Jason Bourne is back and he is still trying to find the answers to the questions he has about his past. The movie Jason Bourne is the fifth movie in the Jason Bourne franchise and stars Matt Damon as the title character. Bourne has been off the grid for ten years, when suddenly Nicky, played once again by Julia Stiles, finds him and gives him some information that may help him learn more about his past. Will this information finally clear things up for Bourne or will it only create more questions? This movie is directed once again by Paul Greengrass, who directed The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Also starring in this movie are Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander and Vincent Cassel.
So far the Jason Bourne franchise has been pretty spectacular, that is once you forget about The Bourne Legacy, which didn't have Matt Damon or Paul Greengrass. The big question for me going into this movie was would it live up to the first three movies in the franchise or has this franchise lost it's magic and it's time to move on. After seeing Jason Bourne, I would say it falls somewhere in the middle. Some parts of the movie are fantastic while other parts feel like we have been there, done that, let's see something new.
Most people go into a Bourne movie looking forward to the action and this movie delivers in that category. The trailer for Jason Bourne hints at a car chase down the Vegas strip during the middle of the night and boy was that a fun scene to watch on the big screen. Cars are getting smashed left and right and the camera puts you right into the action and makes you feel like you are dodging the cars along with Bourne. Another great chase scene involves Bourne on a motorcycle being chased through a riot in Greece. In this scene you have cops blocking off roads causing Bourne to chase his route numerous times. Along with that, you have protestors throwing Molotov cocktails and shoving burning couches off rooftops that Bourne must dodge. This movie also delivers with some great hand-to-hand combat. During these scenes you can feel the punches being landed. You can feel the chaos and the brutality.
The performances in this movie are pretty solid, especially from Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander. Tommy Lee Jones plays CIA Director Robert Dewey and like most of his roles recently, he is constantly grumpy looking but he actually smiles a couple times which was fun to see. Alicia Vikander plays CIA agent Heather Lee. Her character is given more to do then most in the movie and goes through various arcs which were fun to see. Vincent Cassel plays an assassin and it seemed like he enjoyed playing that role. Unfortunately I am a little torn with Matt Damon's performance as Jason Bourne. When he is thrown into action he is a blast to watch, but when he isn't fighting anyone, he is very straight face and emotionless. His character didn't have a wide range of emotions like he did in previous films, he is just a one note character. For the first time in the franchise, I wasn't really rooting for Jason Bourne, I was just there for the action and didn't really care what he was going to learn about his past.
The various storylines within Jason Bourne are pretty uninteresting. Besides Bourne trying to learn more about his past, you also have to deal with this giant social networking company that is about to release it's next product. And like most tech movies now, the issue of personal security comes up and the government has to get involved. This storyline was not needed at all. It was only there to help facilitate the movies villain and in the end, there was never a pay off, but I guess that's what sequels are for.
Jason Bourne is a pretty solid action movie. The hand-to-hand combat is brutal. The chase scenes are thrilling and will put you on the edge of your seat. For the most part of the performances are enjoyable, especially Alicia Vikanders. Unfortunately, the character of Bourne was kind of lifeless and I was never rooting for him. The story itself can be rather dull and uninteresting. But, even with those negative points, I still feel you should see this movie in theaters, just maybe see it at a matinee price.
3 1/2 out of 5 Stars
1 comment:
Just saw this one last night with my better half. Your review nailed it. I enjoyed this movie but there was a lot wrong with it and the story was weak but it was fun. It was a good popcorn action flick if a bit over the top. It was kind of like "let's show people using computers and stuff so we can get to the action scenes." The one thing that really irked me about the movie was the unending shakey cam. Please get this man a tripod! Tommy Lee Jones was good in it. He has the creepiest face up close ever. So angular. Those bags under his eyes could be used as hammocks for the other characters when they get as tired as he looks.
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