‘JASON BOURNE’ (2016): Exciting and Exhilarating, Bourne is Back!

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It’s been a drought for action fans with the exclusion of our favorite assassin turned rouge agent, Jason Bourne. When Matt Damon’s return to the iconic role of Jason Bourne was announced, there was excitement. This is the result.

Jason Bourne (2016) Film Review

It’s been years since the CIA had a sighting of Jason Bourne (Damon). Without a name, country or family, Jason is a ghost. He’s been restlessly moving from one place to other, never finding peace. Then a face from his past reenters his life. Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) is working with a dark web hacker with plans to release all of the Treadstone files. But first she has to get information about Jason’s past to him.

Their reunion sparks the interest of the CIA and danger is again their normal. Particularly invested in the case is CIA Cyber Crimes head, Heather Lee (Alicia Vikandar). Underneath the establishment of Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones), Heather determines to be the one to bring in Bourne. But before she can accomplish anything, she has to gain his trust, which might set into motion events she cannot control.

The hashtag of summer blockbusters is all about “Bourne is Back.” This was the buzz surrounding the film nearly ten years in the making. Whether fans walk away feeling satisfied or not, one thing we cannot argue is that Jason Bourne makes a comeback.

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As an overarching story, I think the script overreaches. It tries “too hard” to jump back into this world, and as a result, feels like it repeats a little too much of itself. It’s really in the “smaller” happenings that this film shines. Going into greater detail seems an impossibility because I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s see if I can explain the meaning of this thought with some clarification.

Jason has always been a pro at whatever he’s doing. We learn as the series progresses that once as a soldier, later as an assassin, and eventually as the thorn in the CIA’s side. He hasn’t lost this edge, and so it’s really in the clever intricacies that the film works best. So much of the larger story is about Bourne’s past, which I feel, as a viewer, we’ve learned “enough” about.

That said, if any series can get away with a trip or two, it’s this one. I appreciate it like no other actioner series. Perhaps this is because, this is probably one of the first series (of this genre) I ever got “into” or perhaps it’s the character. Whatever the reason, I have a soft spot for this franchise. This film hasn’t lowered my esteem in the least.

The characters remain complex, interesting beings. There is regret about one character early on before interest in solving the enigma that is newbie, Heather Lee, sneaks in. I cannot say more about her character without spoiling the story, but suffice to say, she’s one you’re sure to question more than once. I still wonder, what her real motivation is!

Though I’d be first in line to see Damon return as the titular character, I do think the end is about as good as it is likely to get for him. Ideally, I want to see him happy like with Marie (from The Bourne Supremacy) but given the writer’s wanting to go for “gritty,” I don’t see them giving this to us. The action sequences are all good (albeit one does go a little too exaggerated) and the action keeps the story moving at a rapid pace. As the film concludes, and the familiar theme plays, we have a sneaking suspicion Jason Bourne is not done with the CIA. Whether they like it or not, he’s always got an ace waiting to best them.

Content: There’s countless instances of cars being smashed and demolished. Men engage in hand-to-hand combat (sometimes with brutal results); victims suffer stab or gunshot wounds, sometimes with fatal results. Commonplace profanity peppers the 2-hour film. The film is PG13.