Jason Bourne Movie #4

[jason]

Universal announced they are going to make a 4th Bourne movie. I've watched the first 3 and found them ok. Nothing super great. I also understand there are Bourne Books, which I haven't read any of. So what is the new movie to be about? It seems like they had a pretty good ending in #3.

 

[mollyL]

I have not seen any of the Bourne series but I'm sure Matt Damon is excellent as usual. His natural kind of baby-face would seem to preclude him from anything but comedies, but he plays complicated individuals with conviction, I think. I did just did see him in, am I remembering correctly, the Good Shepherd. Extremely good!

 

[Green-Moo]

I've read one of the books (the first one, can't remember the name I'm afraid) but found it terribly dull. Maybe that was just me! Sometimes books which strike me as dull because I don't give them my full attention translate very well onto the screen.

 

[mollyL]

Those kind of books usually leave me cold. The one book of spy/adventure-ish stuff I really like and have read several times is called Shibumi, written by Trevanian, I think. You have to give them a bit of a pass on the outdated computer line from the story, although that story line is still compelling. It's a good story and a good read.

 

[Ashlar2006]

The first 2 were alright , but I think they're starting to beat a dead horse .

 

[Green-Moo]

Those kind of books usually leave me cold.

I'm with you there, they're certainly not my first choice. The problem is that although they often have very very good plots, they're just so difficult to follow when you're trying to read a page here & a page there which is what I end up having to do.

Tom Clancy, for instance, writes books with a good plot (they translate well into film) but I just can't get my head round all the names!!

 

[mollyL]

I've read one of the books (the first one, can't remember the name I'm afraid) but found it terribly dull. Maybe that was just me! Sometimes books which strike me as dull because I don't give them my full attention translate very well onto the screen.

Green, I know what you mean. It seems that the more I like a book, the less I like the movie and vice-versa. I always go to see the movie made from a favorite book with alot of suspicion. The Harry Potter book series and movie series I have liked in equal measure, taking into consideration that the book and movie are two different endeavours.

 

[Ashlar2006]

Very true Molly , I'm a huge Clive Cussler fan , one of my favorites novels of his being Sahara . I went to see the movie when it was released and I was so disgusted at how far they were off the mark , I got up and left in the middle . The same holds true with another of my favorite novelists , John Sandford . I believe it was in the 80's they turned one of his Lucas Davenport Prey novels into a made for TV movie . It was so bad that Sanford said he would never allow any of his books to be made into a movie again . Granted , it's hard to translate a 500 page novel into a two hour movie but to get so far away from the basic plot is beyond the pale .

The wife wants to go see the movie getting ready to come out "The Ruins" . I just read the novel last month and I think I'll wait for it to come out on HBO before I waste the money at the theaters . Just from the previews alone I can tell it's no where close to the novel .

 

[chocoguy]

I haven't been able to watch those movies before so I can't really tell if the fourth one is that good. Is this the Borne Identity were talking about here?

 

[Green-Moo]

Granted , it's hard to translate a 500 page novel into a two hour movie but to get so far away from the basic plot is beyond the pale .

I think you have to look at the books and the movies of the same title as two different entities. I'm always disappointed otherwise.

 

[Ashlar2006]

I try to not to compare the two , when a novel is made into a movie and only expect it the novel to be a guide line for the movie . But it's still hard for me to see a great novel ruined .

 

[Green-Moo]

I agree. I find that I'm almost invariably disappointed if I read the book first, then see the movie. It's never as I imagine it. However, if I see the movie first then read the book it just superimposes the actor's faces over the characters as I'm reading, it doesn't really spoil it otherwise.

I've never seen the movie Dead Poet's Society but the copy of the book I read showed a still from the movie featuring Robin Williams on the front cover. All the way through I had Robin William's face in the role in my imagination, despite the character being black in the original.

 

[mndane]

Not all books make for great movies, but in case of the Borne series of books, I believe the movies are a lot better than the books. I found the books dry, long winded and the the plot way different than the movies.

 

[Ashlar2006]

Oh I agree , that's what we were saying . A novel for the most part doesn't translate well to the big screen . But I see were you are coming from , I find Tom Clancy novels a tideous and excruciating read , but I like most the movie adaptations .