Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne follows the same pattern and delivers the same action/espionage thrills that we have come to expect from Matt Damon Bourne movies.  I contend that the first two Bourne films had convincing plots, while the third film and this (the fourth starring Damon as Bourne) have plots that seem to primarily exist to give Bourne another movie.  That's a minor complaint though, since Bourne is an intriguing character, Damon plays him so well, and the director Paul Greengrass certainly knows his craft.  From a technical standpoint this film is extremely impressive, the choreography of the mob scene and the editing is spot-on.  Sometimes Greengrass' proclivity for using handheld cameras is distracting, but when the action gets intense he makes us feel that we're right there in the middle of it all.  I think that casting Vincent Cassel as the antagonist is always a good idea, although seeing him in another movie up against Damon where he will not be allowed to succeed (as in the Ocean's movies) is somewhat frustrating.  I wonder if Matt Damon would consider playing a similar character to Cassel's in French movies.
  
My wife Jess commented that the ending of this film seems to be setting up another movie, and I tend to agree with her.  I hope that the producers of this series can find a way to give Bourne some peace, because up to this point his life has been extremely tragic.

Suicide Squad

So I’m going to work my way backwards from my most recently viewed yet unreviewed movie.

Suicide Squad is a mess, but did anyone really doubt that it would be.   When people attack comic books as juvenile, they could easily point to the plot (and I use that term hesitantly) of Suicide Squad and unequivocally win their argument.  Each and every character is motivated by a strong commitment to cliché.  Suicide Squad follows the current trend of comic book movies by inexplicably using CGI to detach the audience from the antagonist.  Perhaps the makers of these movies are concerned that they might hurt the main characters, so they give them ridiculous cartoons instead of formidable foes.  Or maybe the Animation Union hired the Russian mafia to strong-arm their way into all comic book movies.  Or perhaps it’s just another indication of our country’s cultural decline.

You may be surprised to find that overall I enjoyed the movie.  I’ve become so accustomed disappointment in non-Nolan comic book movies that even the briefest well-made scenes make me happy.  Suicide Squad has quite a few well-made scenes interspersed throughout, just enough to make the whole movie seem alright.  Will Smith as Deadshot was quite funny, Killer Croc had some pretty cool makeup, Batman underwater, and colorful clothing dissolving in acid.  I will close by saying that Joker is the Joker we deserve right now.  Somehow he seems to fit in with today’s political climate.  I am a little concerned with what it will take to entertain us with the next iteration of Joker – perhaps it’ll come full circle and we’ll get Cesar Romero again.