The Bourne Legacy

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
The Bourne Legacy
Released 8/10/12, now in theaters

The Bourne series returns this weekend without the title character, Jason Bourne.  This time a new operative steps into the spotlight.  The fourth Bourne film stars newcomers Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, and Edward Norton.  Returning from the previous films are Joan Allen, Albert Finney, and David Strathairn. 

The fourth film follows new black ops operative, Aaron Cross (Renner).  He is part of a new CIA backed black ops program (Outcome) that uses drugs to enhance its agents.  There are two different pills they take, a green one that enhances physical prowess and a blue one that enhances mental capacity. 

When Jason Bourne (mentioned, not seen) exposes the project (Operation Blackbriar) that recruited him leading to Senate testimony from CIA Deputy Director, Landy (Allen) and Blackbriar Supervisor, Vosen (Strathairn), the powers that be at Outcome become nervous.  Under the guidance of Eric Byer (Norton), the entire project is shut down.  And by shut down, I mean all operatives and scientists associated with the project are killed. 

There are two survivors.  One is Dr. Marta Shearing (Weisz), a chemist, who barely escapes one of her colleagues being activated by Byer to kill everyone in her lab.  The other is Cross.  When the movie starts he’s on a training assignment in Alaska.  He encounters a second agent who is only known as #3.  When Outcome is “shut down”, a fighter plane is sent to kill 3 and Cross (#5).  A missile annihilates 3.  Cross is able to shoot it down and escape a second fighter.

Cross makes his way back to the mainland just in time to save Dr. Shearing from agents sent to assassinate her in her home.  Cross remembers the doctor when he was acting as a human guinea pig for Outcome’s experiments.  He needs Shearing so she can obtain more pills.  The effects of the blue pill don’t last, and Cross doesn’t want to be what he was before.  It seems that before Cross became a super soldier, he wasn’t the smartest man.  In fact, his military recruiter had to falsify his intelligence scores so he could be at the minimum IQ for enlistment.  He was “killed “ in the Iraq War by a roadside bomb in order to become part of Outcome’s experimentation.  Aaron Cross isn’t even his real name.  The duo’s only advantage after the save is the leaders of Outcome believe them to be dead after Cross sets fire to the doctor’s house to cover their tracks.  The hoax won’t last long once the bodies in the house are identified.  He convinces Shearing to help him.

She reveals that Aaron was genetically altered to accept the effects of the green pills without constant consumption.  However, there is a way to make the effects of the blue pills permanent as well.  They go to Manila where the pills are manufactured to break into the lab.  She injects him with a serum and they wait to see if the experiment is successful.  They will need all of Aaron’s skills shortly as Outcome has discovered they are still alive and are in hot pursuit.

After Aaron comes back to the mainland, The Bourne Legacy takes off at the same frenetic pace as its predecessors.  Jeremy Renner is a believable action star.  Edward Norton is one of the most underrated actors of this generation.  I still don’t know how he hasn’t won an Oscar yet.  And I’ve always liked Rachel Weisz.  So, good cast.  Check.  Thrilling fights and chases. Check.  But there’s something missing.  What could it be?  If you watch this movie, tell me that you didn’t think it ended just a little abruptly and leaves you with a feeling of wha’?  The payoff just wasn’t there for me.  I’ve said it before.  It matters how you end a movie.  There really is no set up for the next film.  Maybe that’s by design since the series has gone in a new direction.  I thought there could have been a better prelude of what’s to come. 

The Bourne Legacy is a capable, if not spectacular follow up to the series.  I’ve never read any of the Bourne novels, but here’s hoping for a Bourne/Cross team up in the future breaking some heads.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/4 stars


Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.