The Bourne Legacy

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Oscar Isaac, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Albert Finney, Scott Glenn
Directed by: Tony Gilroy
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) finds himself caught up in the fallout from Jason Bourne's actions, and teams with a doctor (Rachel Weisz) to try and escape.

Review:

Tim: The Bourne Legacy really asks a lot of the audience. Hey, come watch the fourth Bourne movie! Oh, but it doesn't have Jason Bourne in it. And it kind of happens simultaneously to those other films you already watched. But hey, it'll be good! That is basically what the movie tried to sell us on. Look, I never really loved any of the Bourne movies, but I did really like them. They were exciting, interesting, fun films, and I'd love to see Damon continue to make them. This film rebooted the franchise with a different lead character. I was already suspicious of the film.

But, that suspicion was just suspicion, nothing more. The film helped itself immensely by casting Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross. I've been a big fan of Renner for years. If I couldn't get Matt Damon back (which would have been ideal), Renner is not a shabby replacement. In addition, they also cast Rachel Weisz, who is one of my favorite actresses. To round out the cast, they also brought in Edward Norton, an actor I greatly respect. While I'm still suspicious, things are certainly looking up. I'm actually willing to give this movie a try.

Unfortunately, writer/director Tony Gilroy just delivers an average film. That's the biggest crime of this whole movie- it needed to be spectacular to prove its right to even exist, and it does not deliver. The first 45 minutes of the film were too boring. We're supposed to really identify with these new characters, and it just takes way, way too long. The film spent so much time trying to connect the events of this film to the other Bourne movies. That is kind of cool, in a way, but it wasted valuable screen time doing that. As a result, I never felt as closely connected to Aaron Cross as I did Jason Bourne. That undermines the whole film.

There are some cool sequences in the film, but nothing that compares to the other movie. I suppose I enjoyed Cross' trek in Alaska, although it came so early that I wasn't invested in him yet. It wasn't until we learn that he unknowingly shattered the record (what was he doing again? did we ever find that out?) by two days where I started to think he was cool. The film does eventually get to this pretty interesting story about him trying to viral off these pills that enhance his intelligence, but it just takes way, way too long to get there. The end of the film has some good, climactic moments, but the journey to get there was exhausting, and their impact was muted by the time they arrived. The film could have been significantly better, but the script and the direction really fail in some ways.

Renner was a really good choice for Aaron Cross. He's an interesting, likable actor, and there were a few moments in the film where I really enjoyed his story and stopped wishing Jason Bourne was in the film. His Aaron Cross is a very cool, fascinating character. That is a huge achievement for the film (it's just too bad the story around him does not support him as needed). As I said, I really like Rachel Weisz, and I thought she worked well in the film. She interacted well with Renner, and I got caught up in the two of them on the run against the big, bad government. I wish they had more screen time together. Edward Norton was a nice addition, but his scenes are too few, and he doesn't really do anything but bark orders. I felt like they wasted his talent a bit. It was nice seeing Joan Allen, Scott Glenn, Albert Finney, and David Strathairn, but it felt like their presence was only there to justify having "Bourne" in the title of the film.

I can't say that I hated The Bourne Legacy, but this film is a clear, clear step down in quality from the original trilogy. The presence of Matt Damon is greatly missed, as is director Paul Greengrass. This movie is decent, but it's without a doubt the worst Bourne movie yet. I will say that I liked Aaron Cross, and a sequel to this film would not be the worst thing in the world (as long as they fix the script, timing, and pacing issues). Still, I would much rather have seen Damon in this film, rather than a reboot, regardless of how cool the new character is. I'm still not convinced this film ever should have been made.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Avengers, Michael Clayton