Jason Bourne is back on the big screen after a 10 year hiatus.We are going to ignore that one “Bourne” movie with Hansel in it, and insist on this being the real 4th instalment of the hugely popular action spy series.
Movie starts up a decade after we last saw Jason, surprisingly, we learn that he has survived the ten years by participating in illegal fights. In the meantime, Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) has continued to collect information about the CIA with a plan to expose them. During her quests, she comes across new information about Jason, which prompts her to make contact with him. Unbeknownst to her, the newly hired hacker and head of Cyber Operation, Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) is watching and immediately gets alerted to her findings. CIA director, Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and Heather decide to go after Jason to get him back into the program.
With some quick recaps, flashbacks and introductions to new characters all within the first ten minutes, the movie wastes no time jumping straight into high voltage action in true Bourne form.
The directorial styles are interesting this time around as viewers are often put in a POV during action scenes. This would have been enjoyable had it not been for the added shaky camera work which Paul Greengrass is well known for. Combination of the two styles means there’s a strong chance you’ll find yourself fighting off motion sickness.
If you love the form of fighting in the previous three films then you’ll equally appreciate them in this. There are no CGI trickery, most of the action were shot outside with real stunt people to make it as authentic as possible. They really did drive multiple cars through a hotel lobby in Vegas and destroyed hundreds of cars during chase scenes. Thankfully, neither Paul Greengrass nor Christopher Rouse gave into added pressure to change the essence of Jason Bourne. He is as true to the character as fans have come to anticipate.
The story is not as strong as it could have been. We are meant to discover his background which one would expect to be sensational and unexpected. However, that’s not the case. Movie has multiple flashbacks to establish how he became Jason Bourne and why. Some might find this confusing occasionally so I would suggest paying attention at all times. It’s interesting to note that Damon doesn’t have many lines. In fact, the whole movie has less dialogue than any of the previous 3 instalments.
Julia Stiles returns alongside new additions, Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander, whose character is quite intriguing. If there is another Bourne film in the future, which I highly suspect there will be, her character will be pivotal. Once again, Matt Damon does not disappoint, his ability to convincingly transform himself into any character he takes on is extremely underrated. Which is why there could never be a Jason Bourne movie without Matt Damon.
Greengrass delivers a true high action Bourne film which fans will enjoy. If action is not your preferred genre or you’re over all things Jason Bourne, then skip it. Everyone else can sit back and enjoy the fast paced ride. Just make sure you take some motion sickness pills with you.
I rate it 7 out of 10 stars.
Jason Bourne is in cinemas now.
