Jason Bourne (2016) Review
Roughly 9 years since the last Matt Damon appearance as the title character, Jason Bourne smashes into theaters with a film that's a let down on many levels, but delivers what it promises in some thrilling action sequences.
Seeing a Jason Bourne broken and secluded from the rest of the world is an interesting way to start, even if it's really the only way to start following the last time the character appeared nine years ago in The Bourne Ultimatum. The title of this film is making a statement. It's the start of something new, and, subjectively, the film is as bad as it.
It delivers exactly what's in the title though. This is a film about Jason Bourne, who learns that what he thinks he knows about his own past is just the tip of the iceberg. This sets up an interesting journey, all of the potential in the world to deconstruct and rebuild the character. Instead, it takes a cliche and predictable incident to instigate four films worth of story, though admittedly it ends fittingly with Bourne outsmarting everybody else on the table.
Alicia Vikander is the other major player in this film. The actress has been popping up a lot lately, putting in award-winning performances and elevating the films she's in. She's truly one to look out for. So when I say she's criminally underused in this film, I mean it. She's given next to nothing to sink her teeth into, instead forced to wear the same bland expression on her face for the entire two hours she's on the screen. We learn nothing about her, except for her apparent ambition. And when we think we learn that she's starting to doubt the world she's entered into, that too gets tipped on its head to craft a far less engaging and interesting character by the end of the film.
The only real selling point the film has is its action sequences, two of which I can recall quite vividly. First off, the film kicks off with Bourne being thrown into the thick of things against his will. This leads to a manhunt that's dark and daring and hints at something compelling to come. When Bourne loses someone close to him, it's easy to consider this his motivation for the remainder of the film. But it doesn't feel weighty enough. This is a character that walked away, albeit one without a purpose because of it.
Due to Bourne's running and the CIA's belief that he's after them, there's an underlying detachment in the film's through-line. Bourne isn't attacking the heart of the CIA at all, and therefore comes across as something of a villain. His refusal to kill at times is clear, and it makes the character more interesting and agreeable because of it. But he's quick to revert back, alluding to the character having not grown at all. Damon speaks about 25 lines for the film, and you can't develop a character that way (or rather, it takes a lot more skill than this script has).
I hate to tear the film apart. When I watched the initial three films quite some years ago, I adored them. When I saw The Bourne Legacy, I defended it. But Jason Bourne is perhaps evidence that the Bourne franchise can never have the staying power of James Bond. With plenty of explosiveness and little else, Jason Bourne is the definition of a modern summer blockbuster, or maybe just the modern action film. Switch off your brain, and you'll have a good time. Or, you might just fall asleep.
