The Bourne Opportunity

I watched The Bourne Legacy tonight. It's rare these days that I get to watch a movie on opening night, and rarer still that I write a review for it. But I haven't blogged in over two months, so I need to post something just to get back into the habit.

I'm not going to spoil much of the movie. This "review" is really going to be as much about me as it is about the film.

First, I am going to assume you've seen the first three: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum. I am also assuming you haven't yet seen The Bourne Legacy, since it is opening night, after all. I'm also assuming you know what the movie is about: an expansion of the universe and an exploration of the ramifications of the events of Ultimatum, not another film about Jason Bourne himself; Bourne (Matt Damon) does not even appear in this movie. I'm assuming you know that Paul Greengrass didn't return to direct this new one, and that Matt Damon said he would only ever return if and when Greengrass directs. The studios and the fans all hope and expect that they will indeed return for the fifth one, presumably titled The Bourne Betrayal, in keeping with the sequence of novels' titles (since the titles are about the only thing they have in common by this point). I'm assuming you know that John Powell composed the music for the first three, but James Newton Howard took over for Legacy. Lastly, I'm going to assume you know just how much I love the first three.

Well, how should I describe this movie in a word? "Lackluster" comes to mind. Also "disappointing," "uninteresting," and "unnecessary."

Coming from me, that is nothing short of shocking. Almost tragic, really.

The thing is, I was really looking forward to this, even despite knowing that Greengrass, Damon, and Powell were not involved. I figured, the worst-case scenario is that it "feels" a little "different" than the others, but it paves the road for the next several films to be awesome. And there's still hope for that.

But this movie was just such a missed mark. Between Prometheus and The Bourne Legacy, I'm starting to feel very sore about missed marks. I was the first in line to sing praises of Prometheus from its inception, and I had the highest faith in Ridley Scott returning to the franchise he himself created, rather than let others muck it up. I was stoked. But then Damon Lindelof wrote the screenplay, and it was just another opportunity for Lindelof to raise his middle finger at me, while Ridley Scott was just along for the ride. I can't really explain it without completely spoiling the entire plot of Prometheus, so I'll have to just let the comment stand. Damon Lindelof is a hack, but that is a rant for another time. The point is... Prometheus is a movie I was 100% on board with and excited about, until after watching it. But at least with Prometheus, it wasn't until the ride home from the theater that it started to sink in how badly I was ripped off. With The Bourne Legacy, I started to realize it during the first act of the film.

I knew it would be "different," so that's not what my disappointment is about. I knew it featured the slightly goofy Jeremy Renner instead of Matt Damon, duh. I saw the trailer, of course.

The trailer is misleading. Pam Landy (Joan Allen) is barely in the movie. I think she had exactly one line of dialogue. Even Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn), Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), and Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney) are barely in it at all, but they are more than happy to show every bit of those appearances in the trailer, to lure you in with the continuity and return of minor characters.

Okay, so the trailer showed minor characters. Big deal. Trailers often do that. So it was slightly misleading that they played up the importance of the characters from the third film when they were really just cameos in this one. Big deal, you say. Point, counterpoint. Fine. But the trailer is also misleading in that it has you believe that The Bourne Legacy is actually exciting to watch. Burn.

The Bourne Ultimatum was a thrillfest, slick but smart at the same time. Ultimatum was so congruous with Supremacy that it seemed like the two were filmed in tandem. This one was... ill-paced? Disjoint? At times it felt more like a Jack Ryan movie, and coming from me that's a pejorative. Whereas Jason Bourne was brilliantly clever and elusive, Aaron Cross was just not that crafty. Bourne was just so much more cunning than Cross. So it wasn't as smart as the previous films, and therefore not as interesting to keep up with. And that, my friends, is what it all boils down to: you can say I'm just another fanboy who allowed his hopes to rise to unsustainable heights, thus dismissing the validity of my disappointment, but The Bourne Legacy simply wasn't very interesting to watch. That is the unforgivable sin of any movie. When I'm sitting bored in the theater, wondering how much time is left of this thing, that's someone else's failure, not mine.

It was entertaining enough, I suppose. But sooooo inferior to the other three.

And in the last scene, when Rachel Weisz gives that little smirk with the downbeat of the trademark Bourne end credits Moby song "Extreme Ways," it feels forced. The song only serves to remind me that, oh yeah, this was a Bourne movie and I wish Bourne had actually been in it. What did I just sit through? Who cares about these people?

Quick side note about continuity: what was the timeline for these movies? I thought Supremacy took place two years after Identity, and I know Ultimatum was six weeks after Supremacy. But Legacy takes place during the events of Ultimatum, and we even see some of the same things happen from a different perspective... yet there's a point in the movie where Noah Vosen refers to Bourne's desertion as an incident that happened six years ago. Six years? How? Am I wrong on this, or am I just the only one including the writers who pays attention to chronology throughout a franchise? I must have missed something. Either that, or they messed up.

Now, a word about the score. Same sentiment applies: it was serviceable for the film, appropriate enough not to be a complete abomination, but it was also lackluster. Disappointing. Don't get me wrong, James Newton Howard is fantastic. He's easily one of the top ten most talented film composers alive today (alive being the operative word). Howard is great, and I just recently purchased his score to Salt. Listening to Salt, I heard a great deal of potential for The Bourne Legacy, which assuaged my concerns about musical continuity; I knew Legacy would have different material in the score, but that it could still sound faithful to John Powell's first three... and so I paid attention to the music during the movie, and I even listened to the entire CD on the drive to work afterwards (just now)...

I was wrong. It basically was a watered-down version of Salt. So... saltwater? Wait, no. Not to mix metaphors, but... if you're going to phone it in, don't step on the toes of your predecessor on the way to the phone. JNH's score for The Bourne Legacy is basically Salt 2, right down to the leaping-thirds motif. The original John Powell Bourne bassoon motif makes a couple of appearances, but the rest of it just sounds generic. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent score. It's a perfectly fine spy movie score, but I don't want fine, I want Bourne!

You see, the John Powell scores to the first three films are among my favorite albums to listen to. He did a smashing job of building on previous material (and the original material was luscious to begin with!), making the whole trilogy one of the most satisfying musical experiences since Don Davis' music for The Matrix trilogy. More so, in my personal taste. John Powell's scores to the first three Bourne films actually enhanced my life, just like the films: I love them so much, and I can watch them repeatedly, tirelessly. And, sentimental as it may sound, driving around to John Powell's Bourne scores truly does enhance my pitiful occupation of this mundane planet. When The Dark Knight Rises came out a few weeks ago, I eagerly went to the theater knowing that my life was about to be "enhanced" with another installment of heroic tales and outstanding film music that further builds on the previous scores. It's not just atmospheric continuity that makes it so important to retain the film composer for a sequel... it's for the music itself. The Bourne Legacy is going to always be a "what if" movie for me. What if they had gotten Greengrass, Damon, and Powell together for the fourth one instead of this lackluster expansion of the universe?

Well, at least there's still that hope for the fifth one. But that means, either way, that this movie was a bit of a squandered opportunity. Actors aren't getting any younger, so the reason a sequel can be so disappointing is not just because it wasn't quite as good as you hoped it would be, but because of the opportunity cost. Think of the time and money it takes to produce one of these blockbusters. Admit it: you're crossing your fingers for them to hurry up and make more Avengers movies before it's too late, and every opportunity counts. It's the same thing here. Strike while the iron is hot.

I mean, you're talking to a guy who found enough about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull enjoyable to consider it worth watching over and over again. If The Bourne Legacy left a sour taste in my mouth, that's saying something.

They could have just as easily called it The Bourne Apathy or The Bourne Meh or The Bourne Fuck You Audience.

The Bourne Legacy wasn't utterly horrible, but it was disappointing, lackluster, badly paced, and overall uninteresting. Unsatisfactory. And I had such high hopes. This is a sad day indeed. John Powell, I loved you so much. James Newton Howard is an awesome composer, but another "missed mark" for The Bourne Legacy. I'm still lamenting that they replaced David Arnold with Thomas Newman for Skyfall. How is that going to "enhance my life?"

At least The Dark Knight Rises was everything I'd hoped for.

I just pray that Greengrass, Damon, and Powell will all return for the next one, so that I may have fresh Bourne coursing through my veins. Quantity and quality. Luscious.

The bottom line is that tonight I was robbed.