Mini Blog
Until recently I hadn't ever seen a Bourne film. I knew of them sure, but never seen any of them. So when I heard there was a fourth film on it's way I decided it would be a good idea to catch up on what I'd missed so far. I purchased all three previous Bourne films for the bargainous price of £1 each and as some of my friends wanted to refresh their memories I scheduled 'Bourne Nights' for us to watch each of the films.
We watched all three movies in order, ending with The Bourne Ultimatum on Wednesday night prior to watching The Bourne Legacy on Friday. And now that I've seen the new film, I'm not sure watching the previous Bourne's was such a good idea.
See as a stand alone film I think The Bourne Legacy does just fine. It's got action, a nice tight plot, good actors and plenty of well choreographed fights and chases. But as a Bourne film I don't think it really works.
Other than the scenes involving high ranking CIA operatives talking about Jason Bourne, there really isn't anything to make this a Bourne film. Or make it linked in any way. So the hand to hand fights, the chases, the CIA agent who's part of the same programme as Bourne, all that stuff feels like it's been put in there to make the audience feel like they're watching a Bourne film. When in fact they're really watching a film about an CIA agent with a drug problem.
I have heard a lot of people say that the reason The Bourne Legacy doesn't work is because of the lack of Matt Damon. I disagree. I found the Bourne films to be nothing more than an excuse for Matt Damon to fight with people and get into car chases around Europe. If you asked me what the films were about (which someone did the other day), I would struggle to answer you. Not because they're not enjoyable or well made, just because I didn't find them especially memorable.
The Bourne Legacy delivers exactly what the previous films did, lots of senior CIA people trying to stop a rogue agent. Lots of fights and chases. Just a different guy in Jason Bourne's shoes. It wasn't the lack of Jason Bourne that bothered me, it was that this film, which really has nothing to do with the Bourne franchise is trying to be something it's not. The proof here is with the end credits which state that this film has been 'inspired' by the Bourne novels of Robert Ludlum. The previous Bourne films were all based on his books. This one is not. And it shows.
If you liked the Bourne movies and can gloss over the ties that are trying to bind themselves to the Bourne films, you might like this. If you're a serious Damon/Ludlum fan, avoid. There is nothing here for you. 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 24th August 2012
UK Release Date - 13th August 2012
Cast Overview:
Jeremy Renner ~ Aaron Cross/Kenneth James Kitsom
Rachel Weisz ~ Dr Marta Shearing
Edward Norton ~ Eric Byer
Joan Allen ~ Deputy Director Pamela Landy
David Strathairn ~ Noah Vosen
Albert Finney ~ Dr Albert Hirsch
Director ~ Tony Gilroy
Writer(s) ~ Tony Gilroy (Screenplay and Story), Dan Gilroy (Screenplay) and Robert Ludlum (Bourne Series)
I can never take the Bourne films too seriously as they have nothing to do with the first book and go in a completely different direction.
ReplyDeleteThe first book "THE BOURNE IDENTITY" is one of the best thrillers I have ever read and still one of my favourites to this day. The filum lacks the cleverness of the book and so, for those familiar with the story in the book, it kind of has nowhere to go after that.
I didn't know that. Mmm, intriguing. I've seen the Bourne books loads in charity shops. Maybe next time I come across the first one I'll get it. Thanks for the recommendation!
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