One of the best sequels in a summer of great sequels!

Rating: 9/10 (23 July 2004)

First Shrek 2, then Spider-Man 2, and now the best sequel of them all this summer, The Bourne Supremacy. The best sequels always expand on the characters and themes of their predecessors and this one's no different. It's steeped in personal choice, consequence, and morality. I know that it's based on a Cold War book, but updated suitably to today's audience. I was impressed by the first movie (The Bourne Identity) with its realism, its European sensibility, and its two leads Matt Damon and Franka Potente. I was glad someone had the guts to use Potente after her awesome turn in Run Lola Run.
Both return in the second one and they give everything they got. Karl Urban makes for an incredible parallel agent to Bourne, and the returning cast as well as the newcomers are great as well. While I liked the chase from the first movie more than the big scene in this one, I liked the ending of the chase more. I won't say much because to say anything more about this movie would be criminal. Just go see it. I've never seen a film that made me want to buy the first one just so I can have it when the second one comes out on video.
I think The Bourne Supremacy is the best sequel so far this summer because it doesn't try to eclipse what came before it. It only supplements it, while at the same time, becomes its own film. Both Shrek 2 and Spider-Man 2 one-up their older versions; instead of being a continuation, it's an improvement of the same. While Supremacy has its work done on a literary basis, it still needs to be adapted to fit the style of the previous movie as well as operate as something completely different.
I'll say this: if there's one thing wrong with this movie, it's the shaky hand-held cinematography. Should someone want to retitle this movie, it could be called The Bourne Epilepsy. All else, it's a solid movie. The acting, the storytelling, this movie should be seen to appreciate that good movies are still being made today. Bravo!