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Coming back is never easy, and in the case ofMatt Damon’saction film seriesJason Bourne, bringing the technologically driven thinking man’s spy franchise into a new digital age is even harder. The fourth instalment in the franchise,Jason Bourne(2016)reunites Damon with director Paul Greengrass. While not hitting the peaks of the franchise’s visceral and signature shaky-cam action style,Jason Bourne(2016) focuses on translating the series' trademarks into a new age of information.
For three movies, Jason Bourne was hidden in the shadows, only seen through camera footage of him weaving through crowds and quietly eliminating his enemies. When the franchise first premiered in 2002 withThe Bourne Identity, andthrough its two sequelsin 2004 withThe Bourne Supremacyand 2007’sThe Bourne Ultimatum, audiences slowly became accustomed to its slower pace and focus on government secrets instead of cocktails and Bond girls.
When the series returned in 2016, Jason Bourne entered a new world where information is more readily available.Jason Bourneunderwhelmed audiences at the time but is worth a second chance eight years later. Why re-watchJason Bourne? What does it do differently? What’s different, and what stays the same from the previous three entries? Here’s what you need to know.
Matt Damon Returned to His Titular Jason Bourne Role
Jason Bourne
Jason Bourne spent three films trying to find out what happened to him and what government schemes he became involved in. This search for answers propelled the overarching story ofthe original trilogy, connecting three films that used very similar narrative devices to tell them. You know you’re watching a Jason Bourne film if a group of government suits is watching a monitor, trying to track Jason Bourne but helplessly watching as he evades them.
Jason Bournetakes these familiar elements and adds a new level of governmental cynicism and tonal grit. With changing times comes a changing sense of moral ambiguity that Jason Bourne has always existed in. The main difference is, that by 2016, nothing is the same for Bourne. Familiar faces appear visibly older, which may sound obvious, but many ‘legacy’ movies attempt to act as if not a day has passed since the last adventure.Jason Bournegoes to lengths to show its old heroes as old, wearied, and looking for a quieter life.
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Wearied characters bring vulnerabilities to the surface that had rarely been felt in the franchise’s heyday. Jason Bourne has always beenthe indestructible spy, and whileJason Bournedoes fall into the trap of plot armor conveniences, the character has never felt as fragile. It became a trend in the 2010s to see older characters as miserable and past their prime, butJason Bournerarely lays it on thick enough that it becomes annoying. The government officials chasing him only see the legend on their screens, but the audience sees an older man who thought he had left this life behind him.
Jason Bourne Is a Modern Spy Movie
This isn’t to say that the old Jason Bourne isn’t still there. The series’signature car chasesare still roaring, and the clichés are aplenty.Jason Bournedoes slip into the formula it spent three movies separating from, with 2010s broader action movie beats thrown in for good measure. This doesn’t necessarily take anything away from the movie; it can remove the stamp of originality that made Jason Bourne such a compelling story in the first place.
That being said, there’s nothing wrong withJason Bournebringing itself into a new decade that pays a nod to the time it belongs to and still pays ode to those tense screen-watching scenes. A modern spy movie is not a bad thing, and with its strong sense of character and relationships that feel lived in,Jason Bournecould do a lot worse.
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The relationship betweenJason Bourne and Julia Stiles' Nicky Parsons is the best example of this. With their shared history plastered all over their faces, a sly grin or eye roll is enough for these two characters to jump back 10 years to when they were still working together. Their relationship is a touchstone of the franchise, andJason Bournetakes it to new places.
Why Jason Bourne Is Underrated
At the time,Jason Bourneleft audiences a little lukewarm. Its rival franchise, James Bond, had finally caught up to the modern digital age, and the comparisons between the two felt justified in the wake ofSkyfallin 2012 andSpectrein 2015. What setsJason Bourneapart is the old-fashioned core that is still beating despite the modern glossy look.
Jason Bourneis a forgotten gem from 2016, overlooked in a time ofmodern Hollywood’s burgeoning legacy sequel trend. Don’t let that title put you off, though.Jason Bourneis a solid legacy sequel that knows how to evolve and stay true, which, given the standard of legacy sequels today, is no easy task.Jason Bourneis deserving of a 2024 re-watch mainly because, in the eight years since Bourne’s return, the spy genre is lacking in some good old-fashioned espionage.Jason Bourneis coming to Prime Video on Sept. 20.
