The Bourne Ultimatum seemed like the last film in the series, however after some deliberation they tried to reboot it with Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy. While this bridge may have appeased fans of the series, it was more of a speed bump and just wasn’t the same without Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. This explains why there has been so much anticipation around the release of Jason Bourne. The trilogy left on a high note and in the absence of any immediate sequels, it could have been idealised, making the return of Bourne doomed to fail expectations.

How do you keep the series alive? Well, you make sure that Jason Bourne stays on the run and continues to unravel a series of clues to unlock his past. In this sequel, the dangerous former CIA operative is lured out of hiding with the promise of more information about his classified past. Perhaps the mistake is that Paul Greengrass should have reimagined and reinvigorated the franchise by turning it into a TV series.

Maybe Matt Damon isn’t quite ready to become a TV series regular, which prompted them to release another “Bourne Identity” film. Fans of the series have come to expect certain elements to be in place and Jason Bourne is like a signature film, continuing the trademark tradition with blistering action set pieces, Big Brother espionage drama, an intercontinental manhunt, double agents and intrusive surveillance from the CIA.

Your enjoyment of Jason Bourne will largely depend on what you think you’ve signed up for. Those going for a typical Bourne action thriller will be pleased as this relentless film serves up intense action, quick pacing, suspenseful drama and the cornerstones of the Bourne series. However, those expecting an in-depth and story-focused film, allowing us to get more acquainted with the man behind the Bourne identity mask, may be disappointed.

“Bourne… Jason Bourne. Seriously, you’ve never heard of me?”

Being the fifth film in the series, it still manages to attract an A-list cast. Besides Matt Damon, we have Tommy Lee Jones whose rich film history includes The Fugitive, Alicia Vikander who for all intents and purposes is playing a Yale version ofThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Vincent Cassel who continues to cement his typecasting as a dangerous and twisted villain. Vikander has a similar look to Natalie Portman, which alongside Cassel may remind you of Black Swan. There is a dark and gritty edge to this latest installation, which is fueled by Vincent Cassel’s hitman character, who has no regard for human life.

The production values are quite outstanding, especially when it comes to action, as nail-biting showdowns occur within city spaces involving a riot and dense traffic. The orchestration carries a great sense of reality and urgency, something you imagine Greengrass has tried to effect from his experience on working on Captain Phillips. The quick pacing and taut atmosphere doesn’t really give you a chance to catch your breath flipping between CIA surveillance and Jason Bourne’s attempts to uncover the truth. While the back story involves media sharing and a topical and introspective look at those who control privacy and access to information.

It’s no secret, Jason Bourne is more action-orientated and delivers more of the same quality you’ve come to expect from the series. You may find yourself questioning why he doesn’t wear more disguises, being one of the most wanted men in a world of cameras, but there’s just so much exhilarating action and suspense that you don’t get too much time to dwell on these things. It’s a blast of espionage entertainment that encompasses elements from previous chapters and upholds the same high quality action. It could have gone deeper in terms of excavating the title character’s past, but that would compromise the series’s long-running concept, and how can we criticise Bourne for being Bourne?

The bottom line: Intense

Release date: Now Showing
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