When I heard about “The Bourne Ultimatum,” the third Jason Bourne movie, I knew I had to see it in the theater. Maria and I didn’t see the first two movies until they were out on video, and I didn’t want to miss out on all the big-screen action.

Great decision. We saw the movie today, and I still can’t get over how good it was. This flick might completely sweep The Brians this year. Matt Damon is utterly incredible, Julia Stiles is cute as always, and Joan Allen put together a nice performance as Pamela Landy.

So many things could have made any one of these movies a flop, but they manage not to go into that territory. Sure, the action is over the top, but Damon brings an emotional element to the character that makes you accept him surviving multiple car crashes. The conspiracy theories might sound over the top, but something about Bourne makes you believe that he really did have a good heart before the government took over his mind.

I read one of the books earlier this year and realized that the best decision they made was to abandon the plots of the books and just focus on the character and the problems going on inside his head. Add in Damon’s depth as an actor, the jumpy cameras which I should probably hate, but make me love the fight scenes all the more and the clever plot twists, and you have a winner.

I loved the ending of this one, which either lets you believe that Bourne has finally freed himself of the demons of his past or opens up the door for more movies as Jason Bourne becomes the James Bond of the 21st century, just without the tuxedos and the bikini babes.

Who knows? Matt Damon definitely has established himself as a big star and doesn’t need a series to keep paying the mortgage, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Jason Bourne chase down some bad guys every few years.