While I haven’t exactly been “thrilled” with either of the first two Bourne Identity movies, I have to say that I’ve at least enjoyed them both. It’s a great character with loads of story telling potential, so I’m always looking forward to the next one. The Bourne Ultimatum is no exception.
Recently, the good folks over at Coming Soon had a chance to talk to Julia Stiles about The Bourne Ultimatum. Here’s some of what she had to say:
“I really liked that you didn’t know what I was doing in the first one,” she continued, “and then luckily for me, they decided to explore my character a little bit more in the second one, and now hopefully, more in the third one. You feel like it’s a trilogy that is complete. It’s not just one movie and then another, and then another. Characters you didn’t pay much attention to in the first one, you realize they are much more significant as the trilogy goes on. It’s also a work in progress, too. That’s part of the reason why I can’t explain what exactly my role is going to be in this one, because what’s great about Paul Greengrass is he’s really good at updating those stories so it’s not going to be anything like what the book was. I’ve seen a first draft, and then Tom Stoppard is doing [rewrites]. It’ll be much more about current events, which I think is much more interesting.”
I totally agree with her about apparently smaller characters developing and growing in the overall story of a trilogy over the course of the films. Lord of the Rings did that as well. It gives you a greater sense of continuity to the films instead of just an “episode” feel to a franchise.
You can read the whole Julia Styles interview here.
Paul Greengrass sucks. WAY too much jerky camera. The Bourne Supremacy was the worst example of this “style” of film making. Doug Liman’s style was tight on the first movie. I hate to see Greengrass back. They should have went with another director to give each movie it’s own style (ideally I’d have Liman back, but that’d never happen.)
I’m in a different camp on the directors. I really liked the first one, the Bourne Identity and was looking forward to the second one. Then I saw it in the theatre and hated it. The herky-jerky, camerman-having-a-seizure, style of directing was awful. Not only that, they [Spoiler Alert] have systematically killed off everyone – and I do mean everyone (hated the death at the beginning of Supremacy) – from the books except for Jason Bourne.
I realize they were probably doing that so they could basically have a James Bond character with no continuity problems and sequel after sequel to bring in the money.
Kind of sad though, because having read the books, I would have liked to see a trilogy *actually based on the books* up on screen.
Having said all that, I am mildly interested to see what direction they take this third one now that there are no connections left with the books, and they’re really the only half decent spy/espionage/assassin movies out there. I just wish they would have kept the first director.
Personally I really liked the two Bourne movies. The Bourne Identity is a movie I just went to see without knowing much about it and I was very happy leaving the cinema.
The Bourne Supremacy was EXCELLENT! I really liked the style that Paul Greengrass brought to it, so I’m definitely looking forward to The Bourne Ultimatum.