Another lacklustre sequel...

Rating: 6/10 (26 November 2008)

I'll keep this short and to the point: THE BOURNE SUPREMACY was a total letdown. None of the good elements from the original were maintained (except the acting; Matt Damon is still good, and Joan Allen and Julia Stiles do well). The screenplay is weak, the action sequences are either boring or so poorly edited they feel incoherent and nauseating, the character development/interaction is stale, the music is uninteresting, and the plot is paper-thin. It just doesn't live up to the intelligence seen in THE BOURNE IDENTITY.
Yet another tasteless sequel. I was expecting more, since THE BOURNE IDENTITY was so good, but the change of director was unwarranted. Paul Greengrass (of UNITED 93 fame) feels the need to infuse this movie with needless and hackneyed action just because it falls in the genre action thriller. The lessons learnt from THE BOURNE IDENTITY's success were sadly lost. On a positive note, the final car chase sequence is worth watching because it is more engaging than the other action sequences, and because it comes at the end of the film, leading up to some closure. At the very least it's a bit of a reward for having to sit through the film...
6/10 is a bit generous. If it were a stand-alone picture, I would have given THE BOURNE SUPREMACY a 5, but I still have fond memories of the original. 2.5 stars (out of 4). See it, or not. If you plan on watching out the trilogy I guess you need to see this as well, and not just the two superior ones. But be warned...monotony and tedium await...