Jason Bourne Review

I don't do too many of these reviews anymore, but I felt that I should do a review for Jason Bourne since the series has had a big impact on me. I thought I should start at the beginning.
 

I remember first seeing The Bourne Identity when it arrived in theaters back in 2002, I went a few weeks after it came out. I remember it getting really good reviews and I had a couple of friends telling me that I should go see it, so I did. I was 16 at the time, and as I watched it, the action sequences were awesome, but I was lost in what was going on, I didn’t really know how everything connected, but this became one of those moves that as I went back and rewatched, I could start to make sense of everything, and how everything fit together. What was cool that it was not a huge hit in theaters, it did fine in theaters but didn’t break any records, in fact, where it really started to soar was when it hit DVD the next year in January. I bought it with a gift card I got for Christmas, and was eager to watch it again, and also to get the rest of my family to see it. It really intrigued everyone. I was pumped when I heard a sequel was coming out in 2004.

When the second one came out, I was visiting family in California with my older sister, and all of us wanted to go see it that weekend, we located a DVD copy of the first one and watched it Friday night, and then Saturday afternoon we went to see The Bourne Supremacy, this was opening weekend, different than waiting a few weeks after release, and this one was a big hit in theaters. I was blown away, the action was great, the story was intriguing, and everything was excellent about it. At the end of the movie, it was clear that a third one would be made.

Forward to three years later when The Bourne Ultimatum arrived in theaters, I went opening night (Friday). We got our tickets ahead of time, originally it was suppose to be me and my sister going, but she ended up having to work, so I called a friend up and he joined me instead. The interesting thing about that night was how difficult it was to get tickets, as shows were selling out, and I remember hearing the employees talking about how the next couple of shows of the movie had sold out as well. I just realized I saw this trilogy evolve, from a small movie with modest earnings, to the last film becoming a big box office hit. With the two movies under my belt, I went in on the edge of my seat throughout the movie wondering what Jason Bourne was going to find out and how everything was going to tie up at the end. I was definitely blown away, and of course future viewings of the movie helped me catch the moments that I wasn’t focused on when I first saw the movie. Of course, at the end of the day, it was a wonderful trilogy, and one that I still enjoy to this day.

We also had another movie released 5 years later that didn’t really involve Jason Bourne, but another agency and a different set of characters, entitled The Bourne Legacy. I wasn’t impressed when I first saw it, but it has grown on me since, but of course it doesn’t match the original trilogy at all, which I expecting when I went in, but I was expecting a sequel to that instead of a return of the main characters, but of course a couple of years after the release of Bourne Legacy, we learn that Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass are coming back to do another Bourne movie. I was pumped but wondering what they had up their sleeve.

When 2016 approached, I started to research to see what to expect, learned there was a jump in time, and that got me intrigued. Then the Superbowl teaser dropped, and that really got me pumped, and also the first trailer that followed a couple of months later. I was certain that we had another classic, this was going to be the movie of the summer.

My expectations were very high throughout the summer, that was until the reviews started to pour in, and then I realized that maybe I needed to level my expectations. So I went into the theater tonight with my expectations not as high, but still hoping for an excellent Bourne movie. Well, I can say I was disappointed…okay but please don’t stop there, because I still really liked the movie, I still thought it was a good movie, and one I can still recommend, I just can’t say that it was as good as the other Bourne movies (with the exception of The Bourne Legacy, which isn’t a surprise to anyone). The findings were not as interesting, and also one of the main plot points wasn’t that compelling. However, there were action sequences that were very compelling, one in the middle of the movie that I was definitely at the edge of my seat wondering how everything would play out. Another one was near the climax of the movie, which I found very interesting, and of course there were great car chases. Another strong aspect was the performances, Matt Damon is of course great as Jason Bourne, Julia Stiles returns as Nicki Parsons, and of course Tommy Lee Jones does a great job as the new CIA Director (think Chris Cooper and Brian Cox), but a newcomer that did a great job was Alicia Vikander.

Great cast, great action sequences, you would expect it to be another classic Bourne, so why is this a disappointment. Well, the original trilogy had a very compelling story, one that involved discovery, and finding out about who Jason Bourne was, they were able to build it over three movies and had very compelling things going on as well. This movie takes place many years after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, and while it was trying to be compelling, it just didn’t reach the greatness that was already achieved. Yes, I was a little letdown, but the reviews and ratings coming out ahead of time, I was prepared, and was still able to enjoy the movie we got. I still thought it was a good movie, just not a great Bourne movie, but maybe there is still a great Bourne movie that could be made before Matt Damon decides his days as Jason Bourne are done. With all that said and done, I am still giving this movie a recommendation.

Personal top 10 movies of 2015

Another year in the books. There were a lot of good movies, and of course a few bad ones.  I decided to take the time and put together a personal top 10 of the movies this year. This was a hard list to come up with, but in the end, this is my list. I don't expect many of these movies to be on anyone else's lists. Keep in mind that I did not see everything that came out this year. Anyway, here is my list (warning: there may be spoilers found in the descriptions):


 

10. When Marnie Was There – This is supposedly the last movie that Studio Ghibli will be making since they are kind of closing down. Even if this is the last movie, I have to admit it was a really good one. It is not one of my favorites of theirs, but that is because there are so many wonderful ones done by Studio Ghibli, if you haven’t checked out any of their work before, I recommend getting started today, some of the great choices of theirs is Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, and The Secret World of Arrietty, this is just a small handful of their work, one day I should do a list of all their work and order them from best to least. Anyway, I had the privilege of seeing this movie on the big screen in a theater in Salt Lake City. While I enjoyed it when I saw it, it really started to go through my head after I left the theater and stuck with me for days, I just kept thinking about the movie after I was done seeing it. I would say that is a great sign for a very good movie. The animation is just gorgeous, which is no surprise since Studio Ghibli is known for producing beautifully animated movies. This is one of those that was worth checking out, and I was so glad to catch in theaters.

9. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation – I didn’t think too much on this sequel when I first saw it, but each time I saw it afterwards, it really grew on me and more I really liked it. Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in his fifth outing, this time to find the Syndicate. I would rank this as one of the better adversaries that Ethan Hunt faced, however the best is still Philip Seymour Hoffman in Mission Impossible 3, honestly after that one I could never picture Philip Seymour Hoffman as a good guy, which is why I was thrown for a loop when he became a good guy in The Hunger Games series. Anyway, getting off track, the villain really stood out in this one, and the main girl was someone you weren’t always sure which side she was on until near the end. You also get the best of the team in this one, Ving Rhames, Jeremy Remmer, and Simon Pegg, who always seems to steal the show anytime he is on screen. This was just a fun and smart movie during the summer.

8. Creed – I have a confession to make, I have not seen all of the Rocky movies. In fact, before this movie, I had only seen the 6^th entry, Rocky Balboa. Not that I didn’t know anything about Rocky, as it was a simple story, but I just never saw the movies, not even the original (I have since corrected this mistake and watched the first one, not the other ones yet however). I am seen enough of the old movies on TV to know about Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed, so I was familiar that they were good friends in the movie and I knew that Apollo Creed died in the fourth movie. I knew the set up, I knew enough of the characters, and that made watching this movie stand out. I will spoil a part of the movie, so stop reading if you don’t want to know anything about the movie if you haven’t seen it…..During the second half of the movie, we learn that Rocky gets cancer. It really hit hard, while I never grew up watching these movies, I knew who Rocky was, even when I was a little kid, so not only was Rocky getting old, but Rocky was getting sick as well, and that hit me hard, and I think many audience members as well. Anyway, Creed was a great movie to watch, and a great story. It’s not anything new, but hey, whatever isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

7. Bridge of Spies – The latest movie directed by Stephen Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks (this might be their 4^th collaboration), this time Tom Hanks plays an insurance attorney who is hired to defend a Soviet Spy during the Cold War. I saw the trailer a couple of times, but never really focused on what was going to happen, so I was thrown for a loop as the story progressed, when it started off by him defending the Soviet Spy and then he goes to Russia to bring home one of their own and they use the Soviet Spy as a means to exchange prisoners. A movie where no guns were fired or anything of the matter, but yet during the second hard, the tense would build and you could feel it and wondered how everything was going to be resolved, and I didn’t know what was going to happen as I don’t study the history books.

6. The Peanuts Movie – I am not one of those that watched Charlie Brown specials growing up that much, or really read the comics, however I was very familiar with Snoopy and the other characters. I really liked this movie for the fun moments that I feel take a lot of the strong points of the characters, and pays tribute. As well, it was honestly refreshing to sit through a very clean movie, that didn’t have any of the trash or language that tends to make it into movies these days, but the main reason this movie left a strong impact with me was for the simple story, and the simple message it presented at the end, in a world where we focus more on success instead of the efforts, this movie focuses on the simple qualities that make a person great, and not necessarily the achievements one makes, this is something I feel is lacking in the world today, as the world is pushing for more success and not taking time to praise the efforts made or the other wonderful qualities that make a person great. That is why it earns it’s place on this spot.

5. Ant Man – A movie that I liked more than what was suppose to be the best movie of the summer (Avengers: Age of Ultron). Don’t get me wrong, I still really liked Age of Ultron, I just liked Ant Man more. Ant Man, like Guardians of the Galaxy last year, was a Marvel property that I wasn’t very familiar with, so it was fun to see what they did with it, I especially enjoyed how they used the humor in the movie, and the character interactions and the parts they all played. There were so many cool gadgets, and so many awesome worlds to explore, and the intriguing way that everything was used to add uniqueness to the Marvel Universe, especially after adding another galaxy in Guardians of the Galaxy, just when you thought the Marvel Universe couldn’t get any bigger, they get smaller. There were so many things that just made this a worthwhile time.

4. Mad Max: Fury Road – 30 years after Thunderdome, we are graced with this sequel. Wow is the best word to describe the movie and the experience of watching it. We live in a world where special effects are heavily relied on computers, but this one goes back to the basics and uses practical effects, and the effort is mind blowing. There is just an awesome look to the whole movie. Not only is the visual look and effects awesome, but we have some really cool and strong characters. Tom Hardy does a great job as Max, but Charlize Theron does a wonderful job as Furiousa. I would have to say that this was one of the best action movies I have seen in a long time. The only other Mad Max movie I had seen up to this point was Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and I have to say that this blew it completely out of the water.

3. The Martian – If you were alone on a planet for over a year, how would you react? Would you sit in a corner or whatever and start crying, or would you make the best out of the situation. Matt Damon chooses the latter. For those that are worried of seeing a repeat of Cast Away, this movie is anything but the same experience as that movie. (which is still a good movie, don’t get me wrong, but not as strong as this) There are many movies that receive praise that tend to push towards the really dark situations, and pushes the characters in the darkest of the situation, and yet this movie more focuses on the light side of a dark situation, and that’s what makes this movie really stand out for me. Matt Damon is also not the only one in the picture, there are several very talented cast members that help drive the story forward, and help make this a fun ride that was worth going to the theater. Not only that, but the landscapes of Mars are breathtaking, and no I will not join that program where I would travel to Mars and live there the rest of my life, watching this on Blu-Ray is good enough for me, or receiving HD pictures of Mars will be plenty.

2. Inside Out – If there was one movie that I was ready to buy another ticket and go back in and see right after the credits rolled, it was Inside Out. A movie about emotions, I experienced a bunch of emotions throughout the movie. I laughed so hard throughout many parts of the movie, and I had not laughed that hard in a theater in a long time. There were also moments that I almost cried. The entire world that was created for the movie was very inventive, and I felt that the way things came out I could picture going on in my mind. I feel that a lot of people could relate to this. The importance of emotions like Sadness, despite how we want to fight them off, or want to keep others from experiencing Sadness, but it becomes necessary to be able to experience joy. Memories that fade after time because we choose not to remember them (except mine, they always find a way to come back). The gum commercial jingle that comes into the mind out of nowhere, and sometimes for no reason except to mess with us. I feel the world that was created was a very relatable one. Not only was this one of my top movies of the year, but this is one of my favorite Pixar movies of all time.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens – This was the most anticipated movie of this year. After the prequel trilogy, there was many concerns and doubts that did arise in this movie. As I was seeing the trailers for this movie, the more I became excited to see it. This was actually the most excited I have been for the release of a movie in a long time. I could say that in some ways I was more excited for it than Star Wars Episode 1, even though I was very cautious at the same time, as we have all been excited for a new Star Wars movie and were disappointed with the Episode 1 when it came out, but this stood out because there were many elements that stood out from the Original Trilogy, the one that we all grew up with (before the….cough cough…. Permanent Special Editions, which I hope one day George Lucas undoes that mistake). Not only did it meet expectations, it exceeded them. There were so many things in this movie that were worth talking about, and worth going back into the theater to see again. One of the many things that was discussed was Rey and who is her family (my bets are on Luke Skywalker, and no I am not placing money…..I’m placing Republic Credits :p). Another thing that has started conversation was the new character Snoke, the one who is pulling the strings, how did he rise to power, some have even brought up that he could be Darth Plagus, if you don’t know who Darth Plagus is, rewatch Revenge of the Sith and he is discussed by Palpatine in the Opera House scene. Other questions raised like how did Maz Kanada get a hold of Luke’s lightsaber, why did Luke really go into hiding. This movie brought us so much that the prequels just could not, and no I am not talking about how poorly the prequels were made in comparison to the Original Trilogy, but because the prequels dealt with the past, there might have been a couple of questions we had when watching the movie, or just a couple of things worth discussing, but this movie had so much worth discussing after the credits rolled. This movie also had a great balance between the Original Trilogy and setting up new adventures for these new characters. This was the real Star Wars movie we were hoping to get for a long time, and I couldn’t have been any happier. 

So there you have it, 2015, another year of good movies. Time to look for the next hits in 2016.