Reason Writers at the Movies: Peter Suderman Reviews The Bourne Legacy

Senior Editor Peter Suderman reviews the fourth Bourne film in today' Washington Times:

There's not much to learn about Aaron Cross, the biologically enhanced special agent at the center of "The Bourne Legacy." As played byJeremy Renner, he's alternately driven and distracted, a weapon that looks like a person yet lacks anything resembling a personality.

Like Matt Damon's Jason Bourne, Cross is essentially a blank, albeit one with very good reflexes. But where his predecessor's primary goal was to reclaim his own identity, Cross aims only to keep popping the pills that transformed him into a super agent, lest he revert into his old dim self.

It's a telling difference. Bourne's blankness represented a loss, and it gave him purpose. Cross, on the other hand, is merely fighting to stay as blank as he was when we met him.

Mr. Renner projects an erratic magnetism that helps hold "Legacy" together, but even so his turn suffers relative to Mr. Damon's. But don't blame Mr. Renner for the unfavorable comparison: He was Bourne this way.

Whole thing here. 

Comments

[Bee Tagger]

Isn't imagining Suderman and Loder on a movie date together the most adorable thing in the world?

[Killazontherun]

They could do a Siskel ambersand Egbert (you know, Aethelwulf's dad) like show for Reason TV.

[Drake]

Does anyone in Hollywood know that Robert Ludlum wrote lots of other good books? "The Rhinemann Exchange", "The Matarese Circle", "The Gemini Contenders", etc...

They really don't have to keep rehashing the Bourne Identity.

[Brett L]

I think the General Mac Hawkins books would make great comedies. Especially the first one.

[Killazontherun]

But don't blame Mr. Renner for the unfavorable comparison: He was Bourne this way.

I hate myself for laughing at that.

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

+Bourne free

*slaps Suderman in the face*

[Brett L]

Wait, the new Bourne is Algernon? Goddamn it. Once again Hollywood goes about their business of systematically burning down and then pissing on the ashes of one of my favorite series.

[tarran]

Here's the trick.... don't watch it, and forget it ever happened.

That's what I did with the Alien movie involving Winona Ryder.

[Brett L]

I wss actually talking about the original book trilogy. I had just resigned myself to being able to watch the first movie without wanting to set anyone on fire and now this. (Although I believe Ludlum or his estate also licensed the 4th book as Ludlum's Bourne by someone else, so I have plenty of hate to spare for that, too.)

[Agammamon]

In the trailers, as soon as I heard Weisz say something about "changes to two chromosomes", that was enough to let me know that I didn't want to see this movie.

[Brett L]

Yup.

[R C Dean]

Will not watch. Hate shaky-cam movies. That is all.

[Bam!]

"But where his predecessor's primary goal was to reclaim his own identity, Cross aims only to keep popping the pills that transformed him into a super agent, lest he revert into his old dim self."

Bourne meets Crank.