.jeri.

Phew, sugar high coming down. I think I can write coherently for a little bit now.

I wasn't planning on seeing the final installment of the Bourne trilogy, since the second movie didn't do all that much for me (since I couldn't see what was going on half the time). But, surprised reviews popped up all over the place, and I decided to double-dollar it (it's $2 at the theater these days). I even saw one review that called the ending possibly the best of the year.

Unfortunately, the movie still suffers from terrible camera set ups, especially shots of the back of people's heads, and it took me a while to figure out that Bourne was beating up a guy with a book in one scene, but overall, it was much improved in that area. The most exciting scenes for me weren't the chases and fights. I loved the scene where Bourne displays his training by coaching an innocent person out of harm's way in a major public area. That kind of stuff is what I loved about the first Bourne movie, and that's what I liked best about this one as well.

The story is still a bit out there and I'm not buying that he would survive some of those car scenes, but that's not important in a movie like this. It was entertaining, and the tension between Strathairn and Allen's characters make it interesting because it's not just about Bourne's experience, but theirs as well. Stylistically/scriptwise, there were a few interesting moments. I liked how his training scenes mirrored his memories of his dead girlfriend, but thought it was a little bit much that Julia Stiles had to mirror those memories as well.

As for the movie's end, I tend to agree with Nobody's analysis, and besides that, it was drawn out, as well as rather lacking in the packing-a-punch area, especially with the boring cuts between tv court hearings and Bourne's figure in the water.

Overall, I do feel like it was an improvement and was entertaining enough, but the first movie will always be the classic while the second two are simply good follow-ups that had the potential to be better.

P.S. When Ric and I left the movie, both of us were pondering whether or not there was an actual ultimatum declared in the movie. Anyone remember?