'Legacy' is entertaining and gripping, but doesn't live up to the original trilogy.

Rating: 8/10 (11 August 2012)

Alright, so I have actually been anticipating this movie for a while, but after reading some of the reviews, I cooled the thoughts of this being as good as the other Bournes. And I think that helped a lot.
So The Bourne Legacy is about Aaron Cross (Renner), another Treadstone operative, trying to find answers after being ambushed. Meanwhile, CIA officials (Norton) is trying to "discontinue" all Treadstone operatives after the events of the Jason Bourne trilogy. This leads to Treadstone's scientist (Weisz) getting involved with the scandal. The face of the CIA in this movie is played by Edward Norton. And Norton has always been a great actor, but due to spotty dialogue, he wasn't used to his full potential. The same could be said for Weisz, although she managed to make more with the script.
I know that most people have been sketchy about the whole idea of another Bourne movie without Bourne, but I can tell you that Aaron Cross has the same ability to kick ass. Jeremy Renner was fantastic as the follow up to Bourne. He had the brain and the brawn just like Damon. And Norton and Weisz' characters can relate to David Straithairn and Julia Stiles' characters from the original trilogy. This uses much of the same formula, but it ultimately leads to less originality.
But one thing that slightly annoyed me by the end of this movie, was how they kept on trying to link this film with the previous trilogy. And I know that it is the same "universe" as the previous trilogy, but it didn't need to be called a Bourne movie. Now it's going to be compared to the trilogy and it will lose that argument. And Aaron Cross will be compared to Jason Bourne, and it will lose that argument as well.
So there's my big complaint with this movie: its title. (As well as trying to connect Cross to Bourne) But there are a lot of things to like about this movie. For instance, I like how it took its time in the beginning setting up the story, rather than jumping into unnecessary action sequences. Also, the relationship between Cross and the Scientist works really well. Its believable and interesting to see how the questions meet the answers.
In conclusion, I believe that trying to make this a direct sequel to the Jason Bourne trilogy was a backfire and that they tried to make it too much like the trilogy. It would have worked best for them to take Aaron Cross' story and make it uniquely his without trying to tie him to Bourne. I would be in if there is a sequel, but I would love it if Damon came back to the game. {B}