The Film
Second verse, almost the same as the first. However, in The Bourne Supremacy, director Paul Greengrass takes the wheel of this very bumpy ride.
Supremacy picks up two years after The Bourne Identity. Bourne (Matt Damon) and Marie (Franka Potente) are living together in India, although not for very long. As if a broken heart isn't enough to contend with, Bourne's fingerprint has popped up 4,000 miles away at a CIA operation gone horribly wrong. So instead of enjoying sandy beaches and his side hobby of trying to figure out just who the hell he is, he's back on the run again.
Brian Cox turns in another evil performance and the series picks up Joan Allen to replace the Chris Cooper character from the last film. Also, instead of just the usual identity mission, this entry twists the entire franchise into a revenge thing.
Revenge? Yes! If there is one thing better than Bourne, it's a hell-bent Bourne. It's still not our favorite in the trilogy, but it's well worth your time. After all, what's more entertaining than watching one guy kill another with a rolled-up magazine? Now that's an action hero we can get on board with.
Need to unravel more of the film's plot? Check out Joe Lozito's review of the theatrical release of
The Bourne Surpremacy.
The Picture
For our money, Supremacy's 2.35:1 transfer is a tad bit better than its predecessor. That translates to plenty of eye-popping adventures. It's also a little brighter, thanks to sandy beaches, beautiful flowers, and some pretty awesome looking locales, including Berlin, Naples and Moscow. However, make sure you have a good seat. Greengrass puts a jolt into the series via the shaky cam. It's fun and adds to the excitement, but it might just make you a little queasy. Despite the jitters you may experience after the movie, you'll never miss a beat here. The image boasts a surprising amount of detail.
The Sound
If the screeching tires, heavy breathing and slamming into the water at high speeds don't make you clutch your seat, John Powell's soundtrack certainly will. Not that the movie needs help, but it really adds that oomph. Also, the film lacks a little in the fist-to-face department, but more than makes up for that with a barrage of bullets, explosions and car chases. The DTS-HD Master Audio track is like a punch in the gut when it needs to be -- and apparently, it needs to be often. Still, it has no problem conveying conversations, background traffic or the omnipresent frantic CIA chatter.
The Extras
Like the other recent Bourne releases, this one offers nothing new for extras. Everything that was included in 2009's Bourne Trilogy box set is still here. If you're looking for something new, the only thing we've got is that this is another dual sided BD-59 Flipper disc (the world's second with Bourne Identity being the first, OK technically it's a tie since the three Bourne films are being released together on Flipper Disc). That means you've got the Blu-ray on one side and the standard-def DVD on the other.
We popped the standard-def DVD in our Philips DVD recorder, the Epson MovieMate 60 all-in-one projector and our Gateway laptop. Of course, the standard-def isn't as stellar as its flip side, but the menus loaded quickly and we certainly appreciate Universal's offer to play nice with all DVD devices.
Back to those extras: While there is nothing new, that does not mean there's nothing noteworthy. If you haven't had the pleasure of checking out any of these extras, don't miss the shorts on the explosions, fight sequences and the casting piece "Matching Identities." Each one is an insanely short 5 minutes, but offers up some insight and fun tidbits for the fan with a short-attention span.
Final Thoughts
Thanks to Universal's Flipper disc edition, you can now take The Bourne Supremacy almost anywhere. That may not be worth the double dip, unless you are a true-blue Bourne fan.
Otherwise, be prepared to test out your stomach muscles with the shaky-cam effects introduced in this sequel. If you're not all that strong, strap some Pepto to your hip and get ready for the ride. Between the awesome action, an excellent high-def image and the chest-pounding sound, this one is well worth a little nausea -- as well as a spot in your collection.
Product Details
- Actors: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Karl Urban, Gabriel Mann, Joan Allen
- Director: Paul Greengrass
- Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French, Spanish)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: PG-13
- Studio: Universal Studios
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: January 19, 2010
- Run Time: 109 minutes
- List Price: $29.98
- Extras:
- Flipper Disc (Standard-Def DVD on Flip Side)
- Explosive Deleted Scenes
- Matching Identities: Casting
- Keeping It Real
- Blowing Things Up
- On the Move with Jason Bourne
- Bourne to Be Wild: Fight Training
- Crash Caw: Racing Through the Streets of Moscow
- The Go-Mobile Revs Up the Action
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bride Chase Scene
- Scoring with John Powell
- The Bourne Mastermind (Part 2)
- The Bourne Diagnosis (Part 2)
- Feature Commentary with Director Paul Greengrass
- Picture-in-Picture Commentary (U-Control)
- The Bourne Dossier (U-Control)
- Bourne Orientation (U-Control)
- BD Live
