So-So Sequel That Failed To Engage

Rating: 4/10 (14 November 2007)

Although I couldn't say that I found it spectacular, I did enjoy "The Bourne Identity" more than I expected to, not really being into the action genre, and so decided to continue on with the series. At best, though, I found "The Bourne Supremacy" (the second part of the Bourne trilogy) to be only a so-so follow-up that for whatever reason completely failed to engage me the way the first one had managed to. I had a very strong "been there, done that" reaction to most of what happened in this movie. Car chases, fights, explosions and killings - but while those things contributed to a very good story before, here they seemed to lack any real or at least original focus. The story also seemed to me a bit confused - which, I concede, may well have been a deliberate way of keeping the viewer mindful of Bourne's growing confusion over his identity.
The movie featured generally good performances. Matt Damon moved back into the character of Bourne effortlessly, and there was a fairly strong supporting cast, including Brian Cox (another returnee from "Identity") and Joan Allen as the new character of Pamela Landy - who, I take it, was the CIA chief in Berlin. I truly missed Franka Potente, though, who exited very early in this movie. I thought her character of Marie was one of the more intriguing characters in the first movie.
In spite of the good performances, though, the main problem is the one I stated off the top - this just didn't grab hold of me. I thought it was worth perhaps a 4/10.