Is the non-use of steadicam becoming the new fad in filmmaking? In the last 2 movies I've gone to it's gone from bad to worse. In King Arthur, while noticable, it was still tolerable. In the Bourne Supremacy, it crosses the line to "I want my money back!"
Sometimes a movie needs to be filmed as a docudrama or breaking news item or the high-tension, gotta catch up with the perp scene from COPS. The Bourne Supremacy falls under none of the above. We went to see it last night and I was frankly more than disappointed with the presentation of the film. This is not to say the story line was not interesting - I just couldn't follow the action. Ummm... an action movie where you can't follow the action? Part of what I liked so much about the Bourne Identity was the setting, which added so much to the story experience. Spys and Europe just seem to go so well together. The other part was being the spectator to the story unfolding before you - the fly on the wall, the invisible third person.
The director, Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday, 2002) should be bludgeoned with a steadicam. That which he seemingly has no use for. By employing what I can only assume is his interpretation of "artistic" docudrama-ish/COPSian camera techiques, he manages to ripoff the experience for the spectator. Spectator = one who spectates (hel-lo, we are in the audience to w a t c h the movie). So what do we end up watching? Why, we get to see dog's head camera angles - jerking around as if a video cam was actually duct taped to a trotting dog's head; super close in shots of various meaningless things during the fight scenes (someone's back, the floor, a wall....need I go on?) as if the cameraman was there and being jostled around because they were clearly insane enough to get too close to armed combatants, and so on. What should have been one of the more intersting fight scenes instead becomes a panoply of blurry swing shots - floor, wall, arm, floor - and is reduced to only the sound of fists connecting with flesh. Same with the car chase scenes which then turn into motion-sickness inducing, nauseating ride.
Personally, I don't want to be in the middle of the action becuase then you miss too much of it. There is an optimum vantage point Mr. Greengrass, clearly you've yet to find it.
In my opinion: Not an enjoyable experience. Not recommended. If you have to see it - wait for video.
