I'd read beforehand that they never intended to make a third film, but when the dollar bills in the studio's eyes grew too large, they had to come up with an excuse of some kind. That's definitely evident in this story, which has its moments but never really shakes the feeling that it's "just another adventure" for Bourne and not an integral part of the overarching primary storyline.

I had trouble getting invested in the hunt for the new government goons, after Supremacy effectively wiped out the last remaining string pullers, and it's never adequately explained what interest the new guys have in capturing / killing / hunting Bourne. Julia Stiles is crammed into the Franka Potente role of the wide-eyed, good looking field liability, but she doesn't have the same kind of connection with Matt Damon that made the first relationship work so well and ultimately her enhanced role feels like a step back for the series.

The action is still good, though, with a rooftop parkour chase through Tangiers being the highlight and another high speed street chase that does its best to mimic the successes of the previous one (even ending in, basically, the exact same manner). Sadly, the number of goddamned hand held shots has flown recklessly over the top. Rather than relegating them to just the action scenes, where they at least make sense, this time around we're getting the shaky treatment everywhere from baggage check at the airport to a sit-down conference in the pentagon. ENOUGH ALREADY.

Having said that, I still enjoyed Ultimatum for what it was. It's a high speed thrill ride, but one that pales in comparison to the first two.