Movie Info
Movie Name: The Bourne Legacy
Studio: Relativity Media
Genre(s): Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): August 10, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG-13
I love playing with my dog!
When Bourne’s action raises flags in hidden programs around the world, Eric Byer (Edward Norton) is called in to shut down Operation Outcome and terminate the soldiers involved. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) manages to survive the attempt but finds himself alone and suffering from withdrawals without his medication. Seeking out the only surviving program doctor Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), Cross and Shearing must save Cross, but Byer cannot let them talk.
Directed by Tony Gilroy, The Bourne Legacy is the fourth film in the Bourne series following The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007. Matt Damon turned down an opportunity to return to the series, and Jeremy Renner was cast as the lead as a spin-off character. The movie was met with mixed reviews.
Call me Jason Bourne just one more time…I dare you!
The Bourne Identity really kickstarted the spy genre again. It felt like after The Bourne Identity, James Bond films and the Mission: Impossible films kicked it up a notch. The Bourne Legacy feels a bit like a throwback to “pre-Bourne” action films, but it doesn’t mean that it is a bad film.
The film takes place during the story in The Bourne Ultimatum, but it generally follows the first Bourne movie. You have a super-soldier who doesn’t really understand the extent of what is occurring and the woman he kidnaps to help him survive. The movie honestly doesn’t have much happen during the plot (they go to Manila to try to wean him from the chemicals and get in chases). It feels a bit under-cooked, but there are still a lot of moments of good tension.
I feel a bit bad for the cast of this film. The story was so heavily compared to the first three Bourne films that they had little chance at being their own film. Renner is solid as Cross and Weisz is good like normal as the doctor. You have Edward Norton as the general “in charge” guy, and smaller roles by Oscar Isaac and Stacy Keach. The movie also features cameos from people in the first Bourne movies like Joan Allen, Albert Finney, and David Strathaim (plus pics of Matt Damon).
Traffic really hinders chase scenes
The movie also isn’t as sharply edited as the other Bourne films. While the action is still solid, it lacks the step up that particularly The Bourne Ultimatum had. It feels much more like your standard action picture but still slightly better.
The Bourne Legacy is an above average follow-up to a great action movie…which hurt The Bourne Legacy. I liked the idea of branching off the series for Renner’s character and promises of merging the two storylines hasn’t happened. Matt Damon did return to the series in Jason Bourne in 2016, but it was met with average to negative reviews.
Related Links:
