The Bourne Supremacy...

If you don't like exciting and engaging and suspensful plots, don't bother seeing it. If you prefer seeing subpar acting and characters that are not well developed, spend your five bucks elsewhere. If you'd rather see poor camera work, slow-paced drama, or unrealistic action scenes, watch something else.

The latest film chapter in the Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) series is getting terrific reviews from all over the country, and add mine to the list.

I know several couples who made a point to watch the first movie (The Bourne Identity) before going to see The Bourne Supremacy. I highly recommend that, because the sequel plays off the first movie a lot. You can fully understand and enjoy either movie on its own, but they are very well connected.

In the first movie, Bourne is some sort of high-ranking, super-intelligent one-man weapon for the CIA. He suffers from strong case of amnesia, and completely forgets who he is and what he is doing.

The sequel shows him on a mission to not only find out more about his life and CIA exploits, but to also chase down the CIA operatives who are actually out to kill him.

Since this is my first movie review that you people are reading, I don't want to give any of the major plot events or surprises away. Let's just say that there are many twists and surprises.

Matt Damon does a great job of playing an intense, focused, and sometimes compassionate Jason Bourne. We get more glimpses of Bourne's personality and emotional life, which are almost as memorable as his incredible driving skills.

One thing you'll notice about the movie is the choppy camerawork. Several people have criticized the film for the too-rapid, too-diverse, too-small angles taken by the camera. I'll admit, my eyes needed a rest after the movie, because there was a lot of action shown in a more "rushed" way. Maybe you'll like that about the film - I guess the director said something like, "When the characters are in a hurry, we want the audience to feel rushed like they are." So true.

In contrast to a lot of the recent action films, this movie is very realistic. Bourne appeals to audiences as a modern-day, real-life hero - not some pimple-faced geek who shoots spider webs out of his wrists. This movie is filmed in real-life places that are fun to visit on the big screen - like Moscow, Berlin, India, and Italy. It's worth watching just for the scenery.

If you liked the first movie, I think you'll love the second, and I highly recommend seeing it in the theater. If you don't like action, international intrigue, great escapes and fight scenes, it's maybe not for you.

On a side note, I remember the movie as being very "clean." I didn't have to look away from the screen, and I can't remember any foul language. I'm sure it was in there, but not much (if any).

Would I go out of my way to see it again? Probably.

RATING: 3.5 stars. I want to give it 4 stars, and maybe it deserves that. If I see it again, maybe it will get a better grade, but I like it better than Spiderman 2 or I, Robot.

Other ratings:
The Terminal (Tom Hanks) 2.9 stars
Dodgeball (Ben Stiller) 2.9 stars
I, Robot (Will Smith) 3.25 stars
Spiderman 2 (Tobey Maguire) 3.3 stars