It just tries too damn hard.
The previous Bourne installments, which starred Matt Damon and were directed by Paul Greengrass, have a very distinct style to them. They have intricate plots but yet you always know what is going on. The protagonist, Jason Bourne, is always 10 steps ahead of who he is being chased by, and each one of his steps makes sense. Greengrass has a way of making action intense, visceral, and stressful and can keep the movie moving along at a breakneck pace. It is why the Bourne films have become so highly regarded, especially the third one, The Bourne Ultimatum.
Well, as you may or may not know, The Bourne Legacy does not star Matt Damon nor is it directed by Paul Greengrass. In fact, it doesn't even have Jason Bourne in it other than a couple side mentions (but more on that later). Instead it stars the uber-popular Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross. The tagline of the film is "There Was Never Just One" referring to the super-soldiers that the U.S. government created with Jason Bourne. Whereas most of the other Bourne movies have a ton of mystery in them, particularly with regards to Jason Bourne's past, this film seems to have mystery for mystery's sake. Aaron and his female companion, Marta (played by Rachel Weisz), are on the run to go do something important in Malaysia (I think...) and then they seem to not really have a plan. Needless to say, the story is simple, but overly complicated in order to seem like the other Bourne movies.
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| Edward Norton playing a d-bag. Guess he was still pissed about passing up The Avengers... |
Interestingly enough, all of the performances in The Bourne Legacy are well done. The lack of Matt Damon is definitely noticed and it makes the main character a little less alluring. Aaron Cross is much less interesting than Jason Bourne, but that isn't Renner's fault, it's the writers'. Renner does well with what he is given and I was not disappointed by him. Rachel Weisz's character honestly got on my nerves, but once again, that is not her fault. It just goes to show that she is a great actress. Plus, she plays a role in the last bad guy's death in the movie and it is awesome. The person who I thought was phenomenal in this movie though was Edward Norton. He is the head of some agency that has to do with these super-soldiers (once again, overly complicated) and his tone of voice, facial expressions, and just general demeanor, scream that he is a government official with a secret. His character is a sh***y person, but he plays it perfectly.
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| "Oh hello Mr. Tricep and Mr. Bicep!" |
The Bourne Legacy also has some great action sequences. An eerily intense laboratory massacre, some sweet hand-to-hand combat, and a lengthy running-and-motorcycle chase at the end. As is with most of the other Bourne films, this is all filmed with what I like to call "shaky cam". There are times in The Bourne Legacy where the shaky cam gets ridiculous, but it never reaches the preposterous lows that it did in The Bourne Supremacy (which to this day is the closest I have ever been to walking out on a movie in the theater because the shaky-cam was just out of damn control). But other than that, the action is filmed well, and when the director wants you to see exactly what is happening, you do. But...it all seems a little too familiar. A footchase on the rooftops of a third-world country capped off by a motorcycle chase? Sound like something else you know? *cough cough* The Bourne Ultimatum *cough* Sorry I had something in my throat there (no I didnt).
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| Aaron Cross's favorite activity: riding the crack |
And ultimately, that ends up being the problem with The Bourne Legacy. It lost its star and its director, but it still tries so hard to be part of the original trilogy. And it relentlessly tries to shoehorn tidbits from the past movies into it: mentioning Jason Bourne here and there, supposedly happening at the same time as The Bourne Ultimatum, showing individuals from the previous films that are now on trial...it all just becomes too sporadic and these scenes end up feeling highly out of place.
My friends and I left the theater and we all agreed that we had kind of a sour taste in our mouths. Somewhat like, "OK so that movie was cool but ummm...necessary?" Now I won't be the one to say that The Bourne Legacy is a cash-in. There is a potential that they actually have a really interesting story to tell over the next couple movies that will expand on the story and universe of Jason Bourne as a whole. But that was definitely not done in this movie. Instead, we are left with a copy-cat of the previous Bournes that features a convoluted story, similar action, and an awkward ending that makes you begin to wonder what the hell the purpose of this movie was.
After the phenomenal last showing of Jason Bourne in The Bourne Ultimatum, one can't help but be disappointed by this outing no matter how many super-soldiers there are or how long the motorcycle chases are.
Pros:
- The performances are well done. Renner fits into the role with ease and Norton becomes a character that you love-to-hate
- The action, while far too similar to the previous installments, is still awesome. When Aaron Cross starts breaking bones and eliminating dudes, you cant help but be enthralled
- There is some interesting backstory to the whole Jason Bourne universe. Particularly the inclusion of drugs being created to alter these super-soldiers
Cons:
- Tries way too hard to be like the other Bourne movies. This would be OK if it actually could have pulled it off. It gets close...but no cigar
- The main bad guy at the end is super random and frankly kind of corny
- The underlying story is simple: Jason Bourne is alive and getting ready to expose anyone and everyone who had to do with this secret super-soldier program. Unfortunately, the movie way over complicates this
- There are some utterly pointless flashbacks that never get explained. Drives me crazy when that happens
- A super random ending that kind of comes out of nowhere and probably indicates more movies to come
- Apparently, some characters in this film (including Aaron Cross) just have wild premonitions that lead them to where they need to go, or what they need to do. Several "Why did he do that?" then "Oh I see why he did that." then "Wait! How the hell did he know he would have to do that?!" moments.
Rath's Review Score: 5/10
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