The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Rating: 5/10 (19 August 2012)

The Bourne Franchise was incredibly solid, consistent, and awesome in every possible way. It ended on a high and should have stopped there, but even without Damon and Greengrass the franchise started again. This time we follow a different agent in a different government program. After the news of Jason Bourne breaks, the new operation decides to shut down which means killing everyone. The film takes ages to get going. It establishes itself as running at the same time as certain events in The Bourne Ultimatum while also trying to introduce Jeremy Renner's Aaron Cross, Edward Norton's government man, and Rachel Weisz's scientist. It's almost an hour before any action or any connection between these plot strands is established. Renner is fine in the role but his character just isn't likable. He kills mercilessly and just hungers after more drugs. The climax of the scene felt like an extended mid-way chase and then the film just ends, after having undone some of the closure at the end of Ultimatum. The action in OK but we have seen it all and not just in the Bourne films. There are also obvious moments of useless CGI including a bizarre scene with wolves. Quite why the wolves are included is anyone's guess. Cross even points out that wolves don't track humans, so why are they? I watched The Bourne Ultimatum the night before seeing this and all throughout I wiished I was watching it again. I also find it hard to remember any particular moment worthy of the franchise in this entire film. It isn't bad, it's better than some action films, but it could have been its own franchise without having to live up to such classic actioners.