• Jeremy Renner
• The Plot
• The Action
• The Ending
• Compared to the other 'Bourne' films

The Plot

When Jason Bourne exposes Operation Blackbriar and the Treadstone Project, the CIA decides to terminate the project and eliminate the remaining members of Operation Outcome. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), a member of Operation Outcome, has other ideas.

The Good

Jeremy Renner

Jeremy Renner is quickly becoming the next big Hollywood action star. The past two years,Renner has become a household name thanks to his roles in Mission Impossible 4, The Avengers, and now The Bourne Legacy. Not only does Renner and his triceps have what it takes to be the next action hero, but he has the acting skills to match. Unfortunately, Renner’s character, Aaron Cross, is so one-dimentional that we don’t get a chance to see Renner’s full range. It’s a little disappointing, but there are moments in the film where Renner shines.

The Bad

The Plot

The Bourne Legacy tried to take elements of the plot from The Bourne Ultimatum and expand them to make a two hour movie. Unfortunately, they were expanded so much that they became paper thin. Also peppered into the movie was the same plot as the other three Bourne films, where Jason Bourne (or in this case Aaron Cross) is trying to outrun the CIA and always happens to be one step ahead of whichever agent is looking for him. To make up for the little to no plot, writer and director Tony Gilroy added in the obligatory action scenes to wake the audience up (although the action scenes were few and far between). This film seemed to be the exact opposite of the original Bourne films; in the first three it was mostly non-stop action with a few slow scenes here and there, in The Bourne Legacy there were mostly slow scenes with a few bits of action here and there.

The Ending

After two hours of thin plot and shaky action scenes, the film just ends. No explanation whatsoever. I understand that Gilroy wants to lead into a Bourne trilogy with Renner, but at least give the film some closure – it seemed like nothing in this film was resolved. The only thing I can really compare the end of the film to would be the finale of The Sopranos, but at least The Bourne Legacy didn’t end in mid sen-

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

While the film has been marketed as a stand alone film from the franchise that doesn’t relate to any of the other Bourne films, the truth is it does. Before you see this film, make sure you familiarize yourself with the other three in the franchise. You will at least need to know what is going on in The Bourne Ultimatum in order for some scenes in The Bourne Legacy to make sense. I have seen the other ones before so I was able to follow what was going on, but I heard people in the theater whispering to each other, trying to explain why a particular scene was put in the movie, or who that character with no introduction is.

What Do You Think?

What did you think of The Bourne Legacy? Was it better or worse than the first three? How did Jeremy Renner compare to Matt Damon? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, vote for your favorite Bourne movie in our poll below.

 Loading …