After two rather weak scores in the Bourne franchise, it was time for (an) Ultimatum…The third movie was my favorite and as it turns out, so was the score. It’s John Powell month, and this is my review for “The Bourne Ultimatum”.

From the first cue “Six weeks ago” the change of pace and energy is obvious. The second cue, the almost 8 minute long “Tangiers” is even better. Alert, exciting, it matches the pace of the movie and movies out of the comfortable generic zone where the previous two scores had settled. The better the action moments are, the more I can relate to emotional moments like “Thinking of Marie” as well. If the impact of her death in the second movie wasn’t felt through the music, remembering her gets the depth it deserves.

This exciting beginning puts me in a good mood about the score and I can enjoy even the more lackluster parts. I was expecting more from the 10 minutes cue “Waterloo”, especially because the scene was a memorable one. In my opinion, it was a little uneven and didn’t pound fast or determined enough.

The end of the score matches the beginning. This time, the good stuff comes even before Moby comes in to mark the end credits. “Man vs Man” and “Jason is reborn” have all the weight I wanted them to have. The former builds up towards a satisfactory climax, while the latter bids us farewell to the character of Jason Bourne and blends very well with “Extreme ways”.

As a whole, I expected way more from this trilogy, especially since the stories opened so many possibilities.

Highlights:

Tangiers

Thinking of Marie

Man Verses Man

Jason Is Reborn

Extreme Ways (Bourne’s Ultimatum)