Jason Bourne Review

Jason Bourne is the return to form for the series bringing back the titular character of the first three movies Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) and once again teaming him up with Director Paul Greengrass. The film once again resonates well with the Bourne formula capturing the spirit of the character and following along a similar path. While this is great there was a certain fatigue to it that did set in, but for fans of this series it's another excellent chapter. The story picks up years later with Bourne fighting in underground rings until he's pulled back into the action by Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles).

This sends him once more down a path of discovering his past, this time in regards to his father and the very reason he had signed up in the first place. It does provide great depth in exploring this past while still building towards a future for the franchise. While Bourne begins to make his moves back in America the CIA Director Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) is building a watch system using a past start-up they invested in to constantly watch the people of the country. Another promising up and coming agent Heather (Alicia Vikander) is working with him taking some modern actions in catching Bourne and this was present throughout the film.

The series once again aims to provide standard aspects of the series from having many diversion heavy areas to the many strategic ways Bourne goes about his work. The acting was great in the film with everyone jumping right back into their roles despite such a passing in time.

The new players in this seemingly never ending game also fit in well ushering in a new generation and keeping the series fresh while its center piece ages. The cinematography was great presenting some nice wide shots and keeping the pace of the action up. I did however have some issues with the amount of blurry scenes as while I'm typically fine with the choice in these films there were just far too many in this particular film.

I also wasn't a fan of the extended chase scene that went on towards the ending as it was unnecessarily long and just unrealistic. Understanding fully well that this is a movie, the Bourne series is typically grounded and there were also fewer moments where we got to see the pure ingenuity of Bourne.

The Conclusion

Jason Bourne could have had a better title as the series usually has such great names, but it fits well and brings Bourne back into the spotlight. It was definitely enjoyable continuing the series well while also pushing it forward into modern times. I enjoyed seeing Bourne in action with all the creative ways he gets around traps or the various waves of the CIA attempting to take him out.

There were however some issues in the film including the familiarity of the story as it felt like we've been through this before, the extended chase scene and the shaky camera being too present. Still, fans of the series will love it and even those looking for a solid action film will find it to be a great time.

Jason Bourne Review at Theater with Standard Viewing
Screening Provided by NBC Universal

Rating Overall: 7.5