Review: 'The Bourne Legacy' not exactly a gem in the series

Film: The Bourne Legacy
Director: Tony Gilroy
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton and others
Rating: **1/2
 
What happens when Jason Bourne himself drops out of the Bourne series?
 
With no Matt Damon to put a face to the franchise anymore, the series faced an uphill battle to keep things rolling. Former writer of the series, Tony Gilroy, took upon himself the task of keeping alive the legacy of Bourne.
 
In The Bourne Legacy, we move away from Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne and on to another CIA agent, Aaron Cross (a transition, that will not be an easy one for fans of the franchise).
 
The plot is a bit hard to follow right in the beginning with lots of information being thrown at the audience but the basic structure is this:
 
The CIA has decided to end all their underground operations after Jason Bourne’s activities partially expose them to the media. Ending these programs includes killing all the agents involved. Which brings us to Alaska where we are introduced to Cross, an operative involved in operation "Outcome" who is surviving the wildernesses with the help of "chems", these green and blue pills which enhance him physically and mentally.
 
Cross’ physical prowess is established right in the beginning. He beats up wolves using just his fists, goes swimming in frozen lakes without getting hypothermia and climbs treacherous mountains without falling off. So, obviously, when CIA comes knocking to finish him off, Cross manages to escape. He now, with the help of an Outcome scientist and future love interest Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), sets out to get more of the little magic pills because without those he will become, there is no nice way to say it, dumb and weak. If there is a larger good hidden in this mess of a situation, it is overshadowed by the quest to get to the pills and not get shot in the process.
 
The action sequences are recognisable and the Aaron Cross makes for a good character but the film falls short in terms of depth and intensity. A lot of information that was essential in the first three films is recapped in The Legacy which makes for a lot of talking making the film conversation-heavy and tedious. The final chase sequence of the film, shot in Manila, is fast and violent but goes on forever and you find yourself drifting off. The film is so obviously open-ended that they might as well have written in bold letters “there will be a sequel” before roll credits.

Renner plays the part of the deadly CIA agent quite well and we see flashes of the talent he showcased in The Hurt Locker but he, unfortunately, lacks Damon’s charisma (or maybe we are just used to him as the original kick-ass Bourne).
 
The Bourne Legacy is a decent enough film on its own but not exactly a gem in the Bourne series. Fans should give it a try and action lovers should definitely watch it.