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• Currently 2/5 Stars.

Movies.ie Critic Review

In the wake of Treadstone being dragged into the public eye, Eric Byer (Edward Norton) decides to shut down the training programme by killing off all active agents. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) must fight for his survival.

The tagline of The Bourne Legacy tells us There was never just one, and this seems to be the whole explanation for the movie. There were more agents being trained and primed like Jason Bourne, and one such agent must fight for his life as the programme is shut down. Jeremy Renner stars as Aaron Cross, a former US soldier who was drafted into Treadstone after his death was faked. Renner proved earlier this year with his role in Avengers Assemblethat he is capable of taking on an action film and doing it justice, and he continues to prove this in The Bourne Legacy. Renner is convincing in the role of a super soldier, but he is let down by a script and story that is less than satisfying.

Cross joins forces with one of the engineers of the ‘chems’ that help to create the soldiers strength and skill – Dr Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) – and together they fight to stay alive. Weisz does not stretch herself in the role, although her interactions with Renner feel warm and real. Since his turn as Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk, it seems to have all gone wrong for Edward Norton. Once a strong actor and star of some fantastic movies, Norton has been reduced to shouting in control rooms in The Bourne Legacy. Thankfully, he was wonderful in Moonrise Kingdom this year, and this may go some way to forgiving him for Skyping in his performance in this film.

The previous Bourne films were known for their complex and gripping stories, but it seems that the writers of The Bourne Legacy just gave up. The first hour of the film is spent tracking Renner through Alaska as he stares at the landscape and outwits wolves, and the rest is a mad dash through Manila in order to cement his new ‘super powers’. The pacing is all over the place, and while some of the set pieces are fun to watch, this does not make up for a slow start and a paper-thin story.

Director Tony Gilroy – who also penned the script – proved with Michael Clayton that he had an eye for the screen. Sadly his follow up, Duplicity, was less than impressive, and The Bourne Legacy is equally as disappointing. None of the actors are allowed to stretch themselves – although it is clear that Renner enjoyed the action sequences – and the audience finds themselves unable to root for the lead character as he is written too broad and too mysterious for them to relate to. It is sad to say, but it seems that Michael Clayton was a one off touch of genius for Gilroy.

In all, The Bourne Legacy proves two things; Jeremy Renner is a rising star who is comfortable in the world of action, and that the Bourne franchise should have been left to die with the departure of Matt Damon. Much like Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, this is a weak and disappointing fourth instalment in a franchise, and one that was not needed. Renner has moments of greatness, but if this is the legacy left by Jason Bourne, it is a poor and disappointing one.

Review by Brogen Hayes 

• Avg User rating
• Currently 2/5 Stars.

User Reviews

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  DavidMinogue

  

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  mart

  

  Renner and Weisz make an entertaining action-movie odd couple, the terse man of action and the chatty scientist who learns fast how to react when the shooting starts.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  enigmab17

  

  A Bourne Movie...without Jason Bourne. When Matt Damon refused to do another Bourne movie, they should have just left it. This outing for the Bourne franchise, had very little impact on me. I felt that it didn't really progress any of the story, nor did it have any of the plot twists, surprises and suspense that the Bourne films have basically become trademarked with. Renner on the up side was great, and fit the part...its just a pity that the story and directing were severely lacking. My only hope is that Matt Damon comes back to finish off this Franchise...as it stands now, its teedling on a perch and it's not looking good. The ending certainly suggests that another film could be down the road. It gets 2 stars from me simply because no effort was put into the story, and how it progresses/links in with the Bourne films.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  mell61

  

  This entire movie feels like a build up to a real Bourne movie, lots of twists and turns, but I never quite engaged with Aaron Cross the way I did with JB. A few good set pieces, but a little more character development would have been nice. However, Edward Nortons character is menacing in that he is so reasonable and almost civil servent like in ordering deaths.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  Onionhead

  

  It's twists and turns and nothing else. And fast and furious as it may be, if this is the best this once-smart series has to offer, this is no legacy.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  darthrodney

  

  Enjoyable movie, adds a few nice layers to the Bourne universe and expands on the ideas in the previous 3 flicks without feeling like a complete remake of the Matt Damon movies. Renner fits in nicely in the role, Weiz does well in a poorly fleshed out role (Shes a genius but cant see the conspiracy right in her face even as she explains the conspiracy?!?). The action is good but the Greengrass copying "shaky-cam" gets a bit annoying. A very basic story and a flat ending let it down and leave you with a feeling its not as good as the previous Bourne outings.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  Hadouken65

  

  Thought it fit into the Bourneverse really well. It was a bit long, but the action and story were great. Room for improvement, so I hope it gets a sequel.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  roberthughes23

  

  I have mixed feelings about this one, as part of the Bourne series it is no where as good as the other three and you can't but compare them when watching this. It lacks that twist or surprise that the previous movies had. As a stand alone movie it is good, very entertaining and full of action with a good story line that ties well to the other movies, however I felt you may miss out on a lot if you haven't seen the other Bourne movies but may not matter as a movie, just may not be as good without seeing the others. I would still recommend it as a movie to watch as I did thoroughly enjoy it.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  vu1999uk

  

  While this film was never going to live up to the first three films, it still has to go down as a big dissapoinment. It never really clicks, there is not enough action (although the finale is not bad) and the film drags very badly at times as you really feel the running time. It's not a total loss, as Jeremy Renner is great but both Edward Norton and Rachel Weizz are straddled with one dimensional poorly written characters. Plus the modern setting up for the eventual sequel is there at the end. All round while not a disaster, should have been a lot better.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  filmbuff2011

  

  The Bourne Ultimatum wrapped things up nicely, so it's no surprise that director Paul Greengrass and then Matt Damon passed on the chance to do a fourth film. However, as the advertising for this fourth film proclaims, there never was just one... The Bourne Legacy takes place parallel to the events in Ultimatum, but Jason Bourne is more of a floating presence here. Instead, we follow his fellow operative Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) as he dodges one bullet after another when shady Government boss Colonel Eric Byer (Edward Norton) orders all covert agents to be liquidated. Cross teams up with scientist Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) to see how deep the rabbit hole goes... Director Tony Gilroy of Michael Clayton fame wrote the screenplays for the previous Bourne films, so the franchise is in relatively safe hands. However, there's no denying that he's no match for Greengrass when it comes to staging thrilling action set-pieces. The closest he comes to is a motorbike chase, but it lacks the blistering speed of the car chase from Ultimatum. The first hour of Legacy plods along as well, lacking any real momentum. Building on his previous work in the likes of The Hurt Locker, Renner is good in the lead role and he's well-supported by Weisz. A new version of Moby's song Extreme Ways over the end credits is perhaps a touch too far, given that it belongs more to Bourne himself. This is a respectable if not quite memorable story, perhaps best viewed as a standalone film.