As a big fan of the last 3 films in the Bourne franchise, I was slightly worried when they announced a fourth film that wouldn't have Matt Damon in it. I thought the story wrapped up pretty nicely in the first 3 films but I guess Universal wanted to expand the story's universe and make more money.
The latest instalment takes place right after the events of Jason Bourne's story. We see how this affects the world and more importantly our new hero Aaron Cross who is now being hunted down after the people behind Treadstone and Black Briar 'shut the operations down'. Bourne was a man looking to find out who he was whereas Cross is a man addicted to a steroid type drug that turns him into a kind of super soldier who is looking for his next hit. Personally I don't think it has the same ring as the previous films but with Jeremy Renner as Cross, he's still pretty cool. Renner holds the film well and its good to see him as a leading man in a big blockbuster film.
With Renner we also get other great acting talent in the form of Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton. The acting is great but whoever decided to given Norton grey hair should be fired. He looks really odd, almost as if someone put a load of talcon powder in it. If they wanted the character to be old they should have hired an older actor or at least done the make up better!
Bourne was the forefront of a new type of action film and this movie follows the rest in that grounded fighting style. The action is cool and well done but it never seems to have that same feel that Matt Damon had when he was fighting. There are some interesting moments but nothing original like killing someone with a pen or setting a house on fire by ripping out the gas pipes and putting a magazine in the toaster.
Originality is what lets the film down. It's nothing we haven't seen before, nothing new is brought to the plate and most of the action is already seen in the trailer. I was fine with the amount of action but it just didn't feel the same as last time.
The film isn't all bad, far from it. It's more average then anything. There are some terrific visuals near the start when Cross is making his way through a snowy mountain filled terrain and there is also a terrifying scene in which one of Rachel Weisz's co-workers goes on a killing spree. A scene that was definitely the best in the film and was executed perfectly.
The first three Bourne films were something new and exciting but Legacy feels like it's just your run of the mill action thriller. It had it's great moments, however I'm not sure the film was even needed. I personally felt satisfied at the ending of Ultimatum. That being said I am still interested in where they are going to take this franchise next. A Cross and Bourne team up would be pretty cool but unfortunately it doesn't look as if Matt Damon is on board for that. I felt The Bourne Legacy was a good film but nothing special, that is why I am giving it a rating of 3/5.
What did you think of the latest instalment of the Bourne franchise? Would you like to see more of Aaron Cross? Please comment below.
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Nice review Alex. Is it as memorable as the franchise that came before it? No, but what really makes this film even slightly memorable is that it’s very thrilling, has a fun time with itself, and also features plenty of great characters that I would like to hold onto for a whole new franchise. Hopefully that actually happens though.
ReplyDeleteYes I am definitely interested as to where they take this next. I enjoyed Jeremy Renner a lot more then I thought I was going to. Thanks for commenting Dan!
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