Distracting camera-work, shallow plot, fun action

Rating: 4/10 (23 July 2004)

The Bourne Identity was a wonderful movie, and I had high enough hopes for 'Supremacy' that I decided to go to a midnight showing the night before the official opening night.
In 'identity,' we got a real sense of the characters. There was a lot of action, and the characters were doing things for a reason. It all made sense, given the premise of the film.
Alas, after Supremacy's first ten minutes, any pretense at character development was abandoned, and we were treated to a pretty standard action flick. Lots of car chases, lots of heavy shooting, no character development, and a flimsy fluffy plot that tried to be sentimental but came off as merely gratuitous.
The cinematography was very different from the first film. Supremacy was filmed in a grainy, jerky camera style. No doubt intended to be intense, it was merely distracting and made it very hard to follow the action when things got going.
The plot was throwaway. You could drive a semi through the holes! Supposedly happily ensconsed with his wife, Bourne nevertheless has all his aliases and passports fully intact, with a cache of high-powered weapons magically at his disposal as he pops up in country after country, crossing international borders with surprising impunity.
All in all, it was a fun diversion, but I was expecting a far better film, given the talented cast and history of the franchise.