sanddragon939
Joined Dec 2006
Welcome to the new profile
Our updates are still in development. While the previous version of the profile is no longer accessible, we're actively working on improvements, and some of the missing features will be returning soon! Stay tuned for their return. In the meantime, the Ratings Analysis is still available on our iOS and Android apps, found on the profile page. To view your Rating Distribution(s) by Year and Genre, please refer to our new Help guide.
Badges2
To learn how to earn badges, go to the badges help page.
Ratings1.2K
sanddragon939's rating
Reviews68
sanddragon939's rating
I've been waiting for this movie for nearly a decade now and the fanboy in me probably thinks its the greatest thing ever! But objectively speaking, 'Jason Bourne' is a pretty great revival of the franchise, but it isn't exactly of the caliber of the original trilogy (especially Greengrass' two previous efforts).
Its not a knock on the film itself. There are some great action set- pieces, particularly the opening one set during a night-time Athens riot. It does everything much like its titular - with perfect surgical precision. And yet, one gets the feeling of it getting a tad too formulaic - a series of boxes being ticked off. Car chase? Yes. Hand-to-hand fight with rival assassin? Yes. Stake-out? Yes. And so on. In defense of this film, the box-ticking arguably started with 'Ultimatum' (and its really inevitable in any franchise after a point), but it seems a tad more emphatic here. Yet, the box-ticking does serve the purpose of reassuring audiences that yes, Bourne is indeed back (the REAL Bourne and not Jeremy Renner pretending to be Bourne in all but name), so perhaps one should cut it some slack. Ultimately though, what 'Jason Bourne' does well, the previous films did better.
There are two points of 'originality' I credit this film for, and both are particularly intriguing and vital if one considers this to be the launch of a new cycle of Bourne films. One is Alicia Vikander's cyber-intelligence expert Heather Lee. Ostensibly, she appears to be the latest iteration of the Nicky Parsons/Pam Landy archetype, but as the film progresses, we learn there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. Without spoiling too much, let's put it this way - Heather Lee may well the the character that truly gives this franchise its second wind. The other is an interesting discussion, that occurs intermittently through the film, about Bourne's patriotism and whether or not it can be used to convince him to return to service. In the current political climate, dominated by issues of identity and nationalism and debates over who's a patriot and who's a traitor...this is indeed a potent new hook on which to base Bourne's future character arc.
Matt Damon of course sinks back into Jason Bourne like he'd never left, though this time, there is a certain weariness to the character, which of course fits in with the narrative. Tommy Lee Jones takes a decent stab at playing Tommy Lee Jones, the gruff CIA Director Robert Dewey, who's basically plays the part Conklin, Abbott, and then Vosen did in previous installments. Julia Stiles brief return as Nicky Parsons is pretty decent too, and she adds some much needed connective tissue between the trilogy and this film. Of particular note is the performance of Vincent Cassel. The nameless 'asset' he plays is the most fleshed out version of this archetype thus far and he's actually relevant to the plot in a way that his predecessors never were (barring Clive Owen's Professor perhaps).
On the whole, Jason Bourne is back and there's potential for great things ahead. Only time will tell if we finally get a film that surpasses 'Supremacy' and 'Ultimatum'.
Its not a knock on the film itself. There are some great action set- pieces, particularly the opening one set during a night-time Athens riot. It does everything much like its titular - with perfect surgical precision. And yet, one gets the feeling of it getting a tad too formulaic - a series of boxes being ticked off. Car chase? Yes. Hand-to-hand fight with rival assassin? Yes. Stake-out? Yes. And so on. In defense of this film, the box-ticking arguably started with 'Ultimatum' (and its really inevitable in any franchise after a point), but it seems a tad more emphatic here. Yet, the box-ticking does serve the purpose of reassuring audiences that yes, Bourne is indeed back (the REAL Bourne and not Jeremy Renner pretending to be Bourne in all but name), so perhaps one should cut it some slack. Ultimately though, what 'Jason Bourne' does well, the previous films did better.
There are two points of 'originality' I credit this film for, and both are particularly intriguing and vital if one considers this to be the launch of a new cycle of Bourne films. One is Alicia Vikander's cyber-intelligence expert Heather Lee. Ostensibly, she appears to be the latest iteration of the Nicky Parsons/Pam Landy archetype, but as the film progresses, we learn there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. Without spoiling too much, let's put it this way - Heather Lee may well the the character that truly gives this franchise its second wind. The other is an interesting discussion, that occurs intermittently through the film, about Bourne's patriotism and whether or not it can be used to convince him to return to service. In the current political climate, dominated by issues of identity and nationalism and debates over who's a patriot and who's a traitor...this is indeed a potent new hook on which to base Bourne's future character arc.
Matt Damon of course sinks back into Jason Bourne like he'd never left, though this time, there is a certain weariness to the character, which of course fits in with the narrative. Tommy Lee Jones takes a decent stab at playing Tommy Lee Jones, the gruff CIA Director Robert Dewey, who's basically plays the part Conklin, Abbott, and then Vosen did in previous installments. Julia Stiles brief return as Nicky Parsons is pretty decent too, and she adds some much needed connective tissue between the trilogy and this film. Of particular note is the performance of Vincent Cassel. The nameless 'asset' he plays is the most fleshed out version of this archetype thus far and he's actually relevant to the plot in a way that his predecessors never were (barring Clive Owen's Professor perhaps).
On the whole, Jason Bourne is back and there's potential for great things ahead. Only time will tell if we finally get a film that surpasses 'Supremacy' and 'Ultimatum'.
If 'First Class' was the prequel/quasi-reboot that refreshed the franchise for a new decade and 'Days of Future Past' was a celebration of the history of the entire X-men film franchise...then 'Apocalypse', the concluding chapter of this loose 'prequel trilogy' is Bryan Singer finally taking the X-men to its roots as a comic- book spectacle, something which a significant portion of the fanbase has been clamouring for, to varying degrees, since the very first X- film hit the silver screen. And it would be unfair to judge 'Apocalypse' without taking this into account...
As a work of cinema, 'Apocalypse' pales in comparison to its two immediate predecessors and of course Singer's original two films. But as a comic-book fantasy brought to life, it more than delights! There are no themes, overt and subtle, of discrimination and evolution and destiny here (well, there are somewhere in the background, but they are hardly of any importance)...what this film does have is the X-men valiantly flying into battle to literally save the world. It does have bright, colorful costumes, tons of continuity references to films and comics alike, mindblowing SPX, and an extended cameo by a certain franchise star that will no doubt have the audience cheering. And that's fine! Not every comic-book film needs to be a 'Dark Knight' or even an 'Iron Man'.
As a work of cinema, 'Apocalypse' pales in comparison to its two immediate predecessors and of course Singer's original two films. But as a comic-book fantasy brought to life, it more than delights! There are no themes, overt and subtle, of discrimination and evolution and destiny here (well, there are somewhere in the background, but they are hardly of any importance)...what this film does have is the X-men valiantly flying into battle to literally save the world. It does have bright, colorful costumes, tons of continuity references to films and comics alike, mindblowing SPX, and an extended cameo by a certain franchise star that will no doubt have the audience cheering. And that's fine! Not every comic-book film needs to be a 'Dark Knight' or even an 'Iron Man'.
One of the most eagerly awaited superhero films of the decade (if not, like, EVER), 'X-men Days of Future Past' certainly hasn't been crushed by the weight of ginormous expectations placed on it - rather, it has far surpassed those expectations to become one of the greatest comic- book films of all time. In my opinion, DOFP may well lay claim to inclusion in an elite club of superhero films that includes The Dark Knight and The Avengers.
Indeed, Bryan Singer's task in DOFP was far more ambitious in some ways than Joss Whedon's mission with 'The Avengers'. This time, it wasn't a bunch of superheroes that had to be united on screen, but rather two disparate franchises within the X-men franchise - the world of the original X-men trilogy (with Jackman, Stewart, McKellan et. all), and the 'prequel' world of 'X-men First Class (with Hoult, Fassbender, McAvoy et. all). And he does so masterfully, uniting the two eras of the franchise into one cohesive whole...further developing the younger cast of 'First Class' while also giving a fitting tribute to the ones who started it all.
Hugh Jackman of course is the star of the movie, who literally bridges the two casts just as his character Wolverine uses time-travel to bridge the two eras. But the true protagonist of this film is James McAvoys's younger Charles Xavier. In 1973, Charles is a far cry from the wise mentor and leader embodied by Patrick Stewart - he is a tortured soul, a drug-addict who has numbed his mutant powers in order to be able to sleep peacefully, a man who has seemingly lost his purpose. In an interesting inversion of their relationship from the original films, Logan is forced to mentor the young Charles and set him down the path to becoming the legendary Professor X. Michael Fassbender does a great job as the younger, more militant Eric Lensherr/Magneto. And Jennifer Lawrence's Raven/Mystique is of course the lynchpin of the film's time- travel plot. When we last saw her in 'First Class', she was torn between the opposing paths of Charles and Eric. The original trilogy would have us believe she is destined to become Magneto's ally and fellow mutant terrorist...but if this film teaches us anything, its that the 'future is not set'...
Despite the focus on the 'First Class' cast (Wolverine notwithstanding), many of the characters from the original cast get their moments to shine in the midst of the final desperate battle with the mutant-killing Sentinels-most notably Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde, Patrick Stewart's older Professor X, and Ian McKellan's Magneto. Also, while the film in many ways functions as a direct sequel to 'First Class', owing partly to the time-travel plot and partly to the return of franchise creator Bryan Singer, this film feels more or less like a spiritual sequel to X2 - from the use of the soundtrack of that movie, to a number of homages and callbacks to that movie.
On the whole, DOFP is both an ending and a beginning (a fitting thing for a time travel movie to be!) and leaves you excited for the next installment in this, the longest-running superhero franchise ever!
Indeed, Bryan Singer's task in DOFP was far more ambitious in some ways than Joss Whedon's mission with 'The Avengers'. This time, it wasn't a bunch of superheroes that had to be united on screen, but rather two disparate franchises within the X-men franchise - the world of the original X-men trilogy (with Jackman, Stewart, McKellan et. all), and the 'prequel' world of 'X-men First Class (with Hoult, Fassbender, McAvoy et. all). And he does so masterfully, uniting the two eras of the franchise into one cohesive whole...further developing the younger cast of 'First Class' while also giving a fitting tribute to the ones who started it all.
Hugh Jackman of course is the star of the movie, who literally bridges the two casts just as his character Wolverine uses time-travel to bridge the two eras. But the true protagonist of this film is James McAvoys's younger Charles Xavier. In 1973, Charles is a far cry from the wise mentor and leader embodied by Patrick Stewart - he is a tortured soul, a drug-addict who has numbed his mutant powers in order to be able to sleep peacefully, a man who has seemingly lost his purpose. In an interesting inversion of their relationship from the original films, Logan is forced to mentor the young Charles and set him down the path to becoming the legendary Professor X. Michael Fassbender does a great job as the younger, more militant Eric Lensherr/Magneto. And Jennifer Lawrence's Raven/Mystique is of course the lynchpin of the film's time- travel plot. When we last saw her in 'First Class', she was torn between the opposing paths of Charles and Eric. The original trilogy would have us believe she is destined to become Magneto's ally and fellow mutant terrorist...but if this film teaches us anything, its that the 'future is not set'...
Despite the focus on the 'First Class' cast (Wolverine notwithstanding), many of the characters from the original cast get their moments to shine in the midst of the final desperate battle with the mutant-killing Sentinels-most notably Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde, Patrick Stewart's older Professor X, and Ian McKellan's Magneto. Also, while the film in many ways functions as a direct sequel to 'First Class', owing partly to the time-travel plot and partly to the return of franchise creator Bryan Singer, this film feels more or less like a spiritual sequel to X2 - from the use of the soundtrack of that movie, to a number of homages and callbacks to that movie.
On the whole, DOFP is both an ending and a beginning (a fitting thing for a time travel movie to be!) and leaves you excited for the next installment in this, the longest-running superhero franchise ever!
