With Jason Bourne being released this weekend, I thought it would be fitting to review the other films in the Bourne franchise. So without further ado...
The Bourne Identity
The story of a man (played by Matt Damon), salvaged, near death, from the ocean by an Italian fishing boat. When he recuperates, the man suffers from total amnesia, without identity or background... except for a range of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistic skills and self-defense that speak of a dangerous past. He sets out on a desperate search-assisted by the initially rebellious Marie (played by Franka Potente) - to discover who he really is, and why he's being lethally pursued by assassins.
This is just an absolutely intense film. From the moment go you are thrust into this world with this man who has no idea who, what or where he is, but he ends up having insane fighting skills and that's where to the movie just really grabs a hold of the you. Matt Damon is great in the lead role and he just fits the character so well and it's a big departure from what Damon did before this film. Doug Liman did an outstanding job of directing some gorgeous action scenes that just keep you on the edge of your seat and it just builds and builds to the ultimate climax of the film. There's also a lot of suspense in the film as you go along with Jason Bourne on his journey to find out who he really is. It's written with such a good pace in mind to know when to get more sentimental moments and when to throw so hardcore action at you. The big problem with the film is the ending in the sense that the entire film has built towards nothing, but it does plant a lot of seeds for future films to expand upon. Overall this is all out knockdown action film that is perfectly placed, but ultimately the story's ending makes it all seem all for naught. I give The Bourne Identity a 9 out of 10.
The Bourne Supremacy
Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon) is living in India when he is framed by Russian agent Kirill (played by Karl Urban) for the theft of millions from the CIA. Kirill begins to pursue Bourne, intending to assassinate him -- but while Bourne and his girlfriend, Marie (played by Franka Potente), are on the run, a shot meant for him kills her instead. Vowing revenge, Bourne sets out to prove his innocence and bring the culprits to justice, but he has to evade CIA head Pamela Landry (played by Joan Allen), who is convinced he is guilty.
This film just really terrific. Paul Greengrass takes over the directors chair from Doug Liman and honestly there isn't a missed beat from the first film. It's still just as action packed and it's still a character driven story. Once again Matt Damon is outstanding in the lead role and you really see him develop the character of Jason Bourne himself. The story of the film is a tad bit different than the first in the sense that Bourne's history sort of takes a back seat. You still get moments throughout the film giving you more details about his past, but the film becomes more of a revenge film than anything which is an interesting turn and it helps keep the franchise fresh and moves it forward to show that there is more to this world than just a complete backstory for the main character. Doing this allows you to have more material to try in future films. While the action scenes are there, none of them really pack a punch like they did in the previous film and again that goes back to the more story driven feel of the film. The other major problem with the action is the fact that you can't hardly tell what is going on because the camera is moving all over the place due to the Steadicam and it just makes the action look unrealistic. Overall this film has a much better story than the first film, but the action scenes are just too few and far between for you really to engage yourself fully in the film. I give The Bourne Supremacy a 8.5 out of 10.
The Bourne Ultimatum
Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon) continues his international quest to uncover his true identity. From Russia to Europe to northern Africa to the United States, he must stay one step ahead of those who would capture or kill him before he has a chance to discover the truth.
This is easily the best film of the Bourne franchise. Both previous films have lacked in one thing or another. Whether it be The Bourne Identity lacking in a cohesive story or The Bourne Supremacy lacking in enough action scenes to keep you entertained. This film has both a great story and great action scenes to make it an almost perfect film. The combination of Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon works to perfection once again and you can really tell that they trust each other when it comes to making decisions on where the film should go and how to develop Jason Bourne more as a character. What was a major problem in the previous film (camerawork) is no longer an issue and while you do get some moments where the camera does get a little crazy, most of it is very polished and works to perfection. The franchise has been building towards one singular moment and that's finding out who Jason Bourne really is and while the build up was nicely done, the final execution of the reveal is somewhat anti-climatic and it just sucks the energy out of the film. Overall this is a fitting conclusion to an amazing trilogy of spy-action films even if the final payoff was for nothing. I give The Bourne Ultimatum a 9.5 out of 10.
The Bourne Legacy
When the actions of Jason Bourne spark a fire that threatens to burn down decades of research across a number of secret intelligence agencies, Eric Byer (played by Edward Norton), the man who built the programs, decides he must sacrifice one of them: Outcome. Aaron Cross (played by Jeremy Renner), one of Outcome's six agents, and research scientist Marta Shearing (played by Rachel Weisz) go on the run when Byer targets them for termination. But Cross proves to be a far deadlier target than Byer realizes.
This film is just a complete disappointment. Coming off of a very successful trilogy, the filmmakers tried to cash in on the success by not bringing either Paul Greengrass or Matt Damon which in hindsight wasn't a smart idea. Jeremy Renner had big shoes to fill and he actually did great and none of the criticism should go his way and instead towards the filmmakers. The story of the film is great in a way where it really expands the franchise to a point to show that there are others like Bourne out there, but the problem is that none of them are as interesting as Jason Bourne. Replacing Greengrass in the directors chair is Tony Gilroy who has wrote all of the Bourne films and it just seems that he felt uncomfortable directing and writing this film mainly because of the high expectations. as mentioned before while making the world bigger in this film by adding another Jason Bourne type figure, you honestly don't care about any of the characters mainly because they are Jason Bourne which is a shame because this film had a lot of potential. The action scenes are great, but without a really good story they just don't make an impact. Overall this was an unnecessary film to make and as a result both the franchise and filmmakers suffer. I give The Bourne Legacy a 5.5 out of 10.
Overall Average Franchise Rating: 8/10
So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of The Bourne franchise, what would you rate each film, are you excited for Jason Bourne and what did you think of my review. Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
The Bourne Identity
The story of a man (played by Matt Damon), salvaged, near death, from the ocean by an Italian fishing boat. When he recuperates, the man suffers from total amnesia, without identity or background... except for a range of extraordinary talents in fighting, linguistic skills and self-defense that speak of a dangerous past. He sets out on a desperate search-assisted by the initially rebellious Marie (played by Franka Potente) - to discover who he really is, and why he's being lethally pursued by assassins.
This is just an absolutely intense film. From the moment go you are thrust into this world with this man who has no idea who, what or where he is, but he ends up having insane fighting skills and that's where to the movie just really grabs a hold of the you. Matt Damon is great in the lead role and he just fits the character so well and it's a big departure from what Damon did before this film. Doug Liman did an outstanding job of directing some gorgeous action scenes that just keep you on the edge of your seat and it just builds and builds to the ultimate climax of the film. There's also a lot of suspense in the film as you go along with Jason Bourne on his journey to find out who he really is. It's written with such a good pace in mind to know when to get more sentimental moments and when to throw so hardcore action at you. The big problem with the film is the ending in the sense that the entire film has built towards nothing, but it does plant a lot of seeds for future films to expand upon. Overall this is all out knockdown action film that is perfectly placed, but ultimately the story's ending makes it all seem all for naught. I give The Bourne Identity a 9 out of 10.
The Bourne Supremacy
Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon) is living in India when he is framed by Russian agent Kirill (played by Karl Urban) for the theft of millions from the CIA. Kirill begins to pursue Bourne, intending to assassinate him -- but while Bourne and his girlfriend, Marie (played by Franka Potente), are on the run, a shot meant for him kills her instead. Vowing revenge, Bourne sets out to prove his innocence and bring the culprits to justice, but he has to evade CIA head Pamela Landry (played by Joan Allen), who is convinced he is guilty.
This film just really terrific. Paul Greengrass takes over the directors chair from Doug Liman and honestly there isn't a missed beat from the first film. It's still just as action packed and it's still a character driven story. Once again Matt Damon is outstanding in the lead role and you really see him develop the character of Jason Bourne himself. The story of the film is a tad bit different than the first in the sense that Bourne's history sort of takes a back seat. You still get moments throughout the film giving you more details about his past, but the film becomes more of a revenge film than anything which is an interesting turn and it helps keep the franchise fresh and moves it forward to show that there is more to this world than just a complete backstory for the main character. Doing this allows you to have more material to try in future films. While the action scenes are there, none of them really pack a punch like they did in the previous film and again that goes back to the more story driven feel of the film. The other major problem with the action is the fact that you can't hardly tell what is going on because the camera is moving all over the place due to the Steadicam and it just makes the action look unrealistic. Overall this film has a much better story than the first film, but the action scenes are just too few and far between for you really to engage yourself fully in the film. I give The Bourne Supremacy a 8.5 out of 10.
The Bourne Ultimatum
Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon) continues his international quest to uncover his true identity. From Russia to Europe to northern Africa to the United States, he must stay one step ahead of those who would capture or kill him before he has a chance to discover the truth.
This is easily the best film of the Bourne franchise. Both previous films have lacked in one thing or another. Whether it be The Bourne Identity lacking in a cohesive story or The Bourne Supremacy lacking in enough action scenes to keep you entertained. This film has both a great story and great action scenes to make it an almost perfect film. The combination of Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon works to perfection once again and you can really tell that they trust each other when it comes to making decisions on where the film should go and how to develop Jason Bourne more as a character. What was a major problem in the previous film (camerawork) is no longer an issue and while you do get some moments where the camera does get a little crazy, most of it is very polished and works to perfection. The franchise has been building towards one singular moment and that's finding out who Jason Bourne really is and while the build up was nicely done, the final execution of the reveal is somewhat anti-climatic and it just sucks the energy out of the film. Overall this is a fitting conclusion to an amazing trilogy of spy-action films even if the final payoff was for nothing. I give The Bourne Ultimatum a 9.5 out of 10.
The Bourne Legacy
When the actions of Jason Bourne spark a fire that threatens to burn down decades of research across a number of secret intelligence agencies, Eric Byer (played by Edward Norton), the man who built the programs, decides he must sacrifice one of them: Outcome. Aaron Cross (played by Jeremy Renner), one of Outcome's six agents, and research scientist Marta Shearing (played by Rachel Weisz) go on the run when Byer targets them for termination. But Cross proves to be a far deadlier target than Byer realizes.
This film is just a complete disappointment. Coming off of a very successful trilogy, the filmmakers tried to cash in on the success by not bringing either Paul Greengrass or Matt Damon which in hindsight wasn't a smart idea. Jeremy Renner had big shoes to fill and he actually did great and none of the criticism should go his way and instead towards the filmmakers. The story of the film is great in a way where it really expands the franchise to a point to show that there are others like Bourne out there, but the problem is that none of them are as interesting as Jason Bourne. Replacing Greengrass in the directors chair is Tony Gilroy who has wrote all of the Bourne films and it just seems that he felt uncomfortable directing and writing this film mainly because of the high expectations. as mentioned before while making the world bigger in this film by adding another Jason Bourne type figure, you honestly don't care about any of the characters mainly because they are Jason Bourne which is a shame because this film had a lot of potential. The action scenes are great, but without a really good story they just don't make an impact. Overall this was an unnecessary film to make and as a result both the franchise and filmmakers suffer. I give The Bourne Legacy a 5.5 out of 10.
Overall Average Franchise Rating: 8/10
So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of The Bourne franchise, what would you rate each film, are you excited for Jason Bourne and what did you think of my review. Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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