Sequels are one of the most controversial and criticized things in storytelling. Too often, they happen because of marketplace pressure to strike the iron while its hot and turn appreciative fans into money. Business-wise, it's a great idea but it's that kind of thinking that drains all creativity from an artistic project. THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM was the third and final Jason Bourne novel written by its original author Robert Ludlum. I guess it's the Bourne equivalent to the original STAR WARS run (althought nine other Bourne novels were written by Eric Van Lustbader from 2004 to 2013). Despite not being second hand material, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM is a textbook case of why sequels are such a headscratcher sometimes. At least, it had the delicacy to raise interesting questions.
After clearing his name in Europe, something catches Jason Bourne (Matt Damon)'s eyes on the train ride back to his hideout: a journalism from The Guardian named Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) leaked the existence of Operation Blackbriar and attached his name to it. Smelling a fresh lead to his past, Bourne organizes a meeting with Ross in London. Unfortunately, the journalist is killed before he and Bourne can elude their tail, but he leaves an important hint behind: Neal Daniels is the name is his Operation Blackbriar contact. Stick with nothning better to do than hide or pull the veil on his mysterious past, Jason Bourne decides to chase Daniels around the globe and get some answers. As usual in the Bourne universe *, when you're looking for something, there is an avalance of other, unwanted stuff falling on your melon.
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (as least its movie iteration, I never read the novel) is so ''sequelly'' because it doesn't have a valid reason to exist, except to give Jason Bourne some peace of mind. While THE BOURNE SUPREMACY sported a rather well packaged plot, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM is a series of long and winding action scenes supposed to lead to one predictable conclusion: learn who Jason Bourne really is. The Bourne/Ross scene in the train station is clever and well-paced, yet it never freakin' ends. It's more of a vapid display of visual storytelling than a key scene. It would've been interesting to see what a less showy director than Paul Greengrass could have done with it. I spent my entire viewing of THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM frustrated that the answers to Bourne's true identity wouldn't come fast enough because they were the only thing I could expect out of it.
Key scene of THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM pictured above.
So what should we expect of sequels and more particularly trilogies? Varying the tone and developping a mind of its own is a winning bet. Take LORD OF THE RINGS for example, THE RETURN OF THE KING is such a striking finale because it doesn't try to out-epic THE TWO TOWERS and leaves Helm's Deep Battle as the hallmark widescale event of the series. It focused on the dramatic implications of destroying the ring instead. The problem with the Jason Bourne movies is that they all mesh into one, thanks to the overbearing presence of director Paul Greengrass and his overkill approach to milking an action scene to its last drop. If I didn't knew the Bourne Trilogy was based on three actual novels, you could easily make me believe it was just one and that it was stretchedWAY too thin.
So what have we learned from this meaningless era in action filmmaking? Sometimes, too much money and too many egos entangled together just make for a flat and confusing project. The Jason Bourne movies also were an interesting lesson in salesmanship: get the right star, release the movie at the right time and generate a minimal buzz and you will create added value to something uninteresting. THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM wrapped just about every loose angle in the Jason Bourne story, yet failed to create one that had its own legs. Was it meant as a ''thank you'' to fans? Would Jason Bourne was in the sunset and finally leave action fans alone Wasn't it a little ELABORATE? I guess not. Things that are meant to exist to make money usually die a long and painful death.
* Wouldn't it be a great title for the next Bourne novel ? THE BOURNE UNIVERSE: This time, they're going INTO SPACE! Take notes, Eric Van Lustbader!