Thursday, July 28, 2016

Jason Bourne Review

I don't do too many of these reviews anymore, but I felt that I should do a review for Jason Bourne since the series has had a big impact on me. I thought I should start at the beginning.
 
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.

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