JASON BOURNE

“I remember. I remember everything.”

“Remembering everything doesn’t mean you know everything.”

Not counting that not-so-great spinoff starring Jeremy Renner, it’s been nine years since we’ve had a Bourne sequel. All I remember about any of the original three films is that the ending to Ultimatum is great. The whole jumping into the river and swimming away underwater was a great ending. Apart from that, there’s something about Treadstone and…err…some other stuff.

Now, nine years later, we’ve got a new movie in the franchise, and it’s pretty good.

Jason Bourne, the movie not the guy, sees Jason Bourne, the guy not the movie, make his way back into the world of espionage and car chases after a face from the past reveals some previously unknown secrets about Bourne’s life before the CIA recruited him. What follows is a thankfully simple and quickly evolving plot of double agent-ing and explosions and stuff like that.

What’s great about the Bourne films is that unlike so many others, it’s an action series that actually has some story, some relevance in the real world behind it. Both of which helps ground it for viewers. Example: this movie goes into the issues of privacy and security. That’s an issue right now in the real world, and it truly does help the film come across as something that could be happening right now.

Talking of story, it’s good news for both old viewers and new that this time round the story is a lot easier to follow compared to the old films. Yes, at times that means that it gets slightly predictable, but the first three follow a set of basic plot points, and for this to go against them would make the film feel out of place.

Of course, Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne and gives the role his best shot. While in some scenes he really does a great job, for the overall film, something’s missing. Maybe it’s just the fact he’s been away from the role for so long and he’s finding his place again. Maybe it’s that his role in last year’s Martian is still relatively fresh in the mind. Or Y’Know, maybe it’s because he doesn’t get a huge amount to say. Even if the movie is named after him. The two main additions to the franchise, Tommy Lee Jones and Ex_Machina’s Alicia Vikander both do great jobs as their respective CIA agents. Jones brings his classic grumpy humour to the film and Vikander continues to show that she’s more than capable of bringing complex characters to the big screen.

Ah yes, the action. As with any Bourne film, you’re probably expecting a car chase as the very minimum. Good news, you’re in luck. This instalment brings two car chases that are both gripping and tense, and plenty of the franchise’s staple shaky-cam fight scenes. They’re brutal, they’re hard hitting and they help the film threw a few long scenes.

Speaking of long, while the film itself stands at a fairly standard two-ish hours, it feels very long when you’re watching it. At several moments I starting thinking ‘this is the big ending’ only to remember that some scenes in the trailers hadn’t been shown yet. I think the main reason for this is the various plot lines the film has to offer, but taking these away would do more damage than good, so maybe a longer film is better.

All in all, Jason Bourne is another brutal and spy-language filled movie that follows the first three films pretty well considering how long ago they came out. It has everything a Bourne film needs, and while at times it does feel slightly too generic, you’ll come out knowing that what you just watched was in fact a Bourne film, not a shallow action blockbuster. So yeah…Good stuff.

And yes, it finishes with the Moby music from the old films.