Ever since
The Bourne Legacy was announced, it has been something of a controversial film (mainly because of the decision to not bring back the actor who starred in
The Bourne Identity,
The Bourne Supremacy and
The Bourne Ultimatum; Matt Damon). However, when Jeremy Renner - the star of
The Hurt Locker and
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - was cast in the leading role of the spin-off, the reaction became a far more positive one. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the majority of opinions from critics now that the first wave of reviews have hit. While many outlets have yet to weigh in (including those of us here at CBM) these don't exactly paint the positive picture that many will have been hoping for. Here are a selection of review excerpts.
Despite all of these misgivings, The Bourne Legacy represents a solid restart for the franchise. The ghost of Jason Bourne hangs all over the first half of the movie, so it seems obvious that Gilroy would like to bring Damon back, but even if he never returns Renner is more than capable of shouldering the burden. The film, while echoing The Bourne Identity, is adequate enough (not the highest praise, I know) and creates enough space for itself to warrant further adventures. I just wish that Gilroy hadn’t written the film with those further adventures in mind and had given us more closure.
Source: Badass Digest
An intriguing start to another possible franchise that's well on par with the original "Bourne Identity" in terms of ideas and storytelling. Although there isn't nearly as much action as the original three movies, it's doubtful anyone will leave "Legacy" not wanting to see more of Renner and Weisz in these roles.
Source: ComingSoon.net
If this had been the first film in a series – and could therefore be taken entirely on its own terms – The Bourne Legacy is an entertaining if at times uninvolving action picture, featuring sharper dialogue and better performances than most movies of the genre. But the film constantly reminds us that we are in both Jason Bourne’s universe and his timeline, with Cross following in his footsteps metaphorically and at times quite literally. It all makes for a frustrating viewing experience when you know that those films are superior to this one in every way, shape and form. The result is the fourth best entry in a series of four, and one that leaves you wishing the filmmakers had simply left Bourne’s legacy alone.
Source: IGN Movies
The Bourne legacy is furthered but not burnished by this fourth installment of the highly successful series that has heretofore been fronted by Matt Damon. With Jeremy Renner stepping in to play another covert operative and franchise screenwriter Tony Gilroy taking over the directorial reins from Paul Greengrass, the same tone and look are maintained, but the visceral excitement is muffled by familiarity, an insufficiently conceived lead character and the sheer weight of backstory and multiple layers of deception.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
The Damon films, while hardly masterpieces, had an existential edge to them. They were pure, propulsive, nightmare paranoia. This film has a dreamlike feeling to it, too – one of those frustrating dreams where you can’t quite make the pieces fit together logically. You kinda-sorta can hum along, but the specifics are jumbled. Nevertheless, ‘The Bourne Legacy,’ for all of its macro and micro faults, does have three or so truly nifty action sequences. I strongly endorse catching them out of context as you are flipping channels.
Source:ScreenCrush
Tony Gilroy takes over the helming duties with an overlong sequel that features too little action and an unnecessarily complicated plot. Fans will come, but they won't be happy, as if paying for a Bond movie and getting a 002 adventure in return.
Source: Variety
The narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise that has earned almost $1 billion at the global box office: The Bourne Legacy. The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films. For The Bourne Legacy, Renner joins fellow series newcomers Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac, while franchise veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn reprise their roles.
STARRING:
Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross
Rachel Weisz as Stephanie Snyder
Edward Norton as Byer
Joan Allen as Pam Landy
David Strathairn as Noah Vosen
Albert Finney as Dr. Albert Hirsch
Scott Glenn as Ezra Kramer
RELEASE DATE: August 3rd 10th, 2012
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