The Film
Back for more Bourne, are you? Our action hero has (in our opinion) saved the best for his most recent adventure, The Bourne Ultimatum. Of course, we can't say it's the last because there is supposed to be a fourth installment on the way. Judging by this entry, the guy certainly isn't ready to slow down anytime soon.
Between the first two films, two years had lapsed. Not as much time has passed here, so Bourne is still pretty pissed off. Still not completely aware of his past, the one thing he does remember is the (major spoiler alert if you haven't seen The Bourne Supremacy) death of his beloved Marie (Franka Potente). So now he's out to find the people that did this to them. Does it even matter? Gimme kung-fu fighting and chase scenes, of which this film has plenty.
More action, more anger and more shaky-cam; for our money,
Ultimatum is the ultimate in the Bourne series. Bourne embodies Batman, John McClane and the Terminator for almost two whole hours.
The Bourne Identity had its fists of fury,
The Bourne Supremacy was about blowing stuff up. Just when you think the series might run out of steam,
The Bourne Ultimatum combines the best of both of those worlds, a ton of exotic locations and evil appearances from David Strathairn, Scott Glenn and Albert Finney. This ride is relentless, so settle in. If you need to take a breath, you might just miss one of the best action films ever.
Need to unravel more of the film's plot? Check out Joe Lozito's review of the theatrical release of
The Bourne Ultimatum.
The Picture
This 2.35:1 transfer is oh-so-pretty. It's hard to think that this film's image could top the first two, but it is just a tweak better. Facial expressions are detailed and fleshtones are right on, as are all of the deep blacks. The shaky-cam sometimes gets so violent that you may feel a little sick. However, you'll never miss a moment of detail. Of course, that's not a whole lot different from our two predecessors, but what makes this one extra special is that it has more cool looking locations than the Travel Channel. The bustle of London's Waterloo station, the exceptional aerial scenery in Tangier; we could go on. No matter where Bourne turns up, the image is so sharp, you can feel the wind, the worry and even the blows to the face.
The Sound
Like the two other films, The Bourne Ultimatum has a soundtrack that will leave you completely gasping for air. As we mentioned, this is the one that manages to combine the fists and fun chases from the first two movies, with gunshots, shattered glass, multi-vehicle chases, and explosions aplenty. Oh, there are plenty of punches, too, all of which are delivered with a one-two through the Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio track.
The Extras
Like the other recent Bourne releases, this one offers nothing new for extras. Ultimatum picks up all of the same special features from the 2009 Bourne Trilogy box set. The big deal here is that it's another dual-sided BD-59 Flipper disc. That means you've got the Blu-ray on one side and the standard-def DVD on the other.
Just like with Identity and Supremacy, we had no problems loading up the standard-def menu within seconds. The standard-def image didn't make the ride as exciting and also didn't have all of the same extras, but it did play nicely with our Philips DVD recorder, the Epson MovieMate 60 all-in-one projector and our Gateway laptop.
As far as the pickup extras on the Blu-ray, we have to be honest; this one is the weakest in the trilogy. Don't try to sell us on Volkswagen and call it an extra! Bourne would be able to smell that from a mile away. That said, there are plenty of other goodies, including featurettes that dissect the fight and chase scenes, to keep your inner-spy happy.
Final Thoughts
It's possible that Bourne has saved his best adventure for last, although his exploits to date will be pretty tough to beat. All are well worth the price of Blu-ray. If The Bourne Ultimatum already has a slot on your high def shelf, the Flipper feature may not be enticing enough for the upgrade. However, if you're Bourne-less, the action, the exotic locations and the killer soundtrack make this one a must-own.
Product Details
- Actors: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Albert Finney, 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: 116 minutes
- List Price: $29.98
- Extras:
- Flipper Disc (Standard-Def DVD on Flip Side)
- Deleted Scenes
- Be Bourne Spy Training
- Man on the Move: Jason Bourne
- Rooftop Pursuit
- Planning the Punches
- Driving School
- New York Chase
- Commentary with Director Paul Greengrass
- Picture-in-Picture Commentary (U-Control)
- Volkswagen: Get More Info (U-Control)
- Blackbriar Files (U-Control)
- Bourne Orientation (U-Control)
- BD Live
