Film Review: The Bourne Legacy

Cinema: The Bourne Legacy   6/10

Director: Tony Gilroy

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton

Plot: Aaron Cross is faced with a challenge following the previous three Bourne plots following Jason Bourne.

After the world saw Matt Damon play Jason Bourne for three Bourne films; it seems it wasn’t the end of the ‘Bourne Legacy’. Hence the newly introduced title and feature length film. The story, this time around, is just as (if not more) complex than the previous three Bourne films. All three previous films were full of subplots which often felt quite cluttered, until a usually all-rounded resolution by the end. The Bourne Legacy however doesn’t have the same feel nor does it flow nearly as well as the previous three instalments.

To begin with, the storyline is once again made out to be far more complex than it needs to be, as well as having numerous scenes which were completely pointless (such as Renner fighting wolves and trekking through the wilderness). The pointless scenes prove how its 135-minute running time is far too heavy; all previous Bourne films have run less than 120-minutes with a simpler beginning, middle and end, which this Bourne film doesn’t seem to have, instead, it is cluttered with destination after destination without any real goal to achieve, which will no doubt leave many audiences completely lost.

It must be said however that the performances led by Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz are both fantastic; Renner, whilst not quite having the edge of Matt Damon, fills his boots surprisingly well in his first real leading man debut – proving he could carry the film with both emotional and action-packed qualities. Weisz is also another great ‘Bourne girl’; proving to be feisty as the film progresses, pushing aside any pathetic personality traits that can often haunt females in action flicks (ahem, Transformers, ahem) which is great to see.

Like all the previous films, the action is fast, edgy and completely realistic. Tony Gilroy, whilst creating slightly hollow real plot scenes, flexes his muscles during scenes of intense mayhem. A particular motorbike chase is staged perfectly, with the use of hand-held cameras weaving in and out amongst the traffic which couldn’t feel anymore real - without the need for 3D.

In Conclusion: the Bourne Legacy proves that perhaps the original trilogy should be laid to rest; although it isn’t a complete disaster, lengthy action sequences full of ‘ooh’, ‘ouch’ and ‘aargh!’ moments are cinematic brilliance. However the film’s story feels all too cluttered with numerous characters and subplots that cannot be followed from just one simple viewing. The film’s ending also isn’t at all conclusive and shows how this story hasn’t ended yet.