The movie turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. But then maybe I was expecting a bit too much after reading the phenomenal reviews at imdb (it was rated at 8.1 till recently). If you liked the first installment, Bourne Identity, you'll probably like this one. I didnt like the first mainly because it was so different from the book. I havent read the second book, but I doubt it is anything like the movie. Carlos is not even mentioned in either movies, while he plays a central role in the first book atleast.
The ordinary story is not the only bad thing about this movie. I hated the camera work. Some people seem to think that unsteady camera motion makes a movie "cool". I dont know about that, but done wrongly it does induce head aches and extreme frustration! The car chases were downright awful. The movie even made a beautiful place like Goa look ugly and uninviting.
The movie does have some decent background music and acting. As usual I think I have made the movie look much wrose than it probably really is. I personally dont like such spy + action + conspiracy + james-bond-esque movies anymore, and I may not be the best judge on this. My recommendation would be to watch it if you liked the first, otherwise avoid.
Posted by ankit at July 26, 2025 10:31 PM | TrackBackI have read the entire Bourne series and found it pretty riveting. OTOH, the movie Bourne Identity was a BIG disappointment. It was not able to capture the suspense, thrill, drama or the magnificience of the novel.
Lets see how the second part turns out to be.
Cheers,
Dhar
Hey Ankit,
How do you chose your SFF books? The one you are currently reading (Malazan), I havent heard of it.. You read some reviews before getting a book?
Cheers,
Dhar
I havn't read the book and don't plan to do so in the near future. For me it was worth my time and money because I enjoyed the action and the process in which he reached his objective. Further, the movie had a soft ending showing how a hit killer gets transformed because of lost love. (not uncommon for indian cinema :). The interesting moments were the lightening presence of mind he showed in most formidable situations. Those actions were no doubt exaggerated but then it was fun. I normally lower down my logic reasoning and reality checks before I enter the cinema hall. The movie was one of the best I saw in recent times.
Posted by: Abhishek at July 27, 2025 01:21 AMSumit, I read about Steven Erikson and the Malazan Empire on some mailing list recently. Read all about it on http://malazanempire.com/ (particularly the forums), and the book reviews on amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. The books were not available in the US till very recently, and even now only the first book is available. That is probably the reason why they are not very well known. People seem to compare this to Song of Ice and Fire by Martin, only about 10 times more complex and entertaining. Lets see...
Abhishek, read the book and you'll realize how much the movie lacks...
Posted by: ankit at July 27, 2025 08:14 AM