Of Bourne and Batman

 

Last night we watched the third Bourne movie, "The Bourne Ultimatum." Wow, fabulous stuff!

 

I had no idea I would enjoy these movies so much, but they were just a blast (sometimes literally!). Some excellent car chases, plenty of intrigue and corruption, and awesome fight sequences with majorly cool Kung Fu-type stuff.

 

I've always liked Matt Damon, but thought of him as more of a thoughtful actor, taking on quiet, introspective roles. Screw that, this guy is super as an "action" hero! Who would have thought? He's got those boyish good looks, and a youthful charm, but I think that's one of the reasons this works so well. Bourne looks so mild-mannered, but in reality, he is a trained killer whose instincts at self-preservation are...finely honed, shall we say!

 

Ken said he remembers the books being excellent as well, and I think he might have some of them downstairs (I'll have to check), so it looks like I have more books to add to my list!

 

To continue on the movie theme, we're hearing amazing reviews of the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight." (My stepson wrote something to Ken about how he cannot begin to convey the epicness of this movie!) I hope we can get to the theater to see it, because we both love Batman, and we thought that the previous movie, "Batman Begins," was unbelievably good, in a very dark way. It's my favorite Batman movie, by far, and Christian Bale is wonderful as the pointy-eared one.

 

You know the old meme question, Batman or Superman? I'll take Batman every time, because he's an ordinary man with extraordinary toys, and he's so conflicted. He's got some major issues, and seems to struggle with them daily (and nightly). He's vulnerable, both physically and mentally. To me, he's the thinking man's (or woman's) superhero.

 

Which brings me to the next question. I can't remember where Ken heard this, at work or on the radio, but there was a discussion going on about whether or not Batman is a true superhero. If "superhero" is defined as someone with super powers, technically he isn't. But he uses his "toys" to fight crime in some awesome ways, so he's more than ordinary, isn't he? But he's capable of being killed in ordinary ways, and he really is just a man....

 

It's these kinds of burning questions that keep life interesting.

 

 

Tags: The Bourne Ultimatum, Jason Bourne, Matt Damon, The Dark Knight, Batman, Batman Begins, Christian Bale