The Bourne Legacy Review

"I surrender my movie isn't all that good" in the Bourne Legacy

The Bourne Legacy

C+

 A Review by Frederick Cholowski

So a complete trilogy wasn’t enough was it? After seemingly wrapping things up in the Bourne Ultimatum Universal has reopened the Bourne franchise for another go around. The difference this time… No Jason Bourne! Yep that’s right; Jeremy Renner steps in as a new hero with similar problems, i.e. running for his life while the CIA and other government agents attempt to kill him. The big question is can a Bourne film actually work without Jason Bourne? Unfortunately the Bourne Legacy doesn’t prove that it can as the film is simply a mess that feels more like a quick, redundant cash grab than a true, well thought out successor.

So after Jason Bourne seems to be on the loose… again, guess what it’s time for? Clean up time that’s what! So new player Eric Byer (Edward Norton) must set out to take out every one of their “projects” so nothing more can possibly go wrong. Cue Aaron Ross (Jeremy Renner) an agent who is training in the arctic and is on two pills, one that improves his mental stamina and one that improves his strength and physical stamina. Sadly he’s run out, and the CIA is out to get him. So begins the chase across many parts of the world and involving many different characters, including tortured and targeted female character Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), who will try to help him on his quest for survival.

Seems simple, right? The Bourne Legacy seems to be determined to make the film seem deep and complex by constantly having unnecessary exposition dialogue that attempts to explore the various complexities of the plot. Unfortunately this never works as it constantly slows down the pace of the story and adds elements that are really unnecessary and uninteresting. The other thing the dialogue seems to feel like it’s always spelling out everything in the film. It’s inefficient and turns the movie into a close to emotionless romp.

Speaking of, one of the other problems that the film has is that it feels like there is something missing at the emotional level. Everything here feels so cold and calculated and never reaches a level where one can get involved with the film. At least in prior films Bourne had an interesting hook to it as well as just surviving and that was finding out who he is. Here the only ulterior motive is to just get more and more pills. It just seems static and boring especially throughout the middle which relies way too much on unnecessary exposition through dialogue. It’s an overlong mess that never succeeds in being captivating or interesting, and for an action spy movie that is one of the largest sins possible.

The other gaping hole in the film is the lack of Jason Bourne. This wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that pretty much the whole film revolves around him.  Bourne is referenced throughout the entire film but never makes an appearance, not even a brief cameo, in the film. As a result the film feels unfocused and messy because where the film wants to go is unclear. It wants to be a Bourne movie (without Jason Bourne in it) and it also wants to be an action-chase movie starring Jeremy Renner. What we get is a film with a gaping hole in the middle surrounded by a whole lot of misdirection.

The performances are quite solid here. Jeremy Renner does well as Aaron Cross, and despite never filling the Matt Damon sized hole he manages to be solid in his role as a strong yet despite spy on the run. Edward Norton is good here as a worthy opponent to the spy and is good all the way through the film. Rachel Weisz is also strong here and providing an interesting (and rushed) relationship with Cross, which she for the most part sells very well. The supporting CIA agents are all believable and overall nothing to complain about in the acting category.

It’s about the same for the action scenes and the technical aspects of the film save for one glaring example, the last action sequence. The sequence lasts for about fifteen to twenty minutes, i.e. about ten to fifteen minutes too long, and ends the film on a complete anticlimax. Other than that though, the action scenes are realistic and visceral giving the film the gritty edge that the other three films managed to capture.  It also seems that director Tony Gilroy has found a tripod for the series so that the action scenes can be enjoyed on a better level than some of the others in the series.

On the subject of the technical elements, the cinematography manages to do a good job of capturing a sense of darkness and realism that the other films in the franchise have by sticking to a mix of still and handheld shots. It’s not amazing but for what it is it works well here. The score is serviceable and like so many films lately it doesn’t seem to add or detract from the film. So in other words it’s a pretty generic spy soundtrack.

The Bourne Legacy is plain and simply a mess. It’s overlong, unfocused, anticlimactic and a little soulless. It feels like a film that Universal cranked out to line their pockets for the summer instead of the spiritual successor to the Bourn trilogy. It has its moments at times, but the film leaves an empty feeling at the end that can’t be escaped, making it a summer movie that is very hard to recommend.