Jason Bourne comes out of hiding when an old friend hacks into
​the CIA mainframe and downloads classified intel on Treadstone.

ACTION

Jason Bourne (2016)

Directed by Paul Greengrass

Written by Paul Greengrass and Christopher Rouse

Starring Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander,
Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles, ​Riz Ahmed, Ato Essandoh,
​Scott Shepherd, Bill Camp

Sequel to 2012's The Bourne Legacy

​Based on characters created by Robert Ludlum

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Connor Eyzaguirre

July 29, 2016

7/10

I don't think the world needed another Bourne movie, even if it meant the return of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass. The story was pretty much wrapped up at the end of 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum and the less that's said about The Bourne Legacy the better. This film features an obviously disinterested Matt Damon and a surprisingly stellar supporting cast, yet it's still a rehash of the same old formula we've come to expect from this franchise. By the fifth installment, you'd think Bourne would've run out of people to blame for his situation.

Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander were a breath of fresh air for the series, even if they both played the same tropes that Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, and David Strathairn played. Still, they did a good job. The script is nothing special, only this time it involves Bourne's father being involved in the Treadstone program. While this could've been an interesting thread to introduce into Bourne's mysterious past, it isn't executed very well. I also didn't like the subplot built around national privacy and the numerous references to Edward Snowden. It's not a good sign when your film has to reference recent scandals in order to stay relevant.

I think it's safe to say that the Bourne franchise has officially jumped the shark. They've run out of answers to provide so they are now introducing more questions that make little to no sense. I hope this film isn't very successful so they don't make another one with the same premise and recyclable formula. Then again, if that ends up being the case, I guess we can all expect a reboot in five years starring the kid from MTV's Teen Wolf.