The release of all three Bourne spy movies on the brand new Universal “Flipper” discs, one side DVD and one side Blu-Ray, isn’t just a good excuse to pick up the new, more compact version of the two-in-one sets that have already been coming out to lure new buyers into the Blu-Ray market. It’s a good reason to sit down with all three films back-to-back and watch one of the best spy trilogies set to film.
While the series is named after the hugely successful trilogy of books by the late master of spy thrillers, Robert Ludlum, aside from the basic premise, they bear absolutely no resemblance to each other. The books are so beloved by spy fans that it seemed like probably a bad idea to deviate so drastically from the source material. However, the films are very much their own animal, telling an involving story all their own.
There’s definitely a pay-off to watching this tale of government corruption and illegal assassination programs straight through. The story gradually unfolds across all three movies in such a graceful fashion that you’d think it had been the plan from the beginning to tell it that way. The final film ties so directly to important bits of dialogue and emotional sequences from the previous two films that you’re really missing something by not setting up a movie night to watch all three. With the amount of extras on each as well, both older ones ported over from the DVD edition and tons of brand-new Blu-Ray exclusives, you might want to reserve an extra evening just for those.
THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002)
The first film in the series introduced Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, a super-agent like Bond but all-business. Director Doug Liman helmed the story that began with Bourne being found floating in the Mediterranean with two bullets in his back and a bad case of amnesia. He doesn’t know who he was and how he got to where he was found. It doesn’t take long for him to catch on that he was some sort of skilled agent; his instinct kicks in with some direct and to the point martial arts take downs on some nosy police officers and a capsule embedded in his hip leads him to a Zurich bank account filled with money, fake passports, and a gun. His presence in the bank alerts his old employers inside the CIA, an above top-secret black-ops group called Operation Treadstone and they activate other agents to take down Bourne, who doesn’t know why he’s being pursued but is putting together a story about a failed assassination attempt on a exiled dictator (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Jason enlists the aid of a woman named Marie (Franka Potente) offering her an outrageous sum of money to drive him in her car to Paris but he doesn’t realize how bad the organization wants him and soon they’re on the run together.
BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:
§ Exclusive U-Control: Universal’s exclusive signature feature U-Control allows viewers to delve into the making of the film with the click of the remote without ever leaving the movie. While you watch the movie, immerse yourself in the character dossiers and location analyses, and explore the technology behind the spy gadgets through visuals and 3-D animations.
o Picture in Picture
o Bourne Orientation
o Bourne Card Battle Strategy Game
o Treadstone Files: Includes interactive Character Dossiers, Agent Status info and GPS features.
• BD-Live™: Blu-ray™ and Playstation3 players with an Internet connection can access exclusive interactive applications that allow viewers to communicate with friends and family while watching the film:
o My Scenes Sharing: Share your favorite clips with friends through BD-Live™ Internet discussions.
o Bourne Card Battle Strategy Game.
• Additional extras:
o My Scenes
o The Ludlum Identity: An extraordinary portrait of the best-selling author through archival interviews with friends, colleagues, family members and Ludlum himself.
o The Ludlum Supremacy: Who is Jason Bourne? A revealing look at how Bourne was born.
o The Ludlum Ultimatum: A fascinating examination of the Bourne character and his enduring audience appeal.
o The Birth of the Bourne Identity
o Deleted and Extended Scenes (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Alternate Opening and Ending: With an introduction by producer Frank Marshall, screenwriter Tony Gilroy and actor Brian Cox. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o The Bourne Mastermind: Robert Ludlum: A fascinating new look at the late Robert Ludlum, the bestselling novelist who created the “Bourne” trilogy. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Access Granted: An exclusive interview with screenwriter Tony Gilroy on the challenges of adapting Ludlum’s 500-page book for the screen. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o From Identity to Supremacy – Jason & Marie: This feature includes exclusive interviews with Matt Damon and Franka Potente which explore the making of The Bourne Identity – and build a bridge to the spectacular sequel, The Bourne Supremacy. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o The Bourne Diagnosis: Insights into the causes and effects of Jason Bourne’s struggle with amnesia from a UCLA psychologist. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Cloak and Dagger: In this feature, CIA liaison officer Chase Brandon delivers a detailed, real-world analysis of the making of a super-spy. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Inside a Fight Sequence: Join Matt Damon on the set as he and the film’s Stunt Choreographer map out the explosive action-packed U.S. Embassy fight sequence. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Moby “Extreme Ways” Music Video (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Feature Commentary with Director Doug Liman (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004)
Two years after the end of “Identity” Bourne is happy in paradise with his girlfriend where he is slowly starting to remember more details of his past. Their happiness is brought to an end by an assassin’s bullet meant for Bourne but which kills his girlfriend instead. Bourne is definitely the wrong guy to mess with and he goes on a quest to find out why the CIA, who he believes is responsible, are bothering him again and to get revenge on the hit man (Karl Urban). Turns out the CIA has been misled into thinking Bourne was responsible for a recent double murder and information theft and they’re chasing him for it as well. Of course, both kills were done by a third party who’ve set up Bourne to take the fall but grossly misjudged his abilities and his capacity for enacting vengeance.
BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:
§ Exclusive U-Control: Universal’s exclusive signature feature U-Control allows viewers to delve into the making of the film with the click of the remote without ever leaving the movie. While you watch the movie, immerse yourself in the character dossiers and location analyses, and explore the technology behind the spy gadgets through visuals and 3-D animations.
o Picture in Picture
o Bourne Orientation
o Bourne Card Battle Strategy Game
o Bourne Dossier
• BD-Live™: Blu-ray™ and Playstation3 players with an Internet connection can access exclusive interactive applications that allow viewers to communicate with friends and family while watching the film:
o My Scenes Sharing: Share your favorite clips with friends through BD-Live™ Internet discussions.
o Bourne Card Battle Strategy Game.
• Additional extras:
o My Scenes
o Scoring with John Powell: A special look at creating the pulse-pounding score for the movie. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o The Bourne Mastermind: Robert Ludlum: A fascinating new look at the late Robert Ludlum, the bestselling novelist who created the “Bourne” trilogy.
o The Bourne Diagnosis Part Two: Insights into the causes and effects of Jason Bourne’s struggle with amnesia from a UCLA psychologist.
o Feature Commentary with Paul Greengrass (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Explosive Deleted Scenes (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Matching Identities: Casting – See what it took to land a key role in this major action hit. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Keeping It Real – A look at the edgy and kinetic visual style the filmmakers brought to Supremacy. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Blowing Things Up – Virtual isn’t always better. See how some of the film’s most awesome pyrotechnical sequences were created—without digital effects. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o On the Move with Jason Bourne – Travel the globe to visit the film’s exotic locations from India to Berlin to Moscow. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Bourne to Be Wild: Fight Training – Matt Damon didn’t become a lethal weapon overnight. Witness the action as the star and the movie’s fight trainer perfect the film’s thrilling hand-to-hand combat scenes! (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Crash Cam: Racing Through the Streets of Moscow – Experience how stunt coordinators meticulously planned and executed the movie’s stunning, high-speed chase sequence. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o The Go-Mobile Revs Up the Action – Feel the rush of being in the driver’s seat with this revolutionary new vehicle used to capture Matt Damon’s high-speed exploits in the film’s jaw-dropping car chase sequences! (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bridge Chase Scene – Step onto the set and experience the tension and intense preparation as the filmmaking team plans and shoots one of the movie’s most demanding, dangerous and thrilling action scenes. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007)
Taking place right after the end of “Supremacy”, Bourne is in hiding but tracks a reporter (Paddy Considine) who knows something about Project Blackbriar, the secret CIA group that followed on the heels of Treadstone. When Bourne can’t protect him from an assassin, he pursues the information he got from him about his own past and the new organization. Between his new leads and bits of memories about his origin that are becoming unclouded, with the help of ex-Treadstone operative Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), Jason tracks his past and the covert organization to its roots and finds out who he really is and why he became a trained master killer.
BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:
§ Exclusive U-Control: Universal’s exclusive signature feature U-Control allows viewers to delve into the making of the film with the click of the remote without ever leaving the movie. While you watch the movie, immerse yourself in the character dossiers and location analyses, and explore the technology behind the spy gadgets through visuals and 3-D animations.
o Picture in Picture
o Bourne Orientation
o Be Bourne Spy Training – Viewers test their skills to see if they’ve got what it takes to be a covert operative.
o Bourne Card Battle Strategy Game
o Blackbriar Files: While you watch the movie, immerse yourself in the character dossiers and location analyses, and explore the technology behind the spy gadgets through visuals and 3D animations.
• BD-Live™: Blu-ray™ and Playstation3 players with an Internet connection can access exclusive interactive applications that allow viewers to communicate with friends and family while watching the film:
o My Scenes Sharing: Share your favorite clips with friends through BD-Live™ Internet discussions.
o Bourne Card Battle Strategy Game.
• Additional extras:
o My Scenes
o Man on the Move: Jason Bourne – From Berlin to Tangier, see how the film’s exotic locations influenced the filmmaking process. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Rooftop Pursuit – Discover how state-of-the-art technology was used to film the incredible Tangier rooftop chase scene! (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Planning the Punches – Matt Damon reveals his complex and rigorous fight training. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Driving School – Join Matt Damon behind the wheel as he trains for the New York car chase scene. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o New York Chase – An insider’s view on how the film’s heart-stopping chase sequences were filmed. (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Feature Commentary with Director Paul Greengrass (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
o Deleted Scenes (Available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD)
The Bourne series is one of those all-too-rare phenomenons of a film series that actually gets better as it goes along, as opposed to the other way around. While Liman’s first film effectively sets up the world and the characters, it dragged at points compared to director Paul Greengrass’s two sequels which, while changing the viewpoint more to the CIA hunting Bourne, especially in the second film, portrayed the amnesiac master-spy as more of the plausibly unstoppable hard-ass that he is.
Combining extremely brutal fighting, big stunts, and great car chases, the Bourne series is one of the best action series judged on those merits alone. It would be a mistake, however, to ignore the great story behind it all. Unlike the Bond films, which certainly were influenced in their recent rebooting by the Bourne series, they are all part of a complex tale, a trilogy of Jason Bourne and his quest to recover his memories and untangle the web of lies and the corruption that led to creating men like him in the first place. All one can hope is that the real world doesn’t actually work like this, but the Bourne films are convincingly realistic enough to be afraid that it just might.
