Jason Bourne [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2016]

Paul Greengrass returns to the captain’s chair with this 5th film based on Robert Ludlum’s classic novels. You can be sure it’s a Greengrass film with the opening chaotic scenes. Jason Bourne (who had only a mention in 2012’s “Bourne Legacy”) has been out there somewhere since 2007. All we learn here is that he’s making ends meet as a street fighter on the Greece/Albanian border. Matt Damon (“The Martian”) returns as Bourne. He reconnects with Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles, “Closed Circuit”), who like Bourne is a former discredited CIA operative. She has information – of course she does – that provides the backstory as to how Bourne got into the agency as well as information about his father’s role in the CIA. For those who don’t know, Jason’s memories are scrambled as to how he became the ferocious fighting machine he is now. Evidently, yet another scheming CIA director is intent on bringing down both rebels with prejudice (one of many spy terms used in the film). This time it’s Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones, “The Homesman”) and if there are these numerous other super-secret agency sub-heads they aren’t disclosed, although other black ops programs are. One of Dewey’s top aides is Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl”) who specializes in secret computer stuff. She’s alerted to the whereabouts of Bourne and Parsons, alerts her boss and the goon squad is out to get them. This includes Dewey’s top assassin, only known as “The Asset” (Vincent Cassel, “Child 44”). Smiling yet? So here’s where Greengrass and his herky-jerky camera crew come into play. The meet between Jason and Nicky is to take place in Athens where there is a huge political demonstration taking place outside of parliament. It is a perfect place for untold amounts of confusion and bedlam involving the demonstrators and the police. It also creates a long, exciting section of the film where Bourne’s skills are tested to the max. It is a heart-pounding beginning to another exciting chapter even with the still missing answer to “where have you been, Jason Bourne?” Bourne’s search for his own answers, beginning with his recruitment and his father’s involvement and his eventual death, leads him to Berlin, London and Las Vegas. While Dewey (and Lee) are still concerned about Bourne and how he might leak embarrassing information, he’s also involved with a rich techno-geek who has developed a platform that will allow the government to spy on…well everybody. Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed, “Nightcrawler and the current TV series “The Night Of”) is having second thoughts about the legitimacy of his program and specifically how the CIA might use it. There goes the Constitution raising its head again. In the meantime, Heather Lee doesn’t trust Dewey either and helps Bourne get past customs/immigration and arrange for some alone time between Dewey and Bourne. Remember “Asset?” He’s still on the job, and can’t be easily knocked out with one punch like Bourne does to an Albanian heavyweight in the opening scene. Aside for a lot of missing background information and familiar scenarios, this Borne is the near equal of its predecessors. Good acting, well-choreographed fights, fine photography and an excellent score outweigh the silliness of the final chase sequence. Not only is it one too many and go on too long, it belies the laws of physics. Still recommended.

Back in 2002, The Bourne Identity redefined not only the action film aesthetic but the modern spy thriller as well. While some elements of the Bourne films have been good for action films, others are now trite and cliché. If you were to break down the “Bourne formula”, these four elements could be used to make any action film in the “Bourne-style”: Car chases with spectacular driving in “common” vehicles Brutal hand-to-hand combat using everyday items Shaky camera movement during action sequences “The chase” where eventually the protagonist gets away, achieves his objective and escapes into the shadows once again Because the Bourne films are so formulaic, I found Jason Bourne (2016) to be no different. That being said, the film was still a fun and intense ride to watch. Now nine years later from the last in the “true” Bourne storyline (we’ll just forget that The Bourne Legacy (2012) happened), technology has vastly improved, making this film seem more like a crossover of James Bond and Person of Interest. This, I feel, was Jason Bourne’s strength. Casting the incomparable Alicia Vikander (hot in her burgeoning career), was a smart choice and made this film enter the “new era of espionage.” Furthermore, including the subplot focusing on technological privacy pulled straight from our current events helped to pin this film into the collective popular culture in which we now live, instead of just being a series of chases in foreign lands. I also appreciated the inclusion of some semblance of a plot in this film, as it felt like Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) had not gotten very many answers in the last three films. At least this time around we learn something about him and his motivation; since the amnesiac super-soldier archetype can really only go so far. Another great Bourne film with a contemporary twist, I give Jason Bourne 4.0 stars out of 5.

The next chapter in the saga wasn't as pulse pounding as one would have hoped in the theater but after letting it sit for a while it was nice to watch the movie in Blu Ray with 2D to 3D enabled on your TV. The plot can stand alone without seeing the other films first but it helps if you have seen the first four films. There is plenty of action and Matt does a good job of keeping up with the momentum of the character. The story-line is still solid and the movie is enjoyable especially on the second time around. As for the boasting about HDR (High Dynamic Range) this is pretty annoying as there are no HDR TV's OR a standard for HDR out yet (See MaximumPC January 2017 Page 48, thus far HDR has options of HDR-10, or UHD Premium, or maybe Rec.2020, or perhaps BT.2100, SMPTE 2048...well you get the picture! Additionally there isn't a color standard yet, it could be 10-bit or 12-bit color and the potential standards go on and on so it is fairly deceptive of the movie company to boast HDR picture quality on the film. Moving back to the film, you will find it is a refreshing watch on the second or third time and you may even spot some things you missed the first time, as well as the nice performance Matt puts on introducing the special features/bonus features were he tells you a little about the clips you are going to see and I found this to be very professional and tastefully done, as it makes it seam like the bonus content was actually though out and well written just like the movie and unlike many others films with special or bonus features that turn out to be just a slideshow of cuts that didn't make the movie or something of that nature. All and all it is a good value as you get the 4k Blu ray, as well as a regular Blu Ray, and a digital copy all in a nice, sturdy steelcase, the only thing missing is a DVD version of the film as it only costs a few cents to make the disk and it wouldn't possibly detract that much from the profit margin on these 4k films as they are all fairly pricey, as far as movies go these days. Enjoy the show.

As far as action movies go, I'm as big a fan as there is, of the good ones of course and the Bourne movies have set a standard in that genre. That said, this latest entry, Jason Bourne, unfortunately fails to live up to the standards set by the previous films. It's not the story, the directing and certainly NOT the action that hurts this one, as it has some of the best sequences of the entire series. What drags this one down below expectations is the acting. Matt Damon is great as usual but Tommy Lee Jones? Well just watch any movie he's in & you've got his entire filmography captured. Same monotone delivery, among other things, he does in EVERY movie. They certainly DIDN'T need him in this movie to attract movie goers to see this. But the BIGGEST LETDOWN was casting Alicia Vikander!!! OMG she was absolutely HORRIBLE, just ruined it. Bland delivery of lines, no emotion whatsoever, she looks lost, uninterested, plays poorly to the camera, etc. Idk why Joan Allen wasn't allowed to reprise her role as Pamela Landy? She was excellent. The best thing I can say about Vikander is...I HOPE she's not in the next Bourne movie! Had she not ruined this one for Bourne fans I believe this would've been one of this year's biggest blockbusters & Damon & company would already be talking about the next film in the franchise. Instead, we may not EVER get another Bourne movie and that'd be a BIG loss for us fans! If you're looking to complete your Bourne collection then I'd say YES to purchasing this DVD. If you're just curious about the franchise then DEFINITELY DON'T buy this one! All of the previous Bournes are way better than this one that Vikander drubbed.

Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne and Paul Greengrass as the director. They bring back the thrill, intensity, action, and amazing story lines that were used to in the original trilogy. Greengrass delivers a movie that is both intelligent and intense. He builds upon his work adding depth to the story instead of CGI seen elsewhere. In an age where action films rely heavily on CGI, it is refreshing to see real stunts and real car chases. Jason Bourne is an incredibly exhilarating thrill ride from start to finish. The new writers have developed a refreshingly complex and layered story featuring a metaphorically lost Bourne accompanied by a sub-plot about digital privacy that brings a welcome layer of social commentary. New information about Bourne'a past and true identity emerges to bring about a thrilling globetrotting stand-off between Bourne and his creators. The cast alongside Damon are excellent. Tommy Lee Jones was perfect for the role of the CIA director. Alicia Vikander was good as the new breed of schemer within the CIA. She offers an empowering performance as a strong, driven and intelligent female adversary. Vincent Cassel is the asset for the CIA who wants to kill Bourne. Julia Stiles is back to play a short but important role in helping Bourne discover the truths of his past

Bourne films are quite formulaic, I found Jason Bourne (2016) to be no different. Nevertheless, the film was a fun and intense ride to watch. Now nine years later from the last in the “true” Bourne storyline, technology has vastly improved, making this film seem more like a crossover of James Bond and Person of Interest. This, I feel, was Jason Bourne’s strength. Including the subplot focusing on technological privacy (pulled straight from current events) helped anchor this film to the popular culture in which we now live, instead of just being a series of chases in foreign lands. I also appreciated the semblance of a plot in this film, as it felt like Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) had not gotten many answers in the prior three films. At least this time around we learn something about him and his motivations, since the amnesiac super-soldier archetype can only go so far.

The action was intense, Matt Damon still looks lethal, but this one fell short of previous installments for me. One always has to have a willingness to "go along with it" when improbable situations arise in movies, but there were just too many times when the CIA was able to randomly pick THE right surveillance camera, tap into it from half a world away, zoom right in on Jason Bourne's head through a 3rd floor window, only catching a partial glimpse for a split second, and yet still positively identify him enough to scramble somebody to his location and create another action sequence. REALLY? I can't even get a clear cell-phone signal from my own living room at times, and they are able to hack into a cell-phone in Germany all the way from Langley, Virginia and use the cell phone's presence to clone the information on a wireless laptop in the same room? If our government is truly THAT technologically savvy, then why did it take 15 years to find Osama Bin Laden? These are some super spies. These types of incidents seem to happen every 15 minutes or so as an excuse for keeping the action going. It was just too much, and it became distracting.

At this point in the game, anyone that's seen any of the previous entries in the series should know what to expect here. This doesn't re-invent the wheel, but it does entertain. With all the major players back for another go, you don't really notice that it's been about 10 years since The Bourne Ultimatum. It has the same feel as the previous films. In regard to story, the plot will feel very familiar. There are nods to events of the recent years as they serve to inspire the plot. As mentioned earlier, the overall plot points are more or less the same as in the past. That being said, everything is well executed. I had to subtract a star for the familiar plot but there's still a lot to like for fans of the series. The bottom line: If you're reading reviews, you're already interested enough to give this a shot.