Movie Review
Siddharth Martis
3 / 5
Jason Bourne is a film directed by Paul Greengrass (Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum, Captain Philips) and is written by Christopher Rouse (Bourne Ultimatum). It stars Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, Courage Under Fire), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, Danish Girl), and Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men, The Fugitive), along with Julia Stiles (Ten Things I Hate about You) and Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Irreversible).
The Bourne series made a name for itself through the use of clever thrills and vibrant action sequences, that were both driven by a complex, thought-provoking narrative. Jason Bourne has the misfortune of being spawned without a compelling yarn to tell.
The absence of motivation leads writer Christopher Rouse to overcomplicate the story with meaningless sub-plots and altered storylines as a way to cover up the film’s lack of genuine intrigue. This façade works for the first thirty minutes or so, thanks to Paul Greengrass consistently taut direction and Alicia Vikander and Matt Damon’s dedicated performances, but eventually fades ultimately revealing the film's overfamiliarity and predictability.
With that said, as I think back on the film, there were a handful of moments, particularly at in the final scene that hint at something truly remarkable. This leads me to believe that moving past this dull and tedious exercise, merely meant to set-up certain events, the next installment might truly be the best in the series. Only time will tell.
Matt Damon returns to his most iconic role in Jason Bourne. The film finds the CIA’s most lethal former operative drawn out of the shadows.Jason Bourne, the fifth film in the Bourne series and the fourth including Matt Damon, is a tired retread of the original trilogy that doesn’t bring much of anything new to the table. Still, Jason Bourne is competently made and enjoyable on an aesthetic level, with great production design and fluent cinematography. Mindless fun and the Bourne series shouldn’t be synonymous.
The Bourne series made a name for itself through the use of clever thrills and vibrant action sequences, that were both driven by a complex, thought-provoking narrative. Jason Bourne has the misfortune of being spawned without a compelling yarn to tell.
The absence of motivation leads writer Christopher Rouse to overcomplicate the story with meaningless sub-plots and altered storylines as a way to cover up the film’s lack of genuine intrigue. This façade works for the first thirty minutes or so, thanks to Paul Greengrass consistently taut direction and Alicia Vikander and Matt Damon’s dedicated performances, but eventually fades ultimately revealing the film's overfamiliarity and predictability.
With that said, as I think back on the film, there were a handful of moments, particularly at in the final scene that hint at something truly remarkable. This leads me to believe that moving past this dull and tedious exercise, merely meant to set-up certain events, the next installment might truly be the best in the series. Only time will tell.