Saw Bourne Ultimatum Friday (opening day) at the Big Newport .. on the "largest screen in the West".
Figured I'd beat the crowds by catching the matinee (4PM screening). Unfortunately, half of Newport Beach was thinking the same.
Theater was packed (seats 1100). Had to sit way up front (kinda loud).
Went with e-dawg, who just graduated from UCSB (degree in Physics). He's heading to Taiwan next month .. to study Chinese (read "to meet cute Asian chicks").
Rare for a sequel to match the original, but this Bourne was the best. It exceeded all my expectations. I found it intelligent, well-crafted, and the story skillfully presented. Easy to recommend.
When we came out, the line for the 7PM screening wrapped around the block.
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Most surprising, were the previews. We saw 5 or 6 .. the best set of previews I've ever seen. All testosterone-based flicks, with many of them addressing issues our country now faces regarding the war in Iraq.
I checked my watch when the movie started, noting we'd seen 20 minutes worth of previews. I realize good previews can translate into bad movies, but these movies all looked like flicks I'd definitely like to see.
If you haven't seen it yet, and are planning to, you might first wanna check out the Frontline special titled » Spying on the Homefront (videos posted » here) .. especially video #3 (only 10 minutes long) .. and you'll see that much of the basis for the Bourne flick isn't as fanciful as you might think.
No romance in this flick. Not a single kiss. I applaud the filmmakers for not trying to make their film all things to all people.
My favorite shot .. comes early on .. as the camera slowly zooms in .. .. over reporter's left shoulder, who poses a question. Increasingly the scene becomes muted, dark, shadowy .. until you see only the eye (right eye) of man sitting across from the reporter .. until it consumes the entire screen. The Mystery man then says, "Alright, turn off the recorder." [Cut to next scene].
Not sure if that's great directing, cinematography or editing .. or a combination of all three, but it works. Very immersive. You feel like you're there (and want to know what he said).
This movie jams. Fasten your seatbelt. Might wanna drink some espresso before going, so you can keep up. Listen to some Crystal Method on the way over. Crank it up. (Busy Child should do the trick.)
I'm giving the Bourne Ultimatum > 5 Rad Tri-blades (out of 5) » 
and putting it on my official Recommended list.
For more along these lines, here's a Google search preconfigured for the query » bourne ultimatum movie film review matt damon