For most modern audiences, this 1988 mini-series is a novelty in the Bourne Ethos. It's one of those things that has gained notoriety after the success of the more famous film franchise. It's one of those, hey did you know there is another version of "Bourne Identity"? Well, this is that "other" version. How does it hold up?
The story begins as does the book, with a man being found in the sea, with gunshot wounds and a mysterious marker under his skin. As the man recovers, he finds that he has no recollection of his past life, and so sets off on a quest to find who he is. In his attempts, government agencies seem to be after him and he tries to figure out why.
Elephant in the room, if you are going to be comparing this to the 2002 movie, you are going to be disappointed. This TV mini-series does not have nearly the amount of action, intrigue or general polish of that landmark movie. The series does have a fair amount of shoot ups, so I wouldn't call it boring. Just from an action standpoint, it is severely lacking. For TV standards, it does the action fine, but nothing that stands out.
The acting from those involved is all dialed up to 11. They are putting on stage performances for these characters so that the people in the back row of the auditorium can understand their emotional turmoil. There isn't much subtly to be found in the presentation.
Chamberlin as Bourne also does not sell the audience on his supposed espionage skill. He is completely unable to tell a lie or avoid looking suspicious. His detective work is sloppy, and he seems to only stumble upon the "final boss" of his journey.
The theme comes across very misguided. Bourne keeps wrestling with the dilemma of whether he is an assassin or not. Meanwhile he kills about 18 people in his quest to prove that he is not a killer.
And the romance between Maria and Jason is so tacked on and does not fit, it is almost hilarious. He goes from holding her up at gun point and abusing her to her professing her love to him in a manner of 10 minutes. It is ridiculous and possibly a dangerous message, that is, if anyone watched this hoping for relationship advice.
On the positives, although not great compared to the movie, the action scenes are not bad. Bourne doesn't feel invincible in his fights, it makes each of the conflicts more engaging. It has some good mystery if you are not already familiar with the pay off. And it remains a nice little relic from the 80's.
Overall, like the main character, this is something I will likely be forgetting very soon.
The story begins as does the book, with a man being found in the sea, with gunshot wounds and a mysterious marker under his skin. As the man recovers, he finds that he has no recollection of his past life, and so sets off on a quest to find who he is. In his attempts, government agencies seem to be after him and he tries to figure out why.
Elephant in the room, if you are going to be comparing this to the 2002 movie, you are going to be disappointed. This TV mini-series does not have nearly the amount of action, intrigue or general polish of that landmark movie. The series does have a fair amount of shoot ups, so I wouldn't call it boring. Just from an action standpoint, it is severely lacking. For TV standards, it does the action fine, but nothing that stands out.
The acting from those involved is all dialed up to 11. They are putting on stage performances for these characters so that the people in the back row of the auditorium can understand their emotional turmoil. There isn't much subtly to be found in the presentation.
Chamberlin as Bourne also does not sell the audience on his supposed espionage skill. He is completely unable to tell a lie or avoid looking suspicious. His detective work is sloppy, and he seems to only stumble upon the "final boss" of his journey.
The theme comes across very misguided. Bourne keeps wrestling with the dilemma of whether he is an assassin or not. Meanwhile he kills about 18 people in his quest to prove that he is not a killer.
And the romance between Maria and Jason is so tacked on and does not fit, it is almost hilarious. He goes from holding her up at gun point and abusing her to her professing her love to him in a manner of 10 minutes. It is ridiculous and possibly a dangerous message, that is, if anyone watched this hoping for relationship advice.
On the positives, although not great compared to the movie, the action scenes are not bad. Bourne doesn't feel invincible in his fights, it makes each of the conflicts more engaging. It has some good mystery if you are not already familiar with the pay off. And it remains a nice little relic from the 80's.
Overall, like the main character, this is something I will likely be forgetting very soon.