Jason Bourne (2016)

“Jason Bourne” stars Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, and Vincent Cassel.  Released on July 29, 2016, the film has Jason Bourne searching for hidden truths about his past while being hunted down by the CIA.

The film is directed by Paul Greengrass, who also directed films such as The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Captain Phillips.  It is the fifth installment in the Bourne film series and the direct sequel to The Bourne Ultimatum.  The first time I actually got into the Bourne films was back in 2012 with the release of The Bourne Legacy, which starred Jeremy Renner.  I haven’t got into the original Bourne trilogy, so I figured that this installment should be a good place for me to start.  This latest film in the franchise reunites Matt Damon in his iconic role with director Paul Greengrass once again, but are they enough to deliver another crowd-pleasing installment in the critically acclaimed film series?

Pros:
Decent performances, including Matt Damon as the title character.

Decent direction from Greengrass.

The action was entertaining, with the first and final action sequences being my favorites.

Cons:
The story was a bit underwhelming at times; failed to match up the intensity of the action.

The first act took a while to build up.

The pacing’s a bit slow at certain parts, but never boring.

Final thoughts: “Jason Bourne” knows what it is, but that doesn’t mean it knows every element that made the franchise popular.  Sure, it has some elements like Damon’s portrayal as Bourne and its action sequences, but its underwhelming, yet interesting, story seemed to be pulling itself back.  Other than that, it’s an enjoyable ride from start to finish that will certainly please fans of the Bourne franchise.

C