The best of the series sort of...

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2012)

I just rewatched well most of the Bourne movies(it was like 2.5 because I didn't have the time lol) this week to prep for this reboot installment. And I was glad I did I forgot how great they were. They were a smart mans action movie and felt raw and realistic in part due to Matt Damon's intentionally stiff, sort of cold, bad ass performance. The only thing that didn't play well was how slightly redundant the movies became after a while the second installment was way overlong and since his love interest is killed off in the beginning it definitely takes something away from the proceedings they felt darker and not as fun as when Marie was around but by the end of the film he began to get in touch with himself which was nice to see in a subtle character building scene. Entering into the Bourne Legacy I think it's important to have an open mind. This is a completely different movie. It centers on Aaron Cross aka no. 5 he's a sort of super soldier engineered by the government but after the events of the first two movies and during the events of the third his story unravels as the government begins killing off it's "experiments". As you can guess he escapes and makes his way to the doctor he met with for his dwindling meds that keep him strong physically as well as mentally. Chaos of course ensues he meets up with the doctor aka his new love interest played well enough by Rachael Weisz and they do a little globe trotting as they are pursued. It all seems fairly generic but the movie has an almost amateur, visual pizazz to it. The film feels a little clumsy and it definitely works in it's favor in my opinion, the action feels more real and not as stagey and the last motorycyle setpiece chase scene takes the genre to new heights it's kinetically electrifying I was literally on the edge of my seat and even yelled out a few parts. It's a fun flick. As for Jeremy Renner well he's no Matt damon which is a good thing because they are two different characters and his take on Alex Cross is more emotionally engaging which makes for a nice change and his relationship with Weisz although a slight bit forced feels solid. The movie smartly starts off with a scene of him emerging form ice cold waters scantily clad echoing the scene that started the franchise. And when he emerges I had already fallen in love, he's so sexy in this film and I'm sure this will really start his career as a leading man/box office draw he's enaging, masculine but emotional and he nails the fight choreography aggressively. All in all it's not a perfect film there are some questionable moments but overall I don't think you can compare this film to the first three it's a different beast a little less smart maybe but one hell of a wild ride. I'm exciting to see where it goes.