(Update 08/11/2012: Knowing what I know now, I've completely rewritten my reviews for the box set and individual titles from scratch, which might make some of the comments obsolete. But in exchange, I hope this review seems more in-depth now).(Note: Since I can't fit all 3 individual reviews into one entry, I've essentially condensed it down to a general overview of the plot, A/V specs and presentation, and only a list of the special features for each. The numbers you see don't necessarily equate to technical perfection, but those are the average numbers based on each movie and rounded up to the nearest whole or half number. To read the individual reviews, use the links below).
http://www.amazon.com/review/R35Y9M58QPFCXE/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
http://www.amazon.com/review/RFJDO2K5251W2/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1BYXHJU8KPQFN/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
Movie 5.0
The first time I ever saw this film series was from a total blind-buy. Previously, I never even wanted to touch it because I had this stupid, unexplainable bias against Matt Damon. To this day, I still can't remember why I had such feelings, but I'm glad I got over it, because The Bourne Trilogy is a masterfully-executed story that has changed the face of spy-thriller movies forever. The Bourne Identity starts with the discovery of a man found overboard. He has two gunshot wounds in his back, a Swiss bank account in his hip, and no immediate recollection of who he is. Coincidentally, upon reaching the mainland it seems that he's a master in firearms and fisticuffs when he instinctively disables a couple of poor police officers that just happened to mess with the wrong guy. When he gets to the Swiss bank, he finds a deposit box with a passport and his name: Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). But to his surprise, there's a slew of other passports with the same picture and different names, in addition to lots of cash and even a handgun. Upon setting out to Paris, he meets a woman named Marie (Franka Potente), and the two of them would go on to face assassins and conspiracies while uncovering answers to who he is.
In The Bourne Supremacy, we find the two in Goa living a life of peace after managing to escape pursuit. Meanwhile, an operation in Berlin to uncover a mole amongst the top CIA brass, led by Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), goes south when a Russian federal agent, Kirill (Karl Urban), infiltrates the deal and takes out the informant while leaving a fingerprint of Bourne to cover his tracks. When Kirill attempts to find Bourne and assassinate him, Marie is killed in his stead. And in a rage of anger, Bourne decides to aspire vengeance on all those who had been chasing him. But in the process, he would discover a few more things about his past that would change him for the better.
And in The Bourne Ultimatum, after a British reporter named Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) discovers a new Treadstone replacement agency called Blackbriar, led by Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), Bourne figures to find the source of Ross' information so he can finally get the answers he'd been searching for, as well as putting an end to these agencies. Upon Ross' assassination, Bourne instills the aid of former Treadstone handler Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and receives the benefit of the doubt from Pamela Landy as he makes his way back home to New York and discovers the truth to everything he had forgotten.
The Bourne movie franchise has made quite the name for itself. In the hands of Doug Liman, he not only managed to introduce an interesting character with a lot of mystery and intrigue to his background, but also a character we were able to sympathize for. He was a character that lost his memory, re-discovered himself, then tried to leave his dark past behind and escape a corrupt system. After Paul Greengrass took the reigns, he improved what Liman left on the table, further exposing the humanistic side of this character as we see him lose the part of his life he cares about the most. But despite that loss, his humanity would prove to be stronger than his vengeance as even more memories started to surface, making his journey for revenge turn into a search for redemption. And after finding his inner peace, he takes pursuit of those responsible in an effort to destroy the very system that had created him and brought about so much pain and suffering, not only to him, but to many of those involved throughout its history. At this point, I think it's safe to say that Matt Damon's portrayal of Jason Bourne has really cemented itself amongst the iconic spy heroes (next to James Bond and maybe Bryan Mills from Taken).
Video 5.0
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1, 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
The video quality of the series is pretty much perfect aside from the first one. In my initial review a few years ago, I said I wasn't pleased with Identity, but did a pretty crappy job explaining it. After reading up on the technicalities of film-making since then, I've gotten a much better grasp on how to explain and describe these things. That being said, Identity looks very good in terms of black levels, colors, and sharpness. Looking at a lot of the outdoor shots, especially, and a few indoor, the picture retains enough detail that it makes for a pleasant image for the trilogy's initial entry in HD. However, it does suffer from low contrast, giving it a somewhat murky look, and there are several occasions when dirt and a couple of scratches from print damage pop up. It's not terribly distracting, but it is noticeable.
Supremacy, on the other hand, is a major step up. With the changing of director in Paul Greengrass, he gave the image a much more vibrant look that better accentuates all of the aforementioned qualities. Blacks are darker, colors are much more vivid, contrast is better-balanced, and the sharpness is even sharper. Just looking at the beginning scenes in Goa, there's a tremendous amount of color that really adds more life, and the rest of the movie follows accordingly. Some people say the saturation is a little too high, but I'm in the belief that it was intentional since Grengrass is such a visualist. And there's also a good amount of film grain as well, which again, I believe is intentional. So unless you don't like the color timing or are a grain-hater, then those are about the only problems you might have. Finally, Ultimatum has the same kind of photography, only with a difference of intensity. Supremacy ran a little hot in terms of color, but I feel it added to the overall tone of the film itself (Bourne getting hot and angry for revenge, hence the hot look to the picture). However, Ultimatum is essentially where things come full circle and the adventure ends. Because of that, this is probably about as "normal" of a color level as you'll get. So there you have it. Aside from the first movie, there's not much else to complain about.
Audio 5.0
Languages
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish
Again, aside from Identity, the audio is just about perfect. All three movies use the DTS-HD MA codec, and all of them sound fantastic. The only problem with Identity isn't so much the quality, but the quantity. As in the film itself just isn't as heavily-mixed as the others. In his commentary, Doug Liman stressed how he wanted to make Identity a drama first and an action movie second. Because of this, I think it reflects in the sound mix. The actual depth and quality to the track itself is pretty buoyant in terms of separation and directionality and gets especially aggressive during the fight with the first Treadstone agent. Rear speaker activity also gets a really good workout during the car chase sequence when cars start turning the corners. And dynamic range is excellent in the scene where Bourne is fighting Clive Owen's character outside the farmhouse.
Additionally, when Greengrass takes over as director for the sequels, the audio gets a tremendous upgrade, just as the video did. Even for as low-key as the opening scenes are in Supremacy, the dynamic depth alone is noticeably louder and more precise. Action sequences offer up even more aggressive mixing such as the fight between Bourne and the last remaining Treadstone agent. This scene in particular displays a very exact design that has no music and does a great job isolating its sound effects into the confines of that small, compact area, adding an extra layer of ferocity and tension to it. And the car chase in Moscow towards the end is brimming with activity as the vehicles skid, crash, and break all over the place. But even still, Ultimatum manages to top that. Immersion is outstanding from the crowd noise for the scene at Waterloo Station, isolation is more intense in the fight between Bourne and Desh, and the car chase in New York is a sonic masterpiece of mayhem and music. By the way, John Powell's score is another big factor to the overall sound of these films. His string and percussion works really help to compliment the storytelling that even exudes a subtle amount of LFEs through his awesome drum pieces. Outside from the one minor issue with Identity, all of these films sound superb.
Extras 4.0
There are quite a bit of extras, but if I were to highlight just one feature from each movie, I'd say at the very least(!) give the audio commentaries a listen. And if you like technical stuff, the U-Control Picture in Picture for Supremacy is well-worth a watch as well.
The Bourne Identity:
Audio Commentary (Director Doug Liman)
The Ludlum Identity (SD; 12:49)
The Ludlum Supremacy (SD; 12:41)
The Ludlum Ultimatum (SD; 23:57)
Alternate Opening and Ending (SD; 10:46 altogether)
Deleted Scenes (SD; 6:58)
Extended Farmhouse Scene (0:58)
The Birth of the Bourne Identity (SD; 14:31)
The Bourne Mastermind: Robert Ludlum (SD; 5:44)
Access Granted: An Interview with Co-Writer Tony Gilroy (SD; 4:03)
From Identity to Supremacy: Jason & Marie (SD; 3:37)
The Bourne Diagnosis (SD; 3:25)
Cloak and Dagger: Covert Ops (SD; 5:31)
Inside a Fight Sequence (SD; 4:42)
Moby "Extreme Ways" Music Video (SD; 3:38)
U-Control
The Bourne Supremacy:
Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
Explosive Deleted Scenes (SD; 10:46)
Matching Identities: Casting (SD; 5:23)
Keeping it Real (SD; 4:58)
Blowing Things Up (SD; 4:00)
On the Move with Jason Bourne (SD; 4:45)
Bourne to be Wild: Fight Training (SD; 4:21)
Crash Cam: Racing Through the Streets of Moscow (SD; 5:58)
The Go-Mobile Revs Up the Action (SD; 6:49)
Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bridge Chase Scene (SD; 4:40)
Scoring with John Powell (SD; 4:46)
The Bourne Mastermind (Part 2) (SD; 4:42)
The Bourne Diagnosis (Part 2) (SD; 5:39)
U-Control
The Bourne Ultimatum:
Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
Deleted Scenes (SD; 12:22)
Be Bourne Spy Training
Man on the Move: Jason Bourne (SD; 23:58 altogether)
Roof Pursuit (SD; 5:39)
Planning the Punches (SD; 4:59)
Driving School (SD; 3:23)
New York Chase (SD; 10:46)
U-Control
Overall 5.0
So there you have it. If you've read my individual reviews for these movies, there's not much else I can say. The Bourne Trilogy is one of the best in its genre, and I'm really thankful for its influence in a lot of other recent entries (the Daniel Craig Bond movies and Liam Neeson's roles in both Taken and Unknown). It refreshed the genre with a mix of mystery, grit, and emotional depth that has really raised the standard. This box set is a very good deal, and I'm glad I made that blind-buy when I did. The A/V specs are essentially perfect outside of the first film, and they're all chock full of meaningful special features. If you haven't seen these films yet, make the time. You won't regret it.
The movies are THE BEST...but don't be fooled by this packaging. And the bonus material is a COMPLETE let down. There is so much they could have done...instead we get a documentary of the writer. It's interesting but still, I would have loved to see more on the stunts, Damon's acting, etc.
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