The Bourne Legacy (Universal)

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The Bourne Legacy is the fourth film in the popular spy franchise that started 10 years ago with The Bourne Identity. The other three films turned Matt Damon into an action superstar.

For this film, the filmmakers took on a different but interesting approach to the series by not having Jason Bourne in the movie and instead focus on another character with his own ties to Treadstone, the CIA project that made Bourne into who he is. Basically, some of the film takes place during the events of the previous film The Bourne Ultimatum. So if you’ve not seen the previous films, you may not get what’s going on in this film.

In this new side story, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is an agent of another CIA project Outcome, which like Bourne had granted him special abilities. But unlike Bourne, he gets his newfound strength from taking special medicine provided by his doctors. In the beginning of the film, Cross is hiding out in Alaska training his body and mind while trying to manage the low supply of his special medicine.

Meanwhile, Cross’ doctor Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) is still doing her job giving her patients the program’s medication. But a shootout in her lab causes her to question her purpose in the project.

Later on, Cross comes back to the U.S. to save Shearing from the CIA goons that wanted both of them dead. The two of them have to avoid the CIA’s pursuit and try to find more medication for Cross because without the drugs, he could die. Working behind the scenes on the situation is Retired USAF Col. Eric Byer (Edward Norton), who’s helping the CIA clean up the mess caused by Bourne in the previous films. He wants to cover up everything including killing all the agents involved in the Outcome program. But with Cross’ escape, it becomes more dire for Byer and the CIA.

Since this film is different than the three previous films, some fans of the series will feel indifferent about the change. The filmmakers were trying to expand upon the world of the film series rather than re-hash what was done before. This is not a reboot, it’s a sequel told from a different perspective.

With that said, how does Renner do well compared to Damon? While Bourne is usually cold, emotionless, and fierce in the other films, Cross is more human which makes his past easier to follow than Bourne’s. Considering his appearances in the recent blockbusters Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Marvel’s The Avengers, Renner fits right at home in the Bourne series combining heavy fists with serious acting.

The film is also backed up by strong performances by Weisz, Norton, and others. The one thing that makes this film a bit of a step down from the other films is there’s not enough action. The film’s co-written and directed by Tony Gilroy, who tries to balance between dialogue and action.

This is more of a thinking man’s action film where you have to understand the plot and characters to try to enjoy this film. Some people will not like this approach but if you like your action films more serious, then you’ll find plenty of entertainment value.

Most likely it’ll be considered the black sheep of the series, but The Bourne Legacy offers plenty of what fans love about the previous films. Hopefully if they make a fifth film, they’ll not only bring back Damon (and maybe Renner for a team-up) but also more action to satisfy the die hard crowd.

THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for violence and action sequences)

THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)