Note: I?m not writing on the story as it has been written by other reviewers?..Plus I think if a script is revealed, it takes the fun out of the movie. Now on to my review.
Strangely, movies based on adaptations from books attract the most criticism, positively or negatively. The chance of a negative criticism in such cases is usually higher, especially if the book is a classic or a best seller, as the usual though is no one can beat a really good book! Here we have The Bourne Supremacy ? the movie, that is loosely based on the 2nd Bourne book in the series by Robert Ludlum. Now there is two ways to looking at the movie.
First way is from a purely cinematic point of view. In this respect, the movies thrills its audience (ok, in this case, me!) with its action and thriller plot. The acting is good and the movies moves at a fast pace, without slowing down. Which is good. The problem with most action/thriller movies is the predictability of the ending. One can give a good guess how the movie would end. But this did not stop me from enjoying the visual action that exploded in front of me.
Matt Damon was good in his reprised role as the amnesic Jason Bourne, who was once a covert CIA assassin. Compared to him the other actors? characters seem under developed in the movie. But then the movie is about him! He had the dark underlying tone about him that was really great.
The other character that should have been developed more fully was the character of the CIA Deputy Director, played by Joan Allens, who is out to catch Bourne as she thinks he killed her agents. Her character development as she gradually discovers of the truth has been done very well. But as I told earlier it could have been developed more. The others characters are actually not that impressive and serve as mere props for the film.
The second way to look at this movie is from an adaptation point of view, for which I would say ? ?What the heck just happened!? I am a fan to Ludlum?s work (even though his novels can be repetitious in play and narration!) and I consider the Bourne series to be his best work.
So for me to see the novel storyline being thrown away was not pleasant. I could tolerate the relatively mild deviation from the novel in the Bourne Identity, the movie, but this was like just using the novel?s title only.
The story is not only totally different, (the novel is set in the Far East ? Hongkong and China!) , but to kill off Maria in the beginning of the movie was quite a shock! I?m interested as to how the writer ?adapt? the third and last of the Bourne series, The Bourne Ultimatum, as in the novel, Maria and her family has a major role.
As an adaptation, the movie goes into the realm of outer space. Poor Robert must be turning in this grave at the way the story was twisted!
Everything said and done, the movie is very much worth a watch. As it stands it own as a good thriller and action movie, but Ludlum fans would be very, very disappointed seeing this ?adaptation? of what is considered his best novels.