Jason Bourne

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I enjoyed it, but I also found it extremely average. Damon was good, Vikander was good and Cassel was good imo. But I found two of the major plot lines to be "blah" and thus I felt a real lack of tension here. And that is what I love about the Bourne flicks, that tension. The way they brought Bourne back into the game just didn't feel real too me.

I agree the tension wasn't there.

 

[Mysteryman]

I enjoyed it, but I still wonder if the fact this is the first Bourne film that had a finished screenplay before production started might have had an impact.

The other films had more of an improvisational feel to them that I believed worked to their benefit.

 

[slimshady247]

That probably did factor in.

I think they got too comfortable with this film. It shows in the script.

 

[CinemaFan]

Good movie, but felt like a rehash of the entire series.

 

[Loki882]

If they do another one of these, they really need to not do just another "Bourne vs. The CIA/intelligence community" plot yet again. Try something different.

 

[JimThompson]

I agree the tension wasn't there.

Very much so.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

If they do another one of these, they really need to not do just another "Bourne vs. The CIA/intelligence community" plot yet again. Try something different.

Agreed, I enjoyed this movie, but we need something different for another one. There has been about 10 corrupt CIA bosses in this show so far. Surely not everyone who takes over as head is corrupt?

My idea for another movie would be another country trying to start their own treadstone programme and trying to capture Bourne to learn more about his past with the American version.

 

[slimshady247]

If they do another one of these, they really need to not do just another "Bourne vs. The CIA/intelligence community" plot yet again. Try something different.

Yeah, at this point, anything but a total overhaul would be unacceptable.

 

[Elayis]

As others have stated, this is just another empty, pointless Hollywood sequel (because YOU demanded it, I’m sure the studio execs are thinking). It retreads all of the previous tropes from the previous films, without any of the tension or character. Before, the action was always done in a visceral way, but now it’s just eye candy, lacking any intelligence or thought behind it.

Like what’s happened to “Game of Thrones”, what used to be a series that attempted to ground its violence in the ugliness of reality now revels in its lavish, cartoonish set-pieces. I didn’t care about anyone in this movie because the story never surprised or moved me. It amazes be that this franchise has sunk to soap operatic lows when attempting to garner shock/empathy. There was always a plot point or two in these movies that happened as a matter of convenience/expedience, but nothing this blatantly manipulative and corny. I actually guffawed when Bourne realized the identity of his father’s killer. Gah, I’m so sick of revenge stories.

I actually was bored throughout most of the film. This is a BOURNE film, by GREENGRASS and DAMON. That should not happen. Coming off of Captain Phillips, I never expected Greengrass (or Damon) to be the kind of person to simply take a paycheck, especially on a franchise they did some of their best work in. I see no other motive for either of them in returning other than the money/necessary studio appeasement.

I thought I was cynical before this, but Bourne has just become another example of product before art. Jesus Christ. I have not enjoyed a single film this year I’ve seen in theaters, even the ones I thought I’d like (BvS, Star Trek, Bourne, Suicide Squad). And the films I actually did love/like (Green Room, Midnight Special) I was forced to wait for the blu-ray because I live in a small, conservative city and my theater didn’t play them.

My town probably won’t get my next anticipated film either (The Light Between Oceans), so I’ll most likely be waiting to see a movie until Snowden next month. Still don’t know why it was pushed back again and again (can’t see it effecting the election), but hopefully the delays weren’t due to perceived flaws.

Green Room

Yep. Saulnier has really shown his quality with this and Blue Ruin.

 

[godisawesome]

Just saw it. As others have said, the biggest issue is that it's painfully formulaic at times and that it's hard to care about "Deep Dream." It's stil enjoyable, and my dad and I liked it, but more as a popcorn action movie than a tense, violent thriller like the rest of the series. I think you can tell that most of the creative thinking went into the Deep Dream subplot (where it was kind of wasted) and the idea of having Bourne's ally be morally ambiguous in this film (showed serious potential and wasn't completely boring at least.) And I feel the real sour grapes come form how this film failed to follow the escalation that the other three films have: Identity was upgraded to Supremacy was upgraded to Ultimatum in terms of suspense, pacing and conflict. This film has far less suspense, the pacing is inferior, and the conflict is just a retread of previous film's, but with less payoff. Ultimatum managed to make you wonder whether or not Bourne survived his final fall with those ingredients. In comparison, the laziness used here made the film predictable.

For example, the attempt to portray Iron Hand as worse than Blackbriar falls flat because it doesn't escalate the tension successfully. Ultimatum had gone all-in on the questionable morality of cyber-espionage by showing it being repeatedly abused by Vosen and Blackbriar; in contrast, most of the ethical conundrums of Iron Hand are just discussed without ever being implemented. I'm sure Greengrass thought there was power to the argument over Internet privacy, but he would have done better demonstrating the idea rather than discussing it. Also, the previous films showcased a greater and greater degree of both amorality and incompetence on the villainous organizations: Conklin and Treadstone were targeting believable targets of a United States black ops group with at least an intent for precision, Abbot and his Russian ally were clearly motivated by self interest and a paranoia, while Blackbriar was a sloppy and almost rabid organization getting headlines for all the wrong reasons. Here, the villains are mostly one CIA director and an assassin.

And I think the biggest reason why the plot seems so disappointing is because they played it safe instead of looking for whatever threads left over from Ultimaum they could enhance. They felt they needed a plausible reason for Bourne to both be completely off the radar for years and then come roaring back into the spotlight at a moment's notice, and they settled on using revenge twice. The real thread they should have followed was the potential fall-out for the CIA after Landy revealed their actions in Ultimatum; show us reformers and opportunists fighting it out with the series' tangled web of CIA factions, with Landy on one side and Bourne in the middle. At least then, you utilize some momentum form the last film and muddy the waters to a degree where Vikander's character could thrive in ambiguity; imagine a film where her motives are a centerpiece of the tension while Bourne cleans up the remnants of Blackbriar. Maybe have this film's Asset contrasted with Desh from Blackbriar, showing agents who either dug deeper like Asset or moved toward the light like Bourne.

 

[Loki882]

There's also the matter of

Spoiler

Ed Norton and his people, which is still unresolved.

That's a loose end that I'd like to see tied up at some point.

 

[Batmannerism]

Saw Jason Bourne last week - agreed with everyone who said it was a tired, derivative and utterly unnecessary film. Not a terrible or even bad film - but not remotely close to the standard of the original trilogy.

Then I rewatched Bourne Ultimatum....and felt even worse about Jason Bourne.

I mean Ultimatum is probably my all time favourite thriller - it doesn't have a complex story, but instead a relentless energy and drive that keeps you engaged the whole time. Damon doesn't say much, but you feel Bourne's desperation and fury.

Sadly, none of that seems to have carried over to Jason Bourne, which rather than do something interesting with Bourne, or even have a real reason for him to resurface , goes for a story that feels contrived and a cheap attempt to stay relevant (with the ridiculous social media plotline).

I can't believe Greengrass and Damon, who are known to be reasonably picky, created something so mediocre. It's as if Greengrass forgot everything he did on the other films in terms of building tension and well paced storytelling.

In the end I think I'll just pretend Jason Bourne never came out of hiding.

 

[Vartha]

Saw it yesterday with my Dad. I liked it a lot, thought the Chase scene with the Swat truck was a bit over-done. I whispered to Dad, "I think they missed a car" lol

 

[Loki882]

It also lacked the tension of, well any of the other vehicle chases from the previous films. Smashing through a bunch of stuff/cars doesn't automatically equal a well-done chase after all.

 

[Mysteryman]

65% per cent drop for JB.
Also JB had an 86% drop in matinees.
Thats because SS took the male audience away.
It is ironic.
SS did to JB what JB did to Star Trek Beyond.

 

[slimshady247]

Rip

 

[Bruce Malone]

Pretty sad way for the franchise to go down.

It was pretty much as close to a perfect trilogy as you can get and then they released Legacy and even with Damon coming back the reaction is mixed at best.

I think in a few years people will look back at the original trilogy the way they do with the Indy movies and ignore the 4th/5th films.

 

[TheVileOne]

A part of me wishes they just ended it with Ultimatum and never made a follow-up. Legacy was a disaster waiting to happen and that's just what it ended up being to the franchise. An embarrassment. Hollywood can never quit while it's ahead.

Like how often does it happen that you have sequels getting better each time and a third movie in a franchise being that good? It's almost unprecedented.

 

[CapedCrusader14]

I personally will ignore this film and just go with the ending of Bourne swimming away to live his life free of the violence he decided he wanted no part in anymore.

 

[Octoberist]

This is pretty much the 'Crystal Skull' moment for Bourne. In my head, Indy ended when he rode off into the sunset with his dad, Brody, and Salah.

 

[Mace Dolex]

It was enjoyable but repetitive of the same beats as the other Bourne films, how many times can Jason Bourne go after the next secret CIA program, he pretty much knows why he was recruited so what else is there unless they tire themselves with the cat and mouse routine.

Also one could see that [blackout]Nicky Parsons was to get killed off [/blackout]as is cliche in Hollywood films, she also had a lot more to do than in the oher Bourne films and that is always a [blackout]dead give away before a character dies.[/blackout]

If another sequel comes along I hope they can come with something more exciting.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I have yet to see Bourne Legacy, but in regard to Matt Damon's Bourne movies, the previous 3 were better. I give this a 3/5. Didn't do anything new, and had a boring middle. Nearly fell asleep, lol.

 

[MadVillainy]

Wow I just looked up the box office for this.
Domestically it's probably going to barely beat The Bourne SUpremacy. They really shouldve kept this dead.

 

[Dr.]

It’s been a tough summer for several high-profile movies. E.g., it looks like Tarzan, Ghostbusters, Warcraft, Star Trek and a few others will all post losses. But Jason Bourne will count as a success (albeit a modest one).

 

[Gold Samurai]

If they do another one of these, they really need to not do just another "Bourne vs. The CIA/intelligence community" plot yet again. Try something different.

Exactly. Hard to believe these movies popularized the hard style fighting that James Bond adopted. Now it's tripping over what made it so interesting to watch.

A 2 hour by the book movie was not what people wanted after 9 years.