The Bourne Legacy

The original Bourne trilogy started off in 2001 with The Bourne Identity starring Matt Damon and following its conclusion in 2007 with The Bourne Ultimatum, was regarded as one of the best/most consistent trilogies of all time. With each release, came a film stronger than the last and changed the landscape of action films thus resulting in a more edgy James Bond series that was forced to keep up.

With Jason Bourne having escaped and exposed the bad guys to the world, and both the director and Damon finished with the series, it looked like it was time to move on until The Bourne Legacy was announced. Unlike the previous entries this one stars Jeremy Renner as a similar agent, Aaron Cross, caught up in a changing world caused by Bourne in the last film. Dodging death via a drone strike in Alaska, he is then forced into going on the run and ridding himself of his employment's medication that he has been using.

While this seemed like an odd choice, Renner was already proving himself to be a strong actor with two oscar nominations. Legacy is also directed by Tony Gilroy who was behind the award winning Michael Clayton and had been in the writing room for previous Bourne films so things were looking good. To top that, the supporting cast includes Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Oscar Isaac, Albert Finney, Scott Glenn and David Strathairn. Yet somewhere along the way something went wrong and we are left with this misfired attempt at a new series.

One of the many great things about the previous films was the ongoing sense of urgency and movement that kept the story pushing forward. What struck me when I last saw Ultimatum was how short the film was while managing to ensure a satisfying experience. Nothing felt rushed resulting in a tightly constructed story earning its Oscar win for best editing. Here, on the other hand, the film suffers from a severe case of overuse in exposition and overcomplicating the plot. Ultimately it just becomes dull as Renner and Weisz discuss the varying types of pills the bad guys are using while parked on a wintery country road.

Not helping matters is the sloppy execution with the action sequences when the series is known for producing some of the best and most realistic. These moments fall flat and lack any engagement, including a rather lacklustre bike chase towards the end.

Having said that, the film does show some signs of promise, which I know isn't exactly glowing praise. We first see Renner on a training exercise while surviving in the harsh Alaskan wilderness and the visuals are impressive and offer a new environment to the series. Despite battling the script, Renner delivers a strong performance and manages to exude some of that charisma he is known for. Edward Norton is also good but I was surprised to see an actor as selective about his roles as he is to star in this when he is offered very little to do.

Once the film has wrapped, it feels like an unnecessary edition to the series and adds very little to the point that even die-hard fans will be disappointed. That said, we do have Damon and Paul Greengrass returning to the franchise later this year with Jason Bourne. While I am dubious about the idea of continuing the series any further, hopefully it will be able to move pass this.