Jason Bourne (2016)

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MmzHrrdb
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Jason Bourne (2016)

Post by MmzHrrdb »

Despite the fact that Matt Damon has said on many occasions that any further installments in the Bourne franchise after Ultimatum would be unnecessary and pointless (even coining "The Bourne Redundancy" as a potential title for a fourth film), the triumph of money over creative integrity clamors in the halls of Hollywood once more. Damon retracted all previous statements in attempt to diffuse any existing cynicism that may have taken root in the minds of action-obsessed audiences, now forced to actually think if the sacrifice of worthwhile story and characters would be worth glossy chase sequences and mindless punching. By the time such a complex thought would take to process had passed, Damon had already agreed to a fourth Bourne film, with director Paul Greengrass (who helmed Supremacy and Ultimatum) returning as well. Immediately forgetting this creative conundrum, zombie moviegoers around the world simultaneously said, "ooh! Jason Bourne!," throwing cash at the cinemas with their sweaty hands.

One has to wonder if the familiarity of the Supremacy and Ultimatum was some kind of comfort to viewers who weren't interested in learning a whole new plot or meeting any new characters (for even new cast additions are just present to fill in the shoes of other characters that had been axed). At any rate, Jason Bourne continues this idea in the latest chapter in the repetitive franchise. Bourne is on the run from the CIA, trying to discover more about this past, while punching his way past enemies. All the while, audiences get to watch the internal dysfunction of the CIA as inevitable rivalries occur. Throw in a couple car/motorcycle chases, spontaneous rendezvous, and a stare-off with the primary antagonist in the last act and hit puree; Bourne de la bored.

The copy-and-paste nature of Jason Bourne results in a corporate product that represents a shameful sell-out for everyone involved. Since the story is almost exactly the same as the previous Bourne films, every twist, turn, and death can be easily predicted well in advance. The desperate attempts at relevancy highlighted by a technology scandal feel cloying and pointless. The time spent staring at monitors in supposedly suspenseful moments is far too numerous. There is little here by way of excitement or tension.

The previous Bourne sequels suffered from their borderline remake status and story problems/contrivances, but they managed to compensate somewhat with well-crafted action. And while the fights here are well choreographed and car chases are satisfyingly destructive, it's all shot and edited in that obnoxious Greengrass' style in which the camera rattles about and no shot lasts more than two seconds. It's downright incomprehensible at times, creating a numbing effect that's further exacerbated by the sleep-inducing fluff meant to loosely bridge each set-piece.

If the Jason Bourne character ever had any nuance, it's all lost here. Matt Damon frowns a lot, and occasionally grunts a stock Bourne line, such as "meet me here in 15 minutes" or "tell me [such-and-such about the past]." Alicia Vikander struggles to bring interest to a Pam Landy copy, and Tommy Lee Jones does Tommy Lee Jones-lite. Vincent Cassel as an assassin is good enough to make one wish he was in a different movie. A waste of a very decent cast, to say the least.

The action underwhelms, the plot is just a copy of all the Bournes before it, and the script (by Greengrass and Christopher Rouse) is awful, failing to veil any of the script's many contrivances, knowing that audiences won't notice or care. For all the trouble, Jason Bourne is a forgettable and weak excuse for an action film. All the sequel criticism cliches are applicable here: "A pale imitation of its predecessor." "A poorly thought-out variation of the original." "A pointless cash-in." You may be tired of reading those recycled throwaway lines. But this similarly recycled product deserves no better.

Score: 4/10

Stewball
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Re: Jason Bourne (2016)

Post by Stewball »

The opening sequences and core story are excellent, dialogue, not so much. Excellent casting, especially Alicia Vikander who plays both sides of her character with aplomb. And I always liked Julia Stiles in this--Nicky Parsons being one of the best fictional names ever. Vincent Cassel is intense. T.L. Jones was himself. But I think it was so busy trying to justify their put down of the best in the series, Legacy, it just stumbles over its own feet. The motorcycle chase shows how hard that is to film, because this is nowhere near the quality of the one in Legacy. And that brings up the biggest flaw in the whole film, the GD shaky cam and jumpy editing. They even had that going on in close ups of documents or text messages, W....T....F'ing....F?! All that said, I still enjoyed it, go figure. 7/10

FYI, Moby has done a different version of Extreme Ways during the credits for each film in the franchise. And you guessed it, the one he did for Legacy is still the best IMNTBHO.

'Cha doin' with that gun there Matt?
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