While James Bond or Mission:
Impossible may be among the first franchises that jump to mind when anyone
mentions the espionage genre, ever since Matt Damon unleashed his inner
super-spy in 2002’s The Bourne Identity,
the Bourne film series has enjoyed
insanely high levels of popularity and reverence. Because of that reputation, fans were
understandably disappointed when it was announced in 2009 that neither director
Paul Greengrass nor star Matt Damon would be returning for a fourth
installment. Now, the loss of a
franchise star has never stopped Hollywood from continuing a cash-cow, but
there was an undoubtedly high level of confusion when it was revealed that The Bourne Legacy would be released
during the 2012 Summer Movie Season without Matt Damon and that it wouldn’t be
functioning as a reboot. Thankfully,
Universal was quick to distinguish the fact that newcomer Jeremy Renner would
not be portraying Jason Bourne, but rather, an entirely different character
existing within the same cinematic universe as the original trilogy. As a fan of Renner’s previous work, I was
excited to see what one of Hollywood’s most popular actors could do in
continuing a story that fans have come to adore over the years, and given the
energetic trailers, it looked like loyal moviegoers were in for a definite
treat.
Though Jeremy Renner is more than capable as an action
hero, his performance is the only real highlight of this newest entry in the
spy genre, as the low energy levels, overtly familiar plot elements, and
reliance on a future sequel, only help to label The Bourne Legacy as a significant disappointment. No one can deny that Matt Damon set a new
standard for ass-kicking as Jason Bourne, but that fact only highlights the
relative lack of action within Legacy;
aside from slight extensions of the scenes already shown in the trailers, there
isn’t enough going on within this sequel to ensure the continued attention of
the audience. As for the story, the
narrative relies far too heavily on seeing and fully understanding the former
entries in the franchise; simply-put, if you don’t remember the finer details
of 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, you
will be completely lost. Don’t get me
wrong, this newest spy film isn’t overtly terrible, but the project just feels
incomplete; not only did the main hook of this chapter in the franchise story
default to an idea that has been visited time and again within the genre, but a
ridiculous amount of plot elements are left unresolved under the assumption
that there will be a future sequel.
Granted, I would be much more forgiving of The Bourne Legacy if I knew that a future release was going to
answer my questions, but for now, as a standalone film, this action thriller
remains pretty weak.
Overall Recommendation: Low
