An Legacy easily forgotten?

Rating: 8/10 (1 September 2012)

Having seen this film opening weekend, I have read numerous comments/assessments/justifications for why this film exists.
I have never liked the Bourne films- Damon was always this indestructible being who sought to find who he was-anyone with half a brain could have guessed the reasons for his very convenient amnesia. Which brings me to Legacy. I had always known who Jeremy Renner was but this was my first time watching him as the lead.
Didn't Universal trust the actor they hired to be Aaron Cross to carry the film? At every turn, some mention , some picture, some writing, some conversation was about Jason Bourne. Why? Sure I could understand a passing reference to Bourne but geez he usurps the picture.
Weisz seemed ill prepared to converse on virology, genetic engineering, and the concomitant moral ramifications of such. Yes this does exist and certainly would be misused. Where's Marian Cotillard and Kate Winslet when you need them? Once all the implausibilities are stripped away, covert military shenanigans exposed, you are left with a film that could have fared better than its performing. It takes way too long to establish Cross and once he is, one wouldn't really be interested. Yet Renner invokes a quiet intensity, understandable desperation and vulnerability into a man whose been manipulated into becoming something other than who he is. For myself, his work yielded a few scenes when I cared about Aaron Cross and what might become of him. It is because of Renner's efforts that Legacy becomes bearable to watch.