Misses the Beats - But not a Waste of Time

Rating: 5/10 (15 August 2012)

There are several flaws to this sequel. First, was the strange opening act, which for an action thriller was very sedate. Second, was the unfortunate lack of charisma by Jeremy Renner. The last sentence I found very surprising to write, since I think his work in "Hurt Locker" and "The Town" was very magnetic. One has to point the finger at the director Tony Gilroy. I found the movie lacked the right tempo, missing the beats where a sharp new piece of the puzzle should have hit the screen.
The first act is completely without momentum. Renner is introduced, slowly, without any dialogue, as he trudges through the mountains. He's unconcerned about who he is. He never shows a great deal of urgency when his life is in danger. He seems a little calm most of the time. Fireworks yet? No, he shows up at the cabin. But lo - there's an unexpected agent waiting for him. Here it comes the moment of attack? No, they sit around and drink. The first act is intercut with a recap of the Bourne movies, trying to lay the foundation for a new secret agency with new code names. Ed Norton thankfully puts a face of integrity on the whole new merry-go-round.
Most audience members looking for a good action-packed Bourne sequel will find themselves a little short-changed. There are many moments in the plot that could have been expanded for a few extra thrills.
**MINOR SPOILER AHEAD*** For Instance, when the chemically altered agents are killed off, it is done simply with a pill. They fall over with a nose bleed, pretty unexciting. How about they become suicidal? Or they are chased by an assassin instead of taking a pill? Think outside the pillbox guys! **END SPOILER***
The whole motivation for Renner to run around and elude the bad guys, is pills. Sorry Mr. Gilroy, lame. Rachel Weisz, the only excellent element in this film, desperately tries to explain the whole pills program. It takes several pages of exposition. Guys, 1 page instead of 10 pages to explain the MacGuffin doesn't make it any more believable. Really.
Nevertheless, I kept my attention on the story, finding little emotional attachment to Renner, but enjoying the acting talent of Weisz and Norton. I also found fault with the soundtrack. Again, no sense of fireworks, no hero beats. Better pacing could have saved this film. The biggest sequence you watch near the beginning is a drone attack on Renner. The casual pacing of the dialogue and editing saps most of the tension from the sequence. Gilroy fails to catch the moments of sixth sense with the right music cue or edit that helped turn Matt Damon into a superhuman. Renner has the super-abilities, but the moments aren't captured dramatically.
If this script was produced without the Bourne product placement, it may have stood out on it's own, and provided audiences with a slick thriller that didn't need to fulfill the action requirement. Renner should not have to live in the shadow of Bourne, but the studio sees the brand name as insurance that audiences will show up to the theatres.
I will barely recommend this film, finding enough parts to be watchable based on good filmmaking, even though the sum is not a greater whole.