The Bourne Legacy
I enjoyed the first three Bourne movies overall, though I did have issues with them, especially the second and third ones. I absolutely detested the shaky camera work and jerky editing in some of the action sequences. I was also unhappy about something else...
They went and killed Marie off ..and early in the second movie. I still think that wasn't good..she helped to keep Jason more...grounded and stable.
This movie sort of overlaps events from the third movie - and possibly the end of the second movie..it has been so long since I saw the second movie that I can't remember for sure now. People with connections to Treadstone and Blackbriar are panicking a bit when they learn that Jason has survived again. Eric Byer, a new character for the series, is in control of the various top secret programs that are connected to Treadstone in some way. Byer has a team start to go through things, looking for a way to save the newer programs - and cover their own behinds. Byer decides that the only option is to do away with the current program, Operation Outcome and kill the active agents. Aaron Cross is one of those agents and he manages to avoid being killed, but makes it appear like he has died. He goes on the run, eventually meeting up with Marta, a doctor who was working on part of the program who also barely avoided being killed. Byer goes to more extreme measures in efforts to kill Aaron and Marta.
Jason isn't actually in this movie, though he is mentioned several times. The fact that he is still alive and possibly ready to expose Treadstone to the media pushes Byer to make the decisions he does. Outcome is a different program than Treadstone, but there are similarities as well. Aaron has had something done to him that has changed him. I think having a different main character ends up working well for the movie. It was set up in the first movies that Jason wasn't the only agent in Treadstone and I think it makes sense that the CIA would have continued to move forward with similar programs, adjusted for better results. Aaron doesn't have the memory issue that Jason has, but he has somethingelse to deal with in addition to trying to stay alive. The plot is entertaining and interesting and I think it is a good addition to the series.
The action scenes are done well and Aaron is impressive in fights. There isn't too much of the jerky camera work, though a lot of quick edits are used later in the movie during a chase scene. That did make it a little harder to keep track of everything. It seems like there is a little less action than there was in the previous movies. The violence isn't too extreme, though there is one scene that I really could have done without seeing. The characters are interesting, though none of them are developed as much as they could have been. Jeremy Renner is really good as Aaron. Marta is a fairly smart and resourceful woman who manages to deal fairly well with what is going on. Rachel Weiz is good in the part. Byer serves as the main villain in the movie since he is the one ordering all the killing. He is very focused and determined to accomplish certain things, no matter the cost. Edward Norton handles the part well. A few characters from the previous movies are briefly in a few scenes without doing that much.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Bourne Legacy. It is a good addition to the series and I think it opens up further possibilities for movies.
I did get a review posted on Epinions if anyone would like to take a look.
The Bourne Legacy
