The Bigger Picture

Rating: 6/10 (9 August 2012)

Four years after the release of the original trilogy, the Bourne franchise paves its way to the silver screen once again. Admittedly, I too as with most fans was unsure whether the film would be able to stand up to its predecessors but indeed, it was a very immediate and immature response. The opening shot made it seem that it would start where 'The Bourne Ultimatum' left of, a brilliant trick to say the least. The setting of the film is actually in coherence to that of the previous film, it actually used some of its segments to displace the time of the events occurring in 'Legacy'.
Jeremy Renner, did what he does best, as we can remember him from his most recent movie 'Mission: Impossible' as a more lively and dynamic counterpart for Matt Damon's Jason Bourne. Renner was flawless in his character proving the original assumptions as whether he could pull it off completely wrong. Rachel Wiesz and Edward Norton with a piece of the whole film dedicated to them and the structuring of their characters were as crucial and pivotal to the development of the entire narrative.
The film stays true to its roots as to its narrative structure, the government, the lead female character, and the car chase scene, in this case, a motorbike race in the busy, crowded streets of Manila. Robert Elswit made the most out of the film to showcase the intensity of the story with the wonderful cinematography, living in Manila myself, I could only imagine the work and imagination it took for him and the whole crew to device the film's trademark chase scene. Kudos as well to Tony Gilroy, for not succumbing to the generic-one way story films these days rely on.
'The Bourne Legacy' is not as character driven as the previous trilogy rather, it mainly dedicates itself to the completion and delivery of the whole concept of the Bourne franchise. The issue regarding the fact that there were too many characters, too many actors to focus on is essential in building the while story. In the end, as it delivers the bittersweet closure for the original trilogy, it opens up a new and fresh chapter for itself.