The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Genre: Action / Thriller

Directed by: Tony Gilroy

Cast: Jeremy Rennen, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton

Running time: 135 minutes

This fourth installment in the Bourne franchise is the first one not to feature the character of Jason Bourne. Part of the events in this one overlap the events of the previous film. After Bourne’s actions exposes Operation Treadstone and Operation Blackbriar, the CIA decides to terminate their newer black-op Operation Outcome and to kill off the genetically-enhanced agents they created to serve its purposes. Unfortunately for them, one of these agents, Aaron Cross, survives and soon becomes a thorn in their side.

The presence of Matt Damon truly missed in this film. In my book, Jeremy Renner was never able to pick up where the actor portraying Jason Bourne left off. He never really made me care about Aaron Cross and what happened to him. Rachel Weisz did not offer anything to rave about either. My biggest disappointment acting-wise, though, was Edward Norton. Such a great actor offering such a forgettable performance, it is sad. I cannot fully fault him, since he was not given much to work with.

The biggest flaw of The Bourne Legacy in my eyes is in the convoluted storyline. They go into the backstory of these CIA black-ops, but it becomes such a mess, it is easy to lose interest. Also, Tony Gilroy, who was a screenwriter for the previous Bourne films, took over from Paul Greengrass as director. He decided to get rid of the shaky cameras, which had become a big trait of the previous two films, thus creating a more static feel to the action. It was a bad decision in my opinion, though some would disagree.

Overall, this was a very forgettable flick. Some better moments and cool scenes visually-speaking, but nothing to write home about. Cannot wait to see what comes of the fifth installment, due this year.

Rating: ««