Movie: Jason Bourne
Direction: Paul Greengrass
Cast: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles, Riz Ahmed
Music: John Powell, David Buckley
Cinematographer: Barry Ackroyd
Editor: Christopher Rouse
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: ∗∗½
What is it about: This will mark the 5th film from the “Bourne Series”. And this one picks up from where the third film ends. Paul Greengrass, who returns as the director for this sequel with Matt Damon reprising the role of Jason Bourne.
Why it’s disappointing: Sequels are pain for the filmmakers to derive as a concept. It requires tremendous work and pressure to make the new one better than the other and finally and mostly sequels fail to impress. And “Jason Bourne” is no exception from that factor.
The return of Jason Bourne after the big deal they make it in the “Bourne Legacy” film seemed like little off and didn’t appeal the way it happens. This sequel moves at a generic manner like the previous films but lacks the interest which they held with the audience in their previous films. There was something missing, which for some reason you keep pondering what is that.
One major flaw of the film was converting it to 3D. It was the most annoying thing they did and with a camera work which moves relentlessly without a breath gives you a headache. This film doesn’t require 3D, I’m still wondering what made Universal Studios make this decision.
I doubt even diehard fans will be satisfied with this sequel, except for couple of action sequences, it didn’t have anything else to offer. It lacked the genius which the character “Bourne” is, and that was kind of let down. And there was mild feeling that Matt Damon looked kind of disinterested in reprising the role as Jason Bourne.
What to watch out for: The film had a cast addition of Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander. From which Alicia looked promising.
The first action sequence and the final one in Las Vegas were quite pulsating ones. The cinematography by Barry Ackroyd was good and would have been great if at all the makers had released it in regular format. Christopher Rouse did a swift job in editing this one. Apart from technicality I hardly find anything interesting in the film.
Verdict: Paul Greengrass kind of failed this time to impress the “Bourne” out of us. The entire film looked kind of disinterested, seemed like a forced extension of franchise to bag in cash. I think they have ridden this wagon way too long and should find a way to end it soon. Watch it if you love the franchise to see what they did with it. Definitely the studio has a plan for next, but director and lead are ready, will be a big question mark.
