I remember first seeing The Bourne Identity when it arrived
in theaters back in 2002, I went a few weeks after it came out. I remember it
getting really good reviews and I had a couple of friends telling me that I
should go see it, so I did. I was 16 at the time, and as I watched it, the
action sequences were awesome, but I was lost in what was going on, I didn’t
really know how everything connected, but this became one of those moves that
as I went back and rewatched, I could start to make sense of everything, and
how everything fit together. What was cool that it was not a huge hit in
theaters, it did fine in theaters but didn’t break any records, in fact, where
it really started to soar was when it hit DVD the next year in January. I bought
it with a gift card I got for Christmas, and was eager to watch it again, and
also to get the rest of my family to see it. It really intrigued everyone. I
was pumped when I heard a sequel was coming out in 2004.
When the second one came out, I was visiting family in
California with my older sister, and all of us wanted to go see it that
weekend, we located a DVD copy of the first one and watched it Friday night,
and then Saturday afternoon we went to see The Bourne Supremacy, this was
opening weekend, different than waiting a few weeks after release, and this one
was a big hit in theaters. I was blown away, the action was great, the story
was intriguing, and everything was excellent about it. At the end of the movie,
it was clear that a third one would be made.
Forward to three years later when The Bourne Ultimatum
arrived in theaters, I went opening night (Friday). We got our tickets ahead of
time, originally it was suppose to be me and my sister going, but she ended up
having to work, so I called a friend up and he joined me instead. The
interesting thing about that night was how difficult it was to get tickets, as
shows were selling out, and I remember hearing the employees talking about how
the next couple of shows of the movie had sold out as well. I just realized I
saw this trilogy evolve, from a small movie with modest earnings, to the last
film becoming a big box office hit. With the two movies under my belt, I went
in on the edge of my seat throughout the movie wondering what Jason Bourne was going
to find out and how everything was going to tie up at the end. I was definitely
blown away, and of course future viewings of the movie helped me catch the
moments that I wasn’t focused on when I first saw the movie. Of course, at the
end of the day, it was a wonderful trilogy, and one that I still enjoy to this
day.
We also had another movie released 5 years later that didn’t
really involve Jason Bourne, but another agency and a different set of
characters, entitled The Bourne Legacy. I wasn’t impressed when I first saw it,
but it has grown on me since, but of course it doesn’t match the original
trilogy at all, which I expecting when I went in, but I was expecting a sequel
to that instead of a return of the main characters, but of course a couple of years
after the release of Bourne Legacy, we learn that Matt Damon and Paul
Greengrass are coming back to do another Bourne movie. I was pumped but
wondering what they had up their sleeve.
When 2016 approached, I started to research to see what to
expect, learned there was a jump in time, and that got me intrigued. Then the
Superbowl teaser dropped, and that really got me pumped, and also the first
trailer that followed a couple of months later. I was certain that we had
another classic, this was going to be the movie of the summer.
My expectations were very high throughout the summer, that
was until the reviews started to pour in, and then I realized that maybe I
needed to level my expectations. So I went into the theater tonight with my
expectations not as high, but still hoping for an excellent Bourne movie. Well,
I can say I was disappointed…okay but please don’t stop there, because I still
really liked the movie, I still thought it was a good movie, and one I can
still recommend, I just can’t say that it was as good as the other Bourne
movies (with the exception of The Bourne Legacy, which isn’t a surprise to
anyone). The findings were not as interesting, and also one of the main plot
points wasn’t that compelling. However, there were action sequences that were
very compelling, one in the middle of the movie that I was definitely at the
edge of my seat wondering how everything would play out. Another one was near
the climax of the movie, which I found very interesting, and of course there
were great car chases. Another strong aspect was the performances, Matt Damon
is of course great as Jason Bourne, Julia Stiles returns as Nicki Parsons, and
of course Tommy Lee Jones does a great job as the new CIA Director (think Chris
Cooper and Brian Cox), but a newcomer that did a great job was Alicia Vikander.
Great cast, great action sequences, you would expect it to
be another classic Bourne, so why is this a disappointment. Well, the original
trilogy had a very compelling story, one that involved discovery, and finding
out about who Jason Bourne was, they were able to build it over three movies
and had very compelling things going on as well. This movie takes place many
years after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, and while it was trying to be
compelling, it just didn’t reach the greatness that was already achieved. Yes,
I was a little letdown, but the reviews and ratings coming out ahead of time, I
was prepared, and was still able to enjoy the movie we got. I still thought it
was a good movie, just not a great Bourne movie, but maybe there is still a
great Bourne movie that could be made before Matt Damon decides his days as
Jason Bourne are done. With all that said and done, I am still giving this
movie a recommendation.
