magnate. The fast-paced action hurtles from India to Berlin, Moscow, and Italy, and as he did with the critically acclaimed Bloody Sunday, director Paul Greengrass puts you right in the thick of it with split-second editing (too much of it, actually) and a knack for well-sustained tension. It doesn't all make sense, and bears little resemblance to Robert Ludlum's novel, but with Damon proving to be an appealingly unconventional action hero, there's plenty to look forward to. --Jeff Shannon
The Bourne Ultimatum
The often breathtaking, final installment in the Bourne trilogy finds the titular assassin with no memory closing in on his past, finally answering his own questions about his real identity and how he came to be a seemingly unstoppable killing machine. Matt Damon returns for another intensely physical performance as Jason Bourne, the rogue operative at war with the CIA, which made him who and what he is and managed to kill his girlfriend in the series' second film, The Bourne Supremacy. Now looking for payback, Bourne goes in search for the renegade chief of CIA operations in Europe and North Africa, partnering for a time with a mysterious woman from his past (Julia Stiles) and constantly--constantly--on the run from assassins, intelligence foot soldiers, and cops. Directed by Paul Greengrass (United 93) with the director’s thrilling, trademark textures and shaky, documentary style, The Bourne Ultimatum is largely a succession of action scenes that reveal a lot about the story’s characters while they’re under duress. Joan Allen, Albert Finney, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, and Paddy Considine comprise the film’s terrific supporting cast, and the well-traveled movie leads viewers through Turin, Madrid, Tangiers, Paris, London, and New York. Overall, this is a satisfying conclusion to Bourne’s exciting and protracted mystery. --Tom Keogh
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