Non-spoilery review: The Bourne Legacy

[amanuensis1]

Let's start with this: can I have a movie just devoted to Jeremy Renner putting on jackets? Jeremy Renner Putting On Jackets would be my favorite film ever.

I'm surprised that I actually have things to say about The Bourne Legacy. I thought this post would be me saying, "Jeremy Renner is a beautiful, beautiful man," and that would be pretty much it, but I kinda have a review, wow.

First off, yes, I've seen the Bourne trilogy, for certain values of "seen." I am in that lonely, bewildered small portion of Americans who feels essentially nothing for Matt Damon*, so, I watched the first Bourne film ages ago because it was the thing to do. I felt no connection with the film at all, and did not plan to bother with any more of them. The past couple of weeks I decided to rent the other two just to have any bit of background that might enhance viewing of Legacy, so I put them on and basically did other stuff while they played. Still no emotional connection.

But I got the pattern: action sequence-talky suits-action sequence-talky suits etc. It's fine, whatever. I like my spy movies James Bondish, where the story follows Bond 100% and when there isn't action he is one of the talky suits (usually giving them the side-eye to tell them what he thinks of all the time-wasting talking). But in Bourne the suits are all The Conspiracy Brigade and the hero himself is their target. Different, I get that. Didn't really suck me in. May have been the Matt Damon factor.

The pattern of action sequence-talky suits-action sequence goes off a little in Legacy, it turns out. What we get for the first half is character establishment and an abundance of talky suits; apparently the creators felt that the talky suit stuff is what makes the Bourne series recognizably Bourneish. It may be true, but I'd hazard that viewers are watching more for the action sequence portions. I dunno, someone who likes these films tell me if that's true?

Granted, in Legacy, the tension in the character establishment stuff is high. There is a little action at times to justify all that tension. And granted those characters are interesting and they are played by Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz, who do a hell of a job with what they're given.

Dr. Marta I'll-Never-Remember-Her-Last-Name looks harried and everywoman, though when the crisis does come at last she becomes someone whose skin I slipped into like a well-worn glove, fwoop. (Scientist forced to recognize the applied outcomes of her work? Yeah, all too easy for me to identify with that.) Aaron Cross starts out intriguing from the film's opening shot, and also likeable, with flashes of "I am already a deeply suspicious guy and well I should be," and he's right, what with people trying to kill him just because they created him, so that does a lot towards building sympathy, though my viewer sympathy for him didn't really solidify until midway through the film. Where, not coincidentally, everything solidifies in the film: the action ramp-up, the excitement, the character connections to the audience. And that's because it's the moment (and the way) our two leads meet. The danger they're in, the way Cross treats Marta and carries her through the crisis, the way he learns she treats him when she's not under fire, and the way he makes her wake up to her ethical responsibilities...suddenly I had two heroes to root for.

Which made the second half edge-of-my-seat riveting. And it couldn't have been so riveting if they hadn't taken such care in the first half showing the quietness of Marta's life, setting up the situation that blows her quiet life apart, turns her into someone on the run. It works, but I fear it works at the expense of some viewers losing patience with the first half of the film. So I get the mixed reviews for this. Me, the non-Bourne fan who just went in to watch Renner's performance--I'm a special case and not the general audience. So my perspective may be interesting but not a reliable indicator for whether this film works. The take among respected critics is about fifty-fifty for liking this film, which feels about right to me. I really, really liked the second half of this film, and by extension it made me like the first half in retrospect.

There are specific character moments that melted me--moments that you didn't know were vital for making you like the characters, and then they hit and I went, holy cripes, if we hadn't had that moment I would never have even known what I missed in not having it and that would have been tragic. I literally did choke up and get teary-eyed in a sweetly scripted hurt-comfort moment, and it was because of the dialogue, not because anyone happened to be shirtless at the time, thank you very much. One observation of mine hit me hard enough that it makes me want to wrangle it out into metafic. Just the one, but I might have to do it.

I would like the film to do well at the box office. I want studios to offer Renner all the roles. Because he's a beautiful, beautiful man.


(First image in my dream film, Jeremy Renner Putting On Jackets.)


(*I love The Departed and Dogma, and I'm glad Damon's the villain in both of them. It makes it easier.)

Comments

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

You are too adorable in your Renner love, bb ♥

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

At least I keep the pictures above the cut small and non-animated, for everyone else's sake. :D

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

Matt Damon is a black hole. By which I don't exactly mean that he SUCKS, but... yeah. That's just the best way I can think of describing his 'talent'.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

That may be a fair metaphor for our lonely bewildered minority. He IS a talented actor, I believe that with all my heart. I believe his characters--I feel their cerebral resonance; I just don't feel any emotional resonance.

[nufaciel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm kind of in the "meh" category for Damon. Like you, I don't get an emotional connection with him all that much (or at all really), though he is good at what he does, and I enjoy him more in an ensemble (like Ocean's) rather than him in a lead role. Part of it is probably also that when he first became well known, my sister looked at him and goes "Hey, he looks like [our cousin]!" Which he does. They share several of the same facial features. So now, every time I see him, I see my cousin and, uh, no.

And Renner is a beautiful man, and such fun to watch.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

in 2007 he was People's Sexiest Man Alive and I realized I had to give up trying to understand his appeal. (I have all these "omg what if Matt Damon saw this he would be SAD" feelings so I keep having to qualify it by saying, Matt, I do think you are a good actor, you just can't have chemistry with ALL your viewers! :D )

*posts pretty JR icon*

[ariadneelda.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the non-spoilery review that gave me a pretty good idea what to expect without giving anything important away. :)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I call this non-spoilery for certain values of non-spoilery--if it says nothing more than the average newspaper movie review it counts as reasonably non-spoilery; if you're the sort who wants to go in knowing NOTHING, as I do sometimes, seeing no trailers or blurbs or such then it's spoilery, but if so, what are you doing reading the post anyway? :D

[jamoche]

You are coming at it from exactly the perspective I am, so this is very helpful. Too many of the pro reviews assume you love Matt Damon and the previous films, and I'm completely meh about them. I read the book ages back and somehow I've managed to hit the ending of the first film on cable a couple of times.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Too many of the pro reviews assume you love Matt Damon and the previous films, and I'm completely meh about them.

YES. Unfortunate, sad amounts of meh. I suppose that could be better for viewing--less emotional investment in asking it to live up to previous films!

[khylara.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this - as I will be going eventually for much the same reason you did (No love for MD - haven't seen any of the other Bournes - just want to see pretty) it's good to know what to expect.

The rest - Jeremy could stand on an empty stage and read the phone book and I'd be a happy gal. Just give a front row seat.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I would sign away very large amounts of money and ova to attend that phone book reading. :D

[percygranger]

As a person who saw and loved the previous three films, I was both excited for Legacy and not sure what to expect. I enjoyed Renner as Hawkeye, and Rachel Weisz is awesome, so there was definitely some hope there.

To answer your question: for the previous three films, yes, I was watching for the action. I adore amnesia and all its implications, and Damon's co-stars, such as Franke Potente in the first one, or Bourne's nemesis in the second, were quite good. Julia Stiles has always inspired meh, so learning that they were changing that was exciting. I can't say I'm head-over-heels for Matt Damon, but he's fairly appealing to me.

In Legacy, however, I feel they ramped up the suits/talky bits/conspiracy in a good way, they made it understandable this time. We got to see the whole of the conspiracy, not just one segment of it, necessarily limited by need-to-know. And I liked how they showed the data parsing. Not hugely different from previous films, but enough so that I appreciated how much work and coordination that kind of operation needs.

Thus, I really enjoyed both types of scenes this time around. I agree that Rachel Weisz and Jeremy Renner did amazing things with what they had. Cross's motivations actually make sense, which is a beautiful, beautiful thing, and Marta's realization that there's more to her work than the science was really awesome and believable. The main thing I admired in this film was how smart everyone was. It was a battle of minds and information, not just brawn.

I think they did take too long in some places. The final chase scene, for one. And I wasn't all that intrigued at the beginning, oddly enough. It felt too much like a retread of the original without the life-and-death suspense. To me, it almost feels like a remake, with original characters. As such, it has good and bad points, but overall I found it entertaining and thought-provoking.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh, good, thank you for this review! I'm happy to get perspective from someone who likes amnesia plotlines and the first three films.

I was insulted by reviewers who said they couldn't follow Legacy--omigod, it was all there and was self-explanatory! Conspiracy created Cross et al; conspiracy likely to be exposed; conspiracy taking down its operatives. This was hard to follow?

The entire "we need to find Dr. Marta" tracking thing made me eight kinds of paranoid. I bet it's not that far-fetched.

[goseaward.livejournal.com]

I saw this last night with fangirls, and I think all enjoyed (though the last action scene was way too long for my tastes). I hadn't seen any of the previous movies or read the books and it was still comprehensible, so that was a relief....

Certain members of my party may have had inappropriate toddlerfisty reactions to a certain emotionally resonant shot of Renner's arms, however. :D :D :D

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

At one point I may have moaned aloud, "Omigod, pick a vein. Just, unf, PICK A VEIN, they're all so gorgeous, how can you choose..." :D

[lauriegilbert.livejournal.com]

I'm probably the minority but I totally watch all the Bournes for character development and the talky suits. I love the whole Bourne trying to figure out who he was and what he's done and fit into a non-dictated world. I thought Renner did a good job, but it wasn't my favourite Bourne. Weisz is now my favourite Bourne girl, though. :D

And I don't see the Renner appeal at all, but did crush on Damon for over a decade ...

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Weisz was wonderful. She was a civilian and she was smart and she wasn't there to fall in love with Cross, she was there to assume some responsibility for her fallout once she was in a position where she could no longer turn back, and she rose to it and, oh. The "You're a warrior" bit, eeee. Loved that, because she proved it true.

[fairlyironic.livejournal.com]

This is interesting, because I wasn't going to watch Bourne Legacy. The commercials make it look like quite different from the original Bourne movies, and for me not in a good way.

I liked the original films because I don't feel an emotional connection for Bourne and I think that that makes him incredibly effective in the action sequences. I'm not wondering what he's feeling, I'm believing that he's going to succeed because this is the guy who gets things done, and I'm just along for the ride to see him do it. As Seperis said, Bourne is the kind of guy you want with you when the zombie apocalypse comes. The action scenes are a thing of beauty. I didn't particularly care about the conspiracy or the character-building, although the furious chase at the end of the second movie that culminated with Bourne's apology to the girl who's parents he killed really worked for me. But it worked because it was a juxtaposition, even as he was apologizing he didn't really show any emotion.

In contrast, the Bourne Legacy previews seem to focus a great deal on the conspiracy. I like conspiracy movies, but in a totally different context from the Bourne movies. Also, from what I've heard, Renner gives a much more emotional performance than Damon did. In short, it's not what I want from a Bourne movie, but it sounds like I would like it if only it wasn't a Bourne movie.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you have a reasonable perspective, yeah. If you're in it for the action and the character parts make you say, "C'mon, get on with the blowing up stuff," this film takes a while to get there. (That's essentially my reaction to every single disaster movie. "Please stop trying to make me care about the divorced couple and their kid with leukemia, JUST GIVE ME THE TIDAL WAVE IN GLORIOUS CGI.")

[ausmac.livejournal.com]

I'm probably one of the small percentage of females around who doesn't find Renner particularly beautiful or sexy. He's quite nice, but for me Hugh Jackman or Chris Hemsworth out of a shirt is more likely to make me growl.

Nothing I've seen in the very disjointed trailers has made me anxious to go see the film. It will be a 'rent on dvd' for me Im thinking.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Attraction to Renner is one of those things I don't try to explain--I saw him in The Hurt Locker and barely noticed what he looked like, but then I saw that glimpse of him as Hawkeye in Thor and something about him eclipsed even Chris Hemsworth for me, which is saying something; I'd been drooling over Hemsworth for the entire preceding hour of that film. I know there are a lot of "but he's so ordinary!" and "but he's pug-ugly!" reactions out there and I don't try to refute them. Can't explain it.

[rexluscus.livejournal.com]

I always perk up when the reviews for an action film are mediocre because there "isn't enough action." Sometimes it just means it's a crap action film, but sometimes it means there's actual thoughtful shit going on!

Also, RENNER. He's seriously growing on me. Gotta admire a guy who didn't get handed success straight out of the gate.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

The slow buildup of the first half does make the second half, though I understand that that alone might not make it great filmmaking. But I had a good time!

He's had the same effect as Robert Downey Jr. did for me--RDJ may have had huge success when he was young, but I paid no attention to him until he was older and had the right role and amazing facial lines to suck me in and make me think him gorgeous. ^_^

[cluegirl.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I found Cross to be a far more human and complex element than Bourne ever was. I felt he acted more, and kicked ass less, and I felt that was a godamned improvement over the previous strain. You could see his conscience -- his intact conscience -- all over the place. His questions in the cabin, his anger at Marta's willful ignorance, his flashbacks, all of it. You could tell that he'd always had heart, even if he hadn't always had the rest of it.

And that's what knocked this upward for me.
Well, that, and the way they left the slash door open for the fans. That was good too.

[cluegirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, and also, I saw a gifset on tumblr where an interviewer asked Renner: In a fight between Aaron Cross (Legacy) and William Brandt (MI Ghost Protocol), who would win?

Renner's answer? "Hawkeye would take the both of them out."

LAWL!!!

[effervescent.livejournal.com]

I needed to comment just to thank you for that picture. *_*

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

You are welcome, fellow Rennerite! ^_^ In fact, I just mucked with the html to make the picture a link that goes to the larger version, iffen you want it.

[neery.livejournal.com]

OH GOD WHY CAN'T GO SEE IT YET, WHY WHY WHY

I didn't love the first three movies, either. I really, really enjoyed Bourne's competency and brutal efficiency, and how in the action scenes, they didn't put a cut in every half second so you could actually see what was going on, but I could just never get the slightest emotional attachment to that character, and I don't find Damon sexy, either. So I'm really excited about the idea of a Bourne movie with that same style of fight scene, but with an actor I love and a character that I might actually be able to feel something for.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

IT WILL WAIT FOR YOUUUU

I could actually follow the fight scenes and chase scenes in this, which was gratifying! I do get picky about fight scenes; I'm bored by the slow-mo thing that Ridley Scott started popularizing, but also hate when the cuts are so damn fast you can't tell what's happening.

[pushdragon.livejournal.com]

I love your mad Renner love SO HARD! Even if mine is feeble by comparison.

When your fantasy film involves putting clothes ON, this is clearly true love.

Also, are you saying we get Renner and an explodey lightweight plot AND Rachel Weiss? The last I did not expect. Wow. Some years Hollywood is actually quite good to us.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

When your fantasy film involves putting clothes ON, this is clearly true love.

It's probably less pure than it sounds, I suddenly realize--when he puts clothes on, you also get lovely views of his hands, oh, his haaaaaands. :D

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

I'm in Chicago and not able to spend a great deal of time online, but I'm (unsurprisingly?) your exact demographic: not just where the Renner love is concerned, but also being spectacularly 'meh' about Damon in the Bourne films (although that has less to do in my case with Matt Damon generally and more to do with the fact that I imprinted on the Ludlum novels when they were first written, thought they were fantastic, and realized ten minutes into the first Bourne movie that it was going to feel *nothing* like the books)

(really nothing, since a weird t.v. miniseries version starring Richard Chamberlain years ago felt far more true-to-the-spirit of the books)

Anyway!

I saw the film at 10:15 in Chicago with three fan friends (although only one of them is a specific Jeremy Renner fan and none are especially into action movies or Bourne) and we all liked it a great deal - as did the very-engaged audience. Yes, the first fifteen minutes could have been slightly confusing for, you know, people who knew nothing about the series *and* hadn't ever watched intrigue-based movies and the end, well...the less said about the closing music the better; I thought I was watching a movie in 1973. But it worked for me on a pure movie level and it killed me on a Jeremy Renner level (I'm sure you'll understand when I say I cried the first time I read Flowers for Algernon, so my anxiety for Aaron in this was kind of ramped up *g*)

Also...I would watch the jacket movie, so see what you can do about getting some financial backers. :)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Will get right on the letter-stuffing campaign! Right after I comb tumblr some more. ^_^

(I think I might have seen that Richard Chamberlain mini-series! Either that or I'm confusing it with Three Days of the Condor or something.)

I keep checking the box office predictions like the obsessed nut I am--I just saw that they're calling it $40.3 million for the weekend, which I hope pleases the studio. Man, I hope.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Let's start with this: can I have a movie just devoted to Jeremy Renner putting on jackets? Jeremy Renner Putting On Jackets would be my favorite film ever.

I'd watch it.

(Scientist forced to recognize the applied outcomes of her work? Yeah, all too easy for me to identify with that.)

I cannot get over how much I love that Marta is not portrayed as 'pure' and that she is a complex character with interesting motivations and a high level of unconscious blindness to the implications of what she was doing. So much for interesting than having her be a damsel in distress (which she wasn't, AT ALL?)

I literally did choke up and get teary-eyed in a sweetly scripted hurt-comfort moment, and it was because of the dialogue, not because anyone happened to be shirtless at the time, thank you very much. One observation of mine hit me hard enough that it makes me want to wrangle it out into metafic.

Tell me more? And please do write that metafic.

[workerbee73.livejournal.com]

Okay basically I'm just seconding this entire comment b/c yes, we need that jacket!film and yes to moral ambiguity and double triple yes to needing the metafic. :D

Great review.

(oh! on the other moment where i got a sudden and unexpected attack of the feels was the juxtaposition between the flashback exam scene where Aaron's being all flirty with Marta and she's giving him the first virus (and of course he has no idea, he's too busy counting backwards in russian or whatever) and then when they're in the Philippines and she's giving him the second injection and they both know what's happening and what the stakes are and he's like "thank you" and -- WHAM! right in the feels. idek.)

[eeyore9990.livejournal.com]

OH DAMN. Just got back from seeing this like 2 hrs ago and I have to disagree strongly with your idea for Jeremy Renner Puts on Jackets because the entire purpose of that film would be him covering up his arms which I am planning to ask my congresspeople to bring before congress to vote into law can NEVER BE DONE.

That said, I felt very meh about the first three films too (although I do love explosions, of which there were many, so yay explosions) and loved this one. I have no idea if it's because I got to see JR being Hawkeye-ish with his ability to take down Evil!Drones from a billion yards away, or if it is because this movie is just more compelling OR if it's because JR can act. I get stiff and uncomfortable vibes from Matt Damon in every movie he's ever been in ever, which makes me feel stiff and uncomfortable in reaction, so. Eh.

But yes, loved the hell out of this movie. It was pretty AND thinky (the husband and I had lots of discussions about enhanced soldiers on the way home).

[eeyore9990.livejournal.com]

Also, you may have seen it, but there is a Clint/Tony fic in which Clint's past as Aaron Cross is uncovered by Tony. It's... short and basically awesome. I can find the link if you want one. :D

[james-syme.livejournal.com]

I was going to watch this film because, well, Jeremy Renner. Now I'm going to watch this film because 1) Jeremy Renner, 2) this review. Thank you for providing further motivation (and a review for those of us who likewise were pretty meh about Bourne before they cast Aaron Cross) :)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh, good, I'm glad to provide the perspective!

(I've been looking at box office predictions for the second week, too, like a nut. ^_^ Man, I hope the film does decent biz this weekend too!)