The Bourne movies are good movies, but they also have that rare quality of being movies that seem to boil down to one action sequence in my mind. Not much stands out in The Bourne series sans the awesome chase scenes. Looking over the Wikipedia articles to refresh my memory, it seems that’s all they really boil down to: one extended scene of adrenaline. Still, Matt Damon commanded the screen and the awesome direction and editing led the movies to be held in regard and rightfully so. But when Matt said he wouldn’t continue the franchise, Universal panicked due to all the cash at stake. The solution? Reboot! Thus, a new cast was brought in, including Jeremy (Hawkeye from The Avengers) Renner to lead it. So how does it stand up against the previous three Bourne flicks?
Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is a top-notch secret agent, who relies on pills for his strength and intelligence. However, Jason Bourne’s escapades have given Aaron’s leaders the initiative to destroy the very operation Aaron works for. Thus, the world around him begins to crumble and only with the help of a kindly doctor (Rachael Weiz) could he possible stay a few steps ahead of his new adversaries and discover the truth behind his former-bosses.
Jeremy Renner has done a fantastic job in the past; he held his own in the most recent Mission Impossible and The Avengers and was nominated for an Oscar for his work in The Hurt Locker. In Bourne, he does okay, but he doesn’t exactly have the same kind of relatable personality of Jason Bourne…Jason felt like a human being who regretted all the chaos he caused, but he also needed to do it in order to discover his past. Jeremy doesn’t bring nearly as much gravitas to his part, and he certainly has shown the talent to do so. A pity, as there are some fascinating things in here that could be done, but neither Jeremy nor the writers go truly gusto with Aaron and the film suffers immensely for it. As for Rachael Weiz’s character, she is reduced to being nothing more than just whiny exposition and becomes an even more annoying presence as the film goes on. Edward Norton does decent as the films villain, but he doesn’t get to do much.
The film is surprising in one regard: the lack of action. This thing is the longest Bourne movie yet and it certainly feels like it. I was severely bored by several scenes that were chock full of exciting monologues on what the true meaning of Blackbriar is and I’m sure I’m not the only one who was. It would be different if the characters giving such monologues were interesting characters, but they’re not. Jason’s presence and gung-ho fist-fights are sorely missed in the midst of weak scriptwriting, although some of the action is awesome and Jeremy does show off signs of genuine acting at several points. Plus, the nice ways the film fits in with The Bourne Ultimatum are sincerely creative and give the film a nice feeling of continuity.
I prefer Jason Bourne’s adventures, but Aaron Cross could at least grow into a decent stand in. While the action and several call-backs to the original Bourne adventures are amazing, boring characters and writing dim those positive aspects. Maybe a potential sequel will rectify some of these flaws, but this current Bourne adventure doesn’t so much tarnish the legacy of the prior Bourne adventures…more like it dims it slightly.
